Many children are unable to sleep through the night without wetting the bed. For most children, bedwetting fades away as they get older.

Here are several reasons why your child might wet the bed:

• Your child may not have the bladder control needed to stay dry through the night. In fact, one in seven children wets the bed regularly past the age of three.



• Your child might be a sound sleeper, and the urge to urinate doesn't wake her up.



• Your child may be drinking too much before bedtime. This doesn't mean your child shouldn't have a drink before bed - just don't let her overdo it.



• If your child is still wearing diapers, he may not feel motivated to stay dry through the night because he doesn't notice when he has wet himself.



• Bedwetting can be a reaction to stress in your child's life. Things like a new brother or sister, or a new daycare experience may trigger it or make it worse.



• Bedwetting often seems to run in families - so if you or your partner did not develop night-time bladder control until you were six or seven years old, chances are your child may also take longer to develop night time control.



• And, in a few cases, there may be some physical problem causing your child to wet the bed, such as a urinary tract infection or physical abnormality.

If you have any reason to suspect your child may have some physical problem underlying night-time bedwetting, or if your child is embarrassed about wetting the bed, or if you think bedwetting is going on too long, consult your child's physician.