Successful toilet training doesn’t mean it’s goodbye to nappies forever. The night-time nappy can be a fixture for a while, says Coram Family

Most children aren’t ready to be dry at night, until they’re at least three years old. Some will be older and, as with daytime potty training, children vary a great deal, even in the same family. You may get away with a couple of wet beds with one child, and wait with another child for months, before she or he can manage dry beds.

Getting dry at night

There’s no point in trying for dry nights until your child is really reliable about going to the loo and getting there in time. If your toddler has accidents when he’s wide awake, he’s not going to manage to emerge from sleep and do it.

• If your child has a series of dry nappies at night, then it’s time to try. Or, if time is passing, you can take the chance and remove the nappy.
• Either way, chat with your child about what happens next. If she or he is happy to try, then do be ready for some wet beds. If you don’t have a protective cover for the mattress, now is the time to get one.
• Congratulate your child about dry beds and do your level best not to look cross or disappointed about wet ones. Nobody wants to change another set of sheets but it’s par for the course.
• Some children can’t last through the night but they learn to wake and want to go to the toilet. You can leave a pot in their room, with enough light so that they can see what they’re doing. But some children want company and will wake you to take them to the toilet. Tiresome, but you have to put up with it.
• If your child continues to wet the bed, you can try the option of ‘lifting’ and taking her to the toilet before you go to bed yourself. When you are gentle and talk quietly, children are aware they are emptying their bladder but don’t fully wake up. Every couple of months, stop the lifting and see what happens.
• Letting children drink large amounts close to bedtime is unwise, but it doesn’t help to restrict children’s liquid intake, as dehydration will actually irritate their bladder.

When does bed-wetting become a problem?

Many children manage to become dry at night, between three and five years old, and some need to be ‘lifted’ for quite a while. But there are many children who don’t manage this. If your five, six or seven year old is still struggling, it’s important for all of you to realise that she or he (more likely he) has plenty of company out there.

For more information, see bed-wetting.

The specialist support organisation ERIC – The Enuresis Resource and Information Centre – estimates that bed-wetting affects about half a million 6-16 year olds in the UK. ERIC has years of experience in offering practical advice, including leaflets written for children as well as their parents.

ERIC can also be contacted at 34 Old Schoolhouse, Britannia Road, Kingswood, Bristol BS15 8DB and by telephone on 0117 960 3060.