Bed-wetting
Is bed-wetting normal?
Wetting the bed (nocturnal enuresis) is usually a small problem which, if handled badly, can become a big one.
It is worth remembering that all newborn babies ‘wet the bed’ and almost no teenagers do.
Just as learning to walk and talk are normal stages of development, so too is learning to recognise, while sleeping, that you have a full bladder and need to wake up and go to the toilet. Just when that happens will vary from child to child. About 60 per cent of pre-school-aged children are dry at night, but it is generally felt that no action is needed over bed-wetting before the age of 6.
What causes bed-wetting?
The reason some children take longer than others to become dry at night is probably due to them being deep sleepers who are not awakened by the message from their bladder telling them that it is full. There is often a family history of being ‘late-developers’ in this area.
Medical advice to exclude rare cases where a physical problem such as infection, diabetic complications, or a mechanical problem with the bladder is the cause, should be sought in the following cases.
- Where bed-wetting starts after a relatively long period of dryness.
- Day-time wetting past the age of 3 or 4.
- Bed-wetting after the age of 6 or 7.
Many people think that emotional causes are responsible for bed-wetting, but this is not often the case, except for short episodes that might coincide with the arrival of a new baby, a move to a new house or other events that might cause some temporary feelings of insecurity in a child.
How does bed-wetting affect children?
In the older child, some help may be needed as bed-wetting can inhibit some normal social development such as going to stay overnight with friends or having friends to stay.
Bed-wetting treatments
Many different methods have been tried to treat bed-wetting (or, to be accurate, speed up the normal development). One successful therapy is the bed-wetting alarm system, which wakes the child when urine is first passed. It is useful for some children.
Medication will help some children who don’t respond to the bed-wetting alarm. One option is a medicine called desmopressin acetate (brand name Minirin), which can be given as a nasal spray. It works by reducing the volume of urine produced at night. It tends to work well in the short term, such as for school camps, but must be used with caution. Talk to your doctor for more information on medicines that may be appropriate for your child.
It is important not to get cross with children who wet their bed. They don't do it on purpose and are as keen to grow out of it as their parents are to see them stop.
Last Reviewed: 30 May 2008
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