How To Help Your Child Stop Wetting the Bed

You’ve tried limiting their liquids after dinner. You’ve woken them up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. But your child is still wetting the bed at night. What gives?

“Most of the time, bedwetting is a developmental issue,” says pediatric urologist Jessica Hannick, MD. “But sometimes, it can be due to underlying medical causes.”

Dr. Hannick explains why bedwetting happens, how to help your child stop and when to check in with their healthcare provider.

At what age is bedwetting a problem?

Bedwetting (nocturnal enuresis) is the accidental release of pee during sleep in children 5 years of age or older. About 15% of children in the U.S. still wet the bed at age 5.

But if your child is still wetting the bed at age 7 or older, speak with their primary care provider. They may refer you to a specialist, like a pediatric nephrologist or urologist, if your child:

• Is very bothered by their bedwetting
• Hasn’t responded to conservative lifestyle changes
• Has new bedwetting after previously being dry for more than six months
• Also has accidents during the day

Why your child might still wet the bed

Bedwetting is usually related to a child’s development, so it can take time for kids to grow out of it — and that can take longer than expected.

“Often, the neurological connections between a child’s brain and bladder have to mature,” Dr. Hannick explains. “They’ll eventually outgrow bedwetting, but there’s no way to know when.”

Other times, she says, bedwetting is related to underlying medical causes — like urinary tract infections, diabetes or sleep apnea — so identifying and treating those causes is key. (More on that shortly!)

10 tips to stop bedwetting

Most kids stop wetting the bed on their own, but certain strategies can help them get there faster.

1. Motivate, don’t shame

Bedwetting can be frustrating and exhausting for you and your child. But it’s important to be encouraging and positive, and to make them feel good about any progress they make.

“Avoid directing any guilt or shame toward your child for bedwetting,” Dr. Hannick advises. “Kids need to understand that bedwetting isn’t their fault, and they didn’t do anything wrong to cause it to happen.”

She cautions that punishing your child for wetting the bed will only make stress and self-esteem issues worse, which could lead to even more bedwetting.

2. Cut back on liquids before bed

Even adults with great bladder control are better off not drinking a bunch of water right before bed — and kids shouldn’t either.

“Kids should stop drinking one to two hours before bed,” Dr. Hannick recommends. “Anything that goes in has to come out. You have to give them a chance to pee out most of that liquid before bed.”

But that’s not to say your child should avoid drinking during the rest of the day to avoid bedwetting, as that can lead to other health concerns, like dehydration.

3. Pee before bed

Going to bed with a partially full bladder raises the chances of an overnight accident. So, make sure your child uses the bathroom as part of their usual bedtime routine.

“Encourage them to pee every night right before they go to bed, even if they don’t feel like they have to,” Dr. Hannick advises. “They’ve got to empty the tank so it has room to fill overnight.”

4. Aim for healthy poops

Constipation is a common cause of bedwetting because of the nerve connections in the pelvis that are shared by the bladder and bowels.

“Having poops that are firm, large and/or infrequent can lead to painful bowel movements,” Dr. Hannick notes. “That can cause kids to receive messages from their bladder about having to pee more often than they actually need to.”

Address constipation in kids by encouraging a healthy, fiber-forward diet and staying hydrated. But if it continues, ask your pediatrician for help.

5. Focus on good sleep

Kids who are very deep sleepers are more prone to bedwetting.

“Their bodies may not wake them up to the messages of fullness their bladder is trying to send to their brain,” Dr. Hannick says.

And it can become a vicious cycle: Bedwetting interrupts their sleep, causing exhaustion that leads them to sleep deeply at night. And that raises the risk they’ll wet the bed again.

Focus on healthy sleep habits, like powering down screens at least half an hour before bedtime and going to bed at a reasonable, consistent time. Dr. Hannick also cautions that kids shouldn’t stay up late in the hopes of avoiding bedwetting.

“Kids sometimes think they can trick their body not to wet the bed by staying up super late,” she explains. “But that affects the quality and duration of their sleep, which leads to issues during the day.”

6. Don’t wake them up to pee

You might’ve considered rousing your child awake to use the bathroom in the middle of the night to try to get them to use the bathroom. You’re hoping you can safeguard them from an overnight accident — but Dr. Hannick advises against it.

“Waking kids up on a schedule of the parent’s choosing doesn’t factor in the child’s bladder’s ‘schedule,’ which may be variable,” she clarifies. “So, it doesn’t help the bladder and the brain learn how to communicate properly.”

In other words, don’t waste time with random nighttime awakenings. It won’t stop their bedwetting, but it will get in the way of a good night’s sleep (for both of you!).

7. Try a bedwetting alarm

A bedwetting alarm is a device that attaches to your child’s underwear or goes under their mattress pad. If your child has an accident overnight, the moisture triggers an alarm.

Ultimately, the goal is to help kids’ bodies make the brain/bladder connection that encourages them to wake up on their own before they have to pee.

But Dr. Hannick also cautions that bedwetting alarms can take a while to work, and they don’t work for every child. Talk to your child’s healthcare provider to learn more and determine whether a bedwetting alarm is worth trying.

8. Use overnight pull-ups, if needed

Some parents or caregivers hesitate to put their kids in pull-ups overnight, worrying that it will encourage bedwetting. But Dr. Hannick says the opposite is true.

“If anything, wearing a pull-up overnight allows children to stay dry in case of an accident — and that lets them get the sleep they need,” she points out. “It helps keep them comfortable, which can give them confidence.”

9. Ask about medication

Older kids who struggle with bedwetting may feel self-conscious or embarrassed, especially at sleepovers and summer camp. In these cases, their provider may recommend desmopressin (DDAVP®), a synthetic form of the hormone vasopressin.

“Vasopressin regulates how much urine the kidneys produce. So, taking it encourages the kidneys to temporarily keep more fluids inside the body rather than making as much pee,” Dr. Hannick explains. “That means less urine passes to the bladder overnight.”

When taken properly, desmopressin is estimated to be 65% to 75% effective. That can give kids the confidence that they’ll have a dry night, especially when they’re sleeping away from home.

10. Treat underlying medical conditions

Sometimes, bedwetting has an underlying cause, like:

• Urinary tract infections (UTIs): UTIs irritate the bladder lining and can cause a frequent, urgent need to pee. Sometimes, they cause pain during urination; sometimes, they do not.
• Mental health concerns: Anxiety and other psychological or emotional challenges can contribute to bedwetting, especially in cases where kids were previously dry.
• Neuroatypia: Research shows that kids who have autism and/or ADHD have higher rates of bedwetting than their neurotypical peers.
• Hormonal imbalances: Some kids’ bodies don’t produce enough vasopressin, making them more likely to wet the bed.
• Chronic medical conditions: Undiagnosed diabetes, sleep apnea and other urological disorders can all contribute to bedwetting.

“In these cases, properly diagnosing and treating or managing these conditions is fundamental to successfully treating bedwetting,” Dr. Hannick says.

Why has my child started wetting the bed again?

Some children start bedwetting again after they haven’t done it for a while. This is called secondary nocturnal enuresis — wetting the bed after six months of staying dry overnight. It’s often related to psychological stressors, like:

• Divorce
• A new baby in the home
• Moving to a new home
• Starting at a new school

It’s also important to know that children who have experienced child abuse often regress to earlier childhood behaviors, including bedwetting. If you’re concerned that your child may be a victim of abuse, contact someone who can help — like their pediatrician or your local child protective agency. In the U.S., the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline (1.800.422.4453) is available 24/7.

When to see a doctor about bedwetting

If your child struggles with bedwetting, ask their provider for guidance. It’s often a standard part of child development as their bodies and brains mature — but not always.

“Because there can be medical causes for bedwetting that require additional evaluation, it’s important to rule those out before we assign a developmental cause,” Dr. Hannick says.

Talk to their provider if they:

• Also have symptoms like burning or pain when they pee
• Recently started having accidents, whether overnight or during the day
• Drink plenty of fluids but still always seem thirsty
• Need to pee more often but still expel large amounts of pee each time
• Snore loudly or seem to stop and restart breathing while they sleep
• Complain of numbness, pain or tingling in their legs or feet
• Have poop accidents or frequent underwear stains

These can all be signs of underlying conditions. And whether your child is dealing with a developmental or medical cause, their provider is there to help.

“There are many options and strategies we can offer,” Dr. Hannick reassures. “I just want kids and parents to know they’re not alone in this.”