Your bedwetting questions answered
'My daughter's having accidents at school'
"l have a four year old daughter who up until recently has not had any problems with wetting herself, but she has just started school and twice in the last week the teacher has told me she’s had accidents. She also sometimes now wets the bed at night, too. What can I do?"
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Starting school can be an upsetting time for children. They worry about not knowing anyone, not being able make friends or just being away from home. Frequently, this results in a period of bedwetting. Your child’s teacher will be used to this. Have a word and ask her if she could remind your daughter to go to the toilet during break times. I’d also send in a few spare pairs of knickers and skirts or trousers just in case. If you and her teacher take in your stride she won’t be affected by it.
'My child has never had a dry night'
"My daughter is almost six and hasn't had one dry night since she was born. She wears pull-ups at night but is getting fed up with them. The clinic have told me there is nothing we can do until she’s seven. I wet the bed until I was a teenager and was only cured by an alarm attached to my sheet to wake me up. Is my daughter too young to try this?"
It is very common for six year olds to wet the bed, and there will probably be at least four or five other children in her class that regularly do it The bedwetting alarm is quite intrusive, though it does get good results. However, as she’s only six you may want to try other techniques first.
Make sure she goes to bed with an empty bladder. As long as she’s drinking well during the day, a bedtime drink isn’t really necessary. You can leave a glass of water next to her bed in case she wakes up thirsty.
Of course, let her know that she should also go to the toilet if she has a drink. If you think an alarm is best for your daughter you could try another clinic.
'My child is bed-wetting in secondary school'
"My 11 year old has recently started secondary school and has started wetting the bed occasionally. He’s so embarrassed and he’s finding it really hard to deal with because he thinks it something that only “little kids” do. How can I reassure him, and stop the problem, too?"
Occasionally, secondary bedwetting is caused by a urinary tract infection or some other physical cause. So it’s always a good idea to consult your GP to rule these things out.
But it’s not that uncommon for children to start wetting the bed when they start secondary school. Worries about fitting in can result in a period of bedwetting. Talk to your son and see if there’s anything that’s upsetting him. Perhaps he’s finding it hard to make friends, or he’s feeling overwhelmed by the amount of work he has. He may not necessarily see these things as much of a problem during the day but they may be playing on his mind at bedtime. Stay calm and be supportive. How you deal with it will have an impact on how your son deals with it.
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