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Bedwetting in children

Mīia moenga me mīia tarau ki ngā tamariki

Bedwetting is when a tamaiti (child) goes for a wee when they are asleep in bed. Bedwetting is normal in many tamariki (children) under the age of 5, and very common in tamariki. Some tamariki wet their pants during the daytime as well.

Causes of bedwetting in children

Bedwetting is a medical condition and is not anyone’s fault. It is not because your tamaiti is lazy or naughty.

The 3 main reasons why tamariki wet the bed are:

their kidneys make too much wee (urine) at night
their bladder is too small and does not stretch enough to hold all the wee they make at night
they do not wake up when their bladder sends a signal that it is full and needs emptying. This happens to all tamariki who wet the bed.

Bedwetting can also be made worse by:

Constipation.
A urinary tract infection.
Type 1 diabetes.
Drinking too much before going to bed.
Not drinking enough during the day. If this happens regularly, the bladder gets smaller so cannot hold as much wee.
Heredity. Bedwetting can run in families. If a parent wet the bed, it is more likely that their tamaiti will also have bedwetting.
Drinking the wrong things. Fizzy drinks and drinks that contain caffeine (tea, coffee, cola, chocolate and many energy drinks) can irritate the bladder lining and make wetting worse.

Helping your child with bedwetting

It is important to remember that most tamariki will grow out of bedwetting.

Do not tell them off or punish them.
Be patient and understanding.
Respond gently if your tamaiti wets the bed. Remember they may feel sad or upset.
Praise your tamaiti for getting up to go to the toilet.
Make sure your tamaiti has plenty of fibre and fluids to prevent constipation.
Give your tamaiti enough fluids to drink during the day. Aim for 6 to 7 water-based drinks.
Avoid fizzy and caffeinated drinks, particularly before bedtime.
Make sure your tamaiti goes to the toilet regularly, around 4 to 7 times a day, including just before bedtime.
Protect their mattress and bedding with a waterproof cover.
Make sure they have easy access to a toilet at night.

Treating bedwetting

There are several ways to treat bedwetting including a special bed alarm that wakes them up if they wet the bed. Some tamariki may need to take medicine to help them stop wetting the bed. Read more about different treatments for bedwetting.

Getting help for your child with bedwetting

Bedwetting is not usually considered a problem in tamariki under the age of 5. It is a good idea to see your general practice team if:

your tamaiti still wets the bed at the age of 7
they were dry at night for 6 to 12 months and started to wet the bed again
the bedwetting is upsetting your tamaiti or you.

It may be helpful to complete this Bowel and bladder diary before seeing your general practice team. This will give the doctor a good idea of your child's bowel and bladder habits. Use the bowel and bladder diary alongside the Bristol stool chart for children and Urine chart.

Several support services are available.

Timaru Hospital bedwetting programme

An Enuresis Nurse runs a bedwetting programme one day a week for children over 7. Children are eligible for the programme if they wet at least 3 to 4 times per week. Phone 022-011-3227 to contact the nurse.

Public Health Nurse

Public health nurses can provide support for school-age children with some continence problems. Talk to your general practice team about this service.

HealthInfo recommends the following videos

Continence New Zealand – A Wee Secret
This video tells how Jet Johnson gets the bedwetting help he needs.

HealthInfo recommends the following pages

KidsHealth – Bedwetting
Information about daytime wetting and bedwetting. Includes information about what you can do to help and when you should seek further help.
Continence New Zealand – Continence information for children
Information about incontinence in tamariki as well as useful techniques for toilet training.

Written by HealthInfo clinical advisers. Last reviewed January 2025.

Sources

The information in this section comes from the following sources, some of which may be clinically complex or not available to the general public

BPAC – Urinary continence in adults. Retrieved March 2019.

BPAC – Urinary incontinence in women: the management of urinary incontinence in women, Retrieved February 2019.

Canterbury Community HealthPathways – Urinary incontinence in women. Retrieved February 2019.

Cochrane Review – Cranberries for Preventing Urinary Tract Infection. Retrieved April 2024.

Continence Foundation of Australia. Retrieved February 2019.

Continence Foundation of Australia – Pelvic floor muscles in men. Retrieved February 2019.

Continence New Zealand. Retrieved March 2019.

KidsHealth – Urinary tract infection. Retrieved September 2021.

NHS – Bedwetting in children. Retrieved September 2021.

NHS – Cystitis, Retrieved February 2019.

NHS – Interstitial cystitis, Retrieved January 2019.

NHS – Urinary incontinence. Retrieved March 2019.

The British Association of Urological Surgeons. Retrieved March 2019.

The British Association of Urological Surgeons – Urinary infection (adult). Retrieved February 2019.

Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand. Retrieved January 2019.

Image and embedded video sources

Day and night-time wetting video from the Primary Children's Hospital on YouTube.

Female pelvic floor muscles animated video from Continence Foundation of Australia on YouTube.

Female pelvic floor muscles illustration from Shutterstock (image ID 200938985). June 2018.

Image of a girl sitting in a car seat from Shutterstock (image ID 1850975761). January 2022.

Image of a woman holding her abdomen from Shutterstock (image ID 1802606767). April 2023.

Image of a woman in pain sitting on couch from Shutterstock (image ID 403461826). October 2019.

Image of a women reading the newspaper from jk1991 at FreeDigitalPhotos. March 2017.

Image of an elderly couple from Shutterstock (image ID 705198691). September 2019.

Male pelvic floor muscles animated video from Continence Foundation of Australia on YouTube.

Urinary system illustration from Shutterstock (image ID 179481320). April 2019.

Page reference: 121593

Review key: HIUTC-12626