Is bed-wetting normal?
Wetting the bed (nocturnal enuresis) is usually a small problem which, if handled badly, can become a big one.

It is worth remembering that all new-born babies 'wet the bed' and almost no teenagers do.

Just as learning to walk and talk are normal stages of development, so too is learning to recognise, while sleeping, that you have a full bladder and need to wake up and go to the toilet. Just when that happens will vary from child to child. By the age of 3 about 50 per cent of children are dry at night, but it is generally felt that no action is needed over bed-wetting before the age of 6.

What causes bed-wetting?
The reason some children take longer than others to become dry at night is probably due to them being deep sleepers who are not awakened by the message from their bladder telling them that it is full. There is often a family history of being 'late-developers' in this area.

Medical advice to exclude rare cases where a physical problem such as infection, diabetic complications, or a mechanical problem with the bladder is the cause, should be sought in the following cases.

Many people think that emotional causes are responsible for bed-wetting, but this is not often the case, except for short episodes that might coincide with the arrival of a new baby, a move to a new house or other events that might cause some temporary feelings of insecurity in a child.

How does bed-wetting affect children?
In the older child, some help may be needed as bed-wetting can inhibit some normal social development such as going to stay overnight with friends or having friends to stay.

Treating the problem
Many different methods have been tried to treat bed-wetting (or, to be accurate, speed up the normal development). One successful therapy is the bed-wetting alarm system, which wakes the child when urine is first passed. It is useful for some children. Tablets will help some children, but must be used with caution: talk to your doctor.

It is important not to get cross with children who wet their bed. They don't do it on purpose and are as keen to grow out of it as their parents are to see them stop.