Deciding the best treatment approach

Information for the public

Children and young people with bedwetting and their parents or carers should be offered treatment and advice that is suitable for the family's needs and circumstances. Suitable treatment and advice should be available for all children and young people, including younger children (under 7 years).

The healthcare team should clearly explain:

about bedwetting and how treatment will affect it
the aims and pros and cons of possible treatments (for example, that alarms work well for long-term treatment and desmopressin is often effective for fast, short-term relief).

To help decide on the best treatment, the healthcare team should ask the child or young person for their views on their bedwetting, including what they consider to be the main problem and whether they need treatment for it.

The healthcare team should also discuss with you:

the impact that the bedwetting has had on the child or young person and the family
how you feel about the bedwetting, whether you are coping and whether you need extra support
what you hope to achieve from treatment and what your priorities are, such as whether short-term dryness is important for family or social reasons (such as for a sleep‑over)
sleeping arrangements, such as whether the child or young person shares a bed or bedroom
the time and commitment needed for different treatments.

The healthcare team will consider whether or not an alarm or drug treatment are suitable for the child or young person depending on their age, the frequency of bedwetting and the motivation and needs of the family.