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Dr Catherine
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Girl
4-7 years

Hi Dr Catherine, Hope you are well. My eldest daughter aged 6 is still wetting the bed. We have tried taking her to the toilet at night a few times. We have tried no food and water an hour before bed. But nothing seems to be working. She is staring to feel embarrassed about having to wear the pull ups at night. What can you suggest? Please help my girl xxx

As a parent you can either choose to wait it out with the hope she will outgrow her bedwetting on her own or you can introduce treatment. Treatment is typically recommended once your child is older than 6 years of age (this is due to the high rate of spontaneous resolution up until then), or earlier if they are visibly upset or disturbed by their bedwetting. The best form of treatment is the conditioning alarm – but do not try and introduce this until after you have met with your GP. The success of the alarm does depend on how motivated your daughter is to become dry as well as the level of support she (as well as you) receives. It can take a few weeks until she begins to respond and can take up to 3 months to achieve continence. Keep in mind that you may need to to wake her initially in response to the alarm, particularly if she is a deep sleeper. All the best! Kind Regards, Dr Cathrine