I have a 6-year-old son at home and he still wets the bed almost every night. I have tried to limit his liquid intake a couple of hours before bed, but it doesn't seem to matter. I also wake him up before I go to bed to go to the bathroom once more.

I can tell you that there are many people in the same boat as you. Many boys just don't get control of their bladder until they are a little older. I don't know when he goes to bed or when you go to bed, but it does often work to wake them up about three or four hours after they go to bed and getting them to go to the bathroom at that time.

Many parents continue to have their kids wear pullups until they have things under a little better control, just for the convenience of not having to change sheets every night.

I think if this does not get better by the time he is 7, then you probably should discuss this some more with your child's doctor. Some people have had success with bed alarms and some medications can be helpful in these situations.

But the main thing I want you to remember at this stage is that it is not your son's fault, and, assuming that he is otherwise developing normally as a healthy child should, that he may just be physically slow to develop in this one area. Do try to be supportive of your son, as I'm sure he doesn't like wetting his bed any more than you like cleaning up after him.

Best of luck with this.

Dr. Mike Potter

-- Michael Potter, MD, is an associate professor at the University of California at San Francisco Medical Center.

First published March 29, 2005
Last updated May 10, 2007
Copyright © 2005 Consumer Health Interactive