Prevention of Bedwetting

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Encourage your child to go to the toilet before they go to bed. Leave a light on, or plug a night-light in so itâ€™s easy for them to get to the toilet during the night, or put a potty in the bedroom (with an old towel underneath it). Itâ€™s very important to be patient and supportive. Donâ€™t punish your child - tell them itâ€™s a normal stage to go through and it will pass. Praise them when they wake up to use the potty or make it to the toilet in time.

Some parents find it useful to have a star or sticker chart reward system. The child gets a sticker or gold star if they wake up before they wet the bed. After, for example, five times they get a reward. It can take several months for this type of system to work but it is likely to work best in the long-term.

Try to encourage your child not to have anything to have a drink after about 6pm, especially anything with caffeine in it, like cola. They should drink lots of fluids (especially water) during the day though, as this will gradually help them be able to hold more urine in their bladder for longer amounts of time.

Itâ€™s a good idea to have waterproof sheets or a protective cover on the bed. Some children wear disposable night pants but these can be so absorbent that the child does not learn to recognise when they wet themselves. So, in the long-term this is not really a solution.