So your loved one has been completely free from nappies during the day but, like many parents, you are experiencing the frustration of finding wet beds in the morning. It will be of small consolation to know you are not alone. 

Bed wetting (nocturnal enuresis) is a condition where a person has involuntary urination during sleep. This can be common in children aged 7 and below. Most doctors agree that children will outgrow nocturnal enuresis as they get older.

Based on case studies of bedwetting, 20 per cent of children wet the bed at age 5 and this percentage is decreased by 3 per cent each year by age 10.

As a parent you would worry about bedwetting if it became a prolonged problem. It pays to keep the following in mind: children will develop differently from each other – they don't all walk, talk, learn to run at the same time and bedwetting is another stage that comes with time and understanding. It is common for them to still wet their beds until age 7. Your patience and positive attitude and understanding will help your child more than the anger and frustration you feel and the reprimand they receive.

There are two types of nocturnal enuresis.

Primary enuresis - when a child has not yet stayed dry on a regular basis, beyond the age that most people have night time control.

Secondary enuresis –when someone reverts to bed wetting; that is, when a child starts wetting the bed after being able to stay dry through the night for an extended period, around six months.

First thing to do is check with your family doctor or paediatrician to ensure the bed wetting is not due to a medical condition and if your child is seven years old or older to get a thorough physical examination.

If your child's bed wetting is not due to any medical problems, there are a lot of things that can help you and your child to cope and solve this problem.

How to help your child stay dry at night:

• Set a routine bedtime for your child. Over tired children fall deeply asleep and have harder time waking up to go to the bathroom.
• Encourage your child to consume more liquids and water throughout the day to train his or her bladder to hold more liquid. Avoid giving caffeinated drinks to children as these are natural diuretics.
• Take your child to the toilet before to bed each night. This may not easily stop the bed wetting but will help in training your child's bladder to discharge on the toilet at night and not in the bed.
  
• Provide a clear and well-lit path to the bathroom.
• Lessen the stress that your child may be experiencing especially if bed wetting has come on suddenly. Talk to them about recent changes in school or at home and ensure them that there is nothing to be overly stressed out about.
• Minimise the effort required to manage a wet bed by using quality waterproof bed linen.
• Let your child help you clean up their accidents by letting them put their wet bed linen in the washing machine. This does not mean that you are punishing them; this is just a simple reminder that they must take responsibility for their accidents and actions.
  

Never criticise or punish bedwetting after all your child doesn't wet the bed on purpose. The best thing to do is practice positive reinforcement. Save the high praises for a dry night.

With a little understanding and some patience, your child's bed wetting will come less and less. But in rare cases, some children bed wet until their teens, in these instances you could try a bed-wetting alarm that goes off when moisture is detected or have your doctor prescribe medication to help with this problem.