How can I get my children (4.5yr old twins) to stop having wet pull-ups through the night? My daughter has had a few random dry nights but my son hasn’t. Every time I even discuss it with him he just tells me “it’s too hard”. I keep telling him I believe in him and that he should keep trying and I know he will be able to do it soon. But he just whinges and says it’s too hard and doesn’t even let me have conversations with him about it. He also hides his pull-up and tells me he was dry when I know he wasn’t. I haven’t ever got mad at him over it so I don’t know why he is like this. What can I do to help him?
Bedwetting at this age is considered to be developmentally normal with most medical professionals not recommending treatment before the age of 6 years - this is partly due to the high rates of spontaneous resolution prior to this. How we manage bedwetting as parents is paramount to ensuring children emerge from their bedwetting phase relatively unscathed. Reassure your twins that their bedwetting is not their fault and is something that they will eventually outgrow as their body becomes better able to hold the urine overnight or they learn to wake in response to a full bladder. With respect to your son you can foster positive self-esteem by helping him to make a distinction between daytime toileting (which is conscious and controllable) and nighttime bedwetting (which isn’t) - so when he says it is too hard, he is right! It is important that you offer him lots of praise and encouragement and set realistic and achievable goals - so rather than the goal being to wake up dry, the goal might be about disposing of his DryNites each morning when he wakes. Encourage healthy bladder habits by getting both children to drink plenty of water at regular intervals throughout the day – you can taper this off toward bedtime but do not restrict fluids completely. The best indicator that your twins are ready to achieve nighttime dryness is an increase in the number of consecutive mornings they wake up dry - until then it is perfectly fine (and less stressful) for them to continue use DryNites. All the best! Kind Regards, Dr Cathrine
RELATED QUESTIONS
What age do children generally toilet train during the day versu...
Children are ready for toilet training at different ages, but the usual range is from as young as
How do I transition my son from night nappies. Very wet in the m...
Unlike toilet training, which is conscious and deliberate, nighttime bladder control is more depend
How can I get my children (4.5yr old twins) to stop having wet p...
Bedwetting at this age is considered to be developmentally normal with most medical professionals n
What age is best to start night time toilet training? My son is ...
As you probably already know – it is perfectly normal for a 3-year-old to still be experiencing uri
What age should you realistically expect a child to stay dry ove...
Children develop nighttime bladder control at different ages. Persistent bedwetting, that is bedwet
My son recently toilet trained during the day, but is now waking...
There are a number of reasons why children continue to wet at night. Some do so because their body
My son is 2.5 years old and refuses to sit on the potty or toile...
It is not unusual for children to experience regression during toilet training; they may start expe
Hi, My son is 4 years old, turning 5 next month, My son relies o...
Hi Melanie, the best indicator that a child is ready to achieve nighttime continence is an increase
Hi, my son is 3 and a half. He has stopped wearing nappies at ni...
A return to bedwetting can be the result of a number of different factors. While physical causes ar
My boy is just about to turn three. For the last year he were t...
Because this behaviour is occurring when he is asleep it is hard to change or control. Until this b
Hello, My son who is 3.5 has been leaking in his nappy over nigh...
The first thing to check is that his nappy is fitting correctly as improper fit can contribute to l
Hi Charles, in the US DryNites are branded as GoodNites. If you click on the following link http://
My little sister still wears nappys at night at age three is thi...
Dear Roxy, it is not unusual for children to continue to wet the bed at age 3 with many children no