Dry nights

Ways of treating bedwetting
'You may want to seek professional help from your GP or enuresis clinic if your child is aged six or seven or above,' says ERIC's advisor. 'They will be able to make a full assessment, advise on treatment options and support you and your child throughout treatment.' Speak to your GP, school nurse or health visitor, or contact ERIC. Meanwhile, there are ways of making life easier all round whilst your child's bladder matures sufficiently for him to stay dry at night.

Lifting Taking your child out of bed a couple of hours after he has fallen asleep (known as 'lifting') is one way of preventing wetting, but whether it works for you and your child or not will depend largely on his response to being woken: some children will stagger to the loo half-asleep, but others will protest loudly and have their sleep badly disrupted. Lifting is most effective in children who have started to have the occasional dry night, as they are already beginning to awaken when the bladder is full. ERIC's advisor stresses: 'If parents choose to try lifting, they should vary the time each night and ensure that their child is fully awake.'

Bedwetting alarms (usually used only from age seven) These consist of a sensor pad worn on the pants or placed under the bedsheet, and an alarm that goes off when the bed is wet. It's important that both parent and child respond to the alarm, rather than leaving the child to cope alone. 'Most children who wet the bed appear to sleep deeply, but we now know that it is less to do with the depth of sleep and more to do with the ability to arouse from sleep to go to the toilet or to hold on until morning,' says an ERIC spokesperson. 'The alarm helps this process; in fact, research has shown that enuresis alarms have been proven to be the most effective form of treatment, with a success rate of around 80 per cent, but they do need commitment and perseverence from both child and parents. On average, treatment will take about three months.' You can hire alarms from some children's hospital departments or buy them from support groups such as ERIC.

Drug treatments An anti-diuretic drug, known as Desmopressin, is sometimes prescribed for children who wet the bed. This is taken last thing before bed and works by suppressing the amount of urine produced overnight. It can be taken as a nasal spray or orally and works well in most children, although not all. The majority will have a brief relapse when treatment is stopped. It may be worth asking your GP about using this treatment as a stop-gap whilst your child's bladder matures. It can be particularly useful for sleepovers or trips away from home.

Reward schemes You'll need your child's cooperation to overcome bedwetting, and some parents find that a reward scheme helps. 'It's important to reward positive actions that your child takes, such as drinking frequently throughout the day, helping to change the bed or taking responsibility for going to the loo last thing at night,' says ERIC's advisor. 'Rewarding a child only for a dry night can be demoralising.'

Holly Ward, 34, from mid-Glamorgan, found this incentive worked well with her daughter Heather: 'I set up a sticker chart for Heather, even though she was nearly seven at the time. She'd been reluctant to help change her bed up until then, but with her favourite Bratz stickers as motivation we got there in the end!'

It's important to remain low-key about the situation, and not to humiliate or pressurise your child. This is where the emotional link comes in: a child who is ridiculed or punished for wetting the bed will feel inadequate and may suffer socially, too, as he'll probably resist sleepovers. This is demotivating, when what your child really needs is motivation to get up to go to the loo.

Overcome night-time fears Make it easier for your child to find his way to the toilet in the night by leaving a light on for him: he may have unspoken fears of the dark that are preventing him from getting up.

It's practical and sensible to invest in a waterproof mattress protector and a good supply of extra bedding to make midnight bed-changing easier. Also, temporary measures such as night-time absorbent pants can help ease the situation for both you and your child.

Further advice
ERIC (Education and Resources for Improving Childhood Continence), 34 Old School House, Britannia Road, Kingswood, Bristol, BS15 8DB, tel: 0117 960 3060 or visit the website Provides support and information and sells a range of products including alarms, mattress and bedding covers, waterproof duvets and mattresses.

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