Dry-bed training for bed-wetting

Dry-bed training for bed-wetting consists of following a strict schedule for waking the child up at night until he or she learns to wake up alone when needed. The dry-bed training program is implemented over 7 nights.

Night 1: Awaken the child every hour until 1:00 a.m. The counselor who is helping with the training may ask to stay over the first night.

Nights 2 through 6: Awaken the child once a night, 3 hours after falling asleep on the second night and earlier on each subsequent night. On the sixth night, awaken the child 1 hour after bedtime.

Night 7: The child should awaken on his or her own.

After training is complete, repeat the steps if the child wets the bed 3 nights in a row.

Many children successfully stop bed-wetting for at least 14 consecutive nights with this method alone. However, long-term dryness usually is not immediately achieved.¹ It may take several months of repeated training to have consistent results. Dry-bed training may take less time and have greater long-term success when it is combined with other treatments, such as a moisture alarm or self-awakening training.

Citations

1. Makari J, Rushton HG (2005). Nocturnal enuresis, search date March 2005. Online version of Clinical Evidence (14): 1–10.