Help for children who bedwet given new NICE guidelines

Parents needing help dealing with child continence issues will benefit from new guidelines aiming to create a best practice.

New guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) will inform parents exactly what they should expect when it comes to the care their children will receive.

Wetting the bed affects up to half a million children and teens in the UK nightly, but it’s a problem nobody wants to talk about.

Currently, children are expected to wait until they reach seven years of age before their bedwetting is considered a developmental problem.

Now, key guidelines don’t recommend a minimum age limit when tackling child continence, which means help for under sevens may now be available. 

Jenny Perez, Director of ERIC, said: “I am delighted these guidelines are being published. So many families suffer alone with bedwetting but with the right support and treatment, these children can be helped.  ERIC fully supports these guidelines; the next step is for GPs and clinicians to follow them, and intervene when appropriate.

“Parents who ring the ERIC Helpline often blame themselves and express frustration at their inability to resolve bedwetting. The new guidelines will allow parents to know what to expect from health professionals and be aware of their own role in the process of resolving and managing their child’s continence problems. The guidelines will also provide a clear pathway for health professionals to follow when dealing with nocturnal enuresis.”

For more help and advice on dealing with bedwetting, visit: www.eric.org.uk