Dr Catherine
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Girl
4-7 years

She is starting to get upset and won't wear pull ups as she associates them with nappies and being a baby.

Bedwetting is challenging for all children, but particularly so for children who have siblings who have mastered nighttime continence. The first thing to do is reassure her that this is in no way her fault and has absolutely nothing to do with her still being a baby. It is often helpful to explain to younger children that even big kids as old as 12 or 13 have to wear special pants at night just to help keep their bed dry. I would recommend first having her checked by a GP just to rule out any underlying medical condition, these are rare but always important to rule out first. You can certainly look into introducing treatment; most doctors do recommend holding off until children are a little older due to the high spontaneous recover rate up to about age 7. In saying this, I advise parents look at introducing treatment earlier if they find their child’s bedwetting is starting to impact negatively on their self-esteem or sense of self. The best and most consistently successful form of treatment is the bedwetting alarm. Bedwetting alarms do take a significant amount of commitment at first and will depend on how motivated your child is to become dry. They do tend to be more successful among children with less frequent wetting (i.e., 3 to 4 nights per week) so it would be worthwhile discussing this with your GP before embarking on this treatment. In the meantime you can help promote healthy bladder habits by making sure she drinks plenty of water throughout the day, tapering off in the even. Avoid drinks and food high in sugar or caffeine, like chocolate, as this tends to stimulate the kidneys. All the best! Regards, Dr Cathrine