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Dr Catherine
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Girl
4-7 years

My son is almost 7 and weighs 30kg though is not overweight but very solid. He doesn't drink much water prior to bed. He sleeps deeply. He has had 4 sets of grommets and about to have a 5th. He does not have sleep apnoea. He never has a dry night and will sometimes wet through his night pull up even still. If we try no pull up he doesn't wake when he wets and he will wet 3-4 times a night. It doesn't bother him that he's wetting or that he's wearing a pull up. I'm not sure what to try next.

Unfortunately there are no simple answers when it comes to understanding children’s bedwetting. The most common causes of bedwetting include a larger than normal production of urine overnight, difficulty in responding to a full bladder as well as a family history of bedwetting. Children usually become dry when their ADH hormones stabilize and they produce less urine overnight or they learn to wake in response to the signals sent from their bladder to their brain telling them to wake-up and go to the toilet. You can help your son by making sure he drinks plenty of water throughout the day. Good drinking patterns will help his bladder to learn to store more urine and reduce the risk of bedwetting. Given both his age and the frequency of his nighttime wetting I would recommend that you make an appointment with your GP to discuss treatment options. While many children are able to outgrow bedwetting on their own without the need for treatment, the likelihood of this happening does decrease with increasing age and frequent bedwetting (that is wetting that occurs 4 or more nights a week). The fact that it doesn't bother him is a true testament to how well you have managed the situation - we find the most significant impact of bedwetting is psychological rather than physical - so continue to be supportive and he will outgrow this stage feeling positive and confident.All the best,