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Dr Catherine
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Boy
8-15 years

my 9yo boy still wets by 9.30pm if we dont take him to the toilet, he goes to sleep about 7:30. He has done this for years, but had about 6 months with no wetting at all. The poor thing is starting to get really frustrated by it, with school camp coming up. We have never shamed him for it, but I am tired of all the washing too. Poor darling, what can we do?

Bedwetting can be incredibly challenging to manage, and even more so when it starts to impact on children’s school and extra-curricula activities. Bedwetting alarms currently experience the best outcomes with respect to treatment. The time it takes for children to achieve dryness when using conditioning alarms can be anything from a few weeks to a few months. A treatment recommended by doctors for use on school camps or sleepovers is a nasal spray. The nasal spray medication is like a synthetic version of ADH (antidiuretic hormone), which is designed to inhibit the amount of urine produced by the kidneys overnight. This does not work with all children so it’s a good idea to try this before going on camp. Speak with one of his teachers and discuss ways that his bedwetting can be discretely managed while on camp. I very much doubt that your son is the first person to attend camp that experiences bedwetting and you may find they already have supportive procedures in place. If you are concerned about leakage you could make up a few sleeping bag liners that can be disposed of in the morning if need be. He can store his DryNites at the bottom of his sleeping bag so that they are not in full view. Sometimes it’s a good idea to have a practice run at home so that he feels more confident when he is with her friends. All the best!  Kind Regards, Dr Cathrine