What can I do?

You’re not alone

Your child will almost certainly grow out of bedwetting. Although there is no one cure there are a number of options available which help you and your child cope in the meantime. Of course, every child is different and your doctor can help you determine the best approach for your child. We have outlined a number of options below.

DryNites®

Your child can use DryNites®, with any of the following options. They enable your child to stay dry, comfortable and confident throughout the night. They are absorbent pants made specially for kids, printed with underwear-like designs for boys and girls and can be worn discreetly under pyjamas and nightwear. See DryNites®.

Motivational therapy

It is important with all conditions like bedwetting not to ignore or overlook the emotional wellbeing of the child. A calendar system that keeps a note of a child's progress on dry nights can be a great motivational tool. A reward scheme works well once the child begins to experience successful dry nights. A good example of a reward chart can be downloaded from this site. You can also use reward charts to reward your child when they’ve been to the toilet before bed. See Tools.

Lifting

Many parents lift the child and place them on the loo just before they themselves go to bed. Invariably, the child is still asleep, and has no memory of the activity the following morning. In fact, because the child is still asleep, it is actually reinforcing the action of urinating during sleep - something the bedwetting child needs no help with! If you do wish to lift your child, you should wake them properly, making them walk to the toilet and urinating with full awareness of what they are doing and why.

Sleep conditioning

There are a number of bedwetting alarms on the market that work by going off when urine is released. This will wake the child up and remind him/her that it's time to visit the loo. Ultimately this will sensitise the child to respond quickly and appropriately to a full bladder during sleep. There are two main types of alarm; 'bed alarms' which use a sensor pad under the lower sheet to wake the child and 'body-worn alarms' which use a sensor placed in the underwear.

Bladder conditioning

Exercises, such as resisting the urge to urinate for as long as possible during the day can help to stretch the bladder. Doctors also recommend strengthening the sphincter by stopping the urine mid-flow.

Medication

In more extreme cases your child's doctor may prescribe a medication such as desmopressin (available on prescription as a tablet or nasal spray) that reduces the amount of urine produced at night and therefore lessens the urge to urinate at night.