Expert Answers

Firstly, let me reassure you that you are not alone – it’s highly likely that there’s at least one other mother of a child in your son’s class is experiencing similar things to yourself. The first thing to do is to schedule an appointment with your GP or a continence advisor to discuss treatment options. Conditioning alarms are currently your best bet when it comes to treatment. The time it takes for children to achieve dryness can be anything from a few weeks to a few months with about 10-15% of children experiencing some relapse – when this happens you need to reintroduce the alarm. I generally advise against restricting drinks completely although you can reduce the amount he drinks after dinner as well as making sure he doesn’t consume sweetened or caffeinated drinks throughout the day. You can help build his self-confidence by pointing out all those things in his life that he is good at, while reassuring him this is not something that he has a lot of control over. All the best! Kind Regards, Dr Cathrine