Children's Health

Bed wetting

Is your child afraid of sleepovers?
Does the thought of a school camp cause worry for you and your child? You are not alone. 

Bed wetting occurs when the bladder empties without permission during sleep. It is very common, affecting approximately 19% of children between the ages of 5 and 12. It can be a very stressful condition for both the child and the parents.
There are 3 main reasons why this occurs:

• The inability to wake when the bladder is full
• The bladder is overactive at night and cannot store urine
• The kidney makes a large amount of urine at night and the bladder cannot hold this amount of urine

Do I need help for my child's bed wetting problem?

While many children outgrow this problem, some require help. If your child is around 7 and still regularly wets the bed then it is a good idea to seek professional help, particularly if this is distressing for them.

A continence physiotherapist in conjunction with your GP can help.

A thorough assessment can often identify factors which may contribute to the problem. A bladder training program can often help and bed-wetting alarms have been found to be more effective when they are supervised by a continence professional.

Bed wetting can be often overcome and help is available.

Monica Fraser has completed further study at the University of Melbourne which has equipped her to deal with this and other continence problems.

For more information please contact our Merimbula clinic on 6495 2281.