Bedwetting is sometimes called "nocturnal Bedwetting is a problem for many school age children and theirThe good news is that for many, the problem can be fixed through fairly simple treatment. Bedwetting is very common. In Victoria alone, there are at least 37,000 children between the ages of five and 15 who regularly wet the bed. At four years of age nearly one in three children wets the bed, but this falls to about one in 10 by age six, and one in 20 by age ten. This is shown in the following graph: Percentage of children who wet the bed at different You can see that your child is not the only one with this problem, and it is important that he or she does not feel aloneThere will be many other bedwetters in the same school, even though they do not usually tell their classmates! common for children to become dry at night for a while and then to Not all of the causes of bedwetting are known. Some of the possible factors are: In some rare cases, there may be a physical problem that
is the cause of the child's bedwetting. For this reason, it is very important that a doctor examines yourThe doctor will consider all the details and recommend the If bedwetting is worrying you or your child then you should seek some treatment. It is very important to be patient and to encourageMost importantly, you must understand that punishing or making fun of your child for wetting the bed will only make the situation worse. Brothers and sisters need to understand Your child needs to be very involved in the treatment plan if itAs the treatment progresses, your child will probably have some good nights and some bad nights. Be very positive on the good nights, and try not to be negative on the bad ones. Most children don't need rewards to encourage them to take part in treatment - the prospect of a regular dry bed is usually enough. Some small treats along the way may be a good idea, but don't promise them in advance. Rather, give them as a little surprise if
your child is making some progress. Certainly don't offer big rewards (e.g. a new bike) because this can add to the stress associated with treatment, and can be very disappointing if your child doesn't become dry. It can be helpful to keep a record chart of wet and dry nights. Your child should make the chart themselves and choose how toSome children like to put stars or stickers on for dry nights or to colour it in or draw pictures. fits in with your child's interests (e.g. football stickers). used on their own have little success, but in combination with a bedwetting alarm they can be very useful. It is important for your child to drink plenty of fluid spread evenly throughout the day. Don't try to restrict the amount of fluid your child drinks in the evening as this will not help and can even delay the process of being dry at night. give drinks containing caffeine (e.g. coffee, tea, hot chocolate, caffeinated soft-drinks like Coca-Cola etc) late at night.
If you are putting your child in a nappy or pull-up at night to save on laundry it is unlikely that he or she will become dry whileIt is better to do away with the nappy or pull-up altogether. If you must use one, at least try without a nappy or pull-up for a week every couple of months. Nappies or pull-ups cannot be worn while using a bedwetting alarm. You might like to use some form of protection for the bed while waiting for your child to stop wetting. A variety of pads and covers are available to protect the bed and pillow, and there are underwear pads that can be used for special occasions (e.g. schoolThey are available from: Bedwetting alarms are considered the most useful and successful initial way to treat bedwetting. Research has shown these alarms will help more than 80% of children to become dry, and most children will then stay dry. This treatment requires a supportive and helpful family and may take six to eight weeks to work.
long-term success and fewer relapses than medication. These alarms are available for hire from The Royal Children'sYou will need a referral from your GP to see one of our paediatricians before you can hire a bedwetting alarm. The alarm consists of a rubber mat that is placed in the bed under where the child's bottom will be, and it is connected by a wire to a box with a battery powered alarm bell. operates at low voltage and there is no risk to your child. Within a week or two your child should start to have some dryThis may happen because he or she wakes up and goes to the toilet before wetting the bed, or because he or she learns to hold If your child has seven dry nights in a row, try giving some extra fluid to drink in the evening. If your child has 14 dry nights in a row, try leaving the mat on the bed but without the alarm switched on and see what happens. dry nights continue, try leaving the mat off the bed all
When you first get the alarm home, practise the whole routine aYou can use a glass of salty water, instead of urine, to set the alarm off. Talk over the routine together each night as he or she gets ready for bed. If your child is a deep sleeper, you may have to wake him or her up for the first few nights when the alarm sounds. will get used to waking to the sound of the alarm. Your job is only to wake your child - they must do the rest themselves. If the alarm fails to go off when the bed is wet, or goes off when the bed is dry, you should contact the hospital for , but there are some occasions when it can beThis is a man-made form of antidiuretic hormone (ADH) that works as a substitute for theIt helps a child's body make less urine at night, therefore reducing the risk of the child's bladder overfillingDDAVP is best used in the tablet form. DDAVP is usually reserved for children who have not become dry when using a bedwetting alarm, and sometimes the two treatments are then