RCH logo

Specialist Clinics

Enuresis

  • Introduction

    This guideline relates to incontinence, or day and night wetting in paediatric patients. For more information please see Clinical Practice Guidelines: Enuresis 

    Bedwetting is common under the age of seven years, and treatment is often inappropriate until then. For this reason, we recommend that you consider initial management steps with your patient prior to referring.

    When to refer

    Night wetting (nocturnal enuresis)

    • Patients >7 years of age
    • Persistent bed wetting that has failed treatment

    Day wetting

    • Patients > 5 years of age
    • Persistent day wetting after constipation/UTI treated  

    Wait time for appointments 

    Specialist Clinics wait times

    Services available closer to home

    Alternative paediatric services available in Victoria:

    Referral criteria/required information

    • Detailed history and assessment, including developmental history, toilet training history and duration of symptoms
    • Outline all treatments offered or tried, including bladder and bowel diary
    • Urine MCS (to exclude UTI)
    • Renal ultrasound with pre and post void bladder scans (for day wetting)

    How to refer

    Specialist Clinics Referral and

    Bladder and Bowel Questionnaire 

    Please complete the above and submit via:

    • Facsimile (03) 9345 5034 or
    • Email screferrals@rch.org.au
    • Urgent referral or clinical query call ED admitting officer or Registrar on-call (03) 9345 5522

    Suggested re-referral management

    • Bladder chart: Encourage child to complete a bladder chart of wet and dry nights
    • Avoid caffeinated drinks in the evening (e.g., cola, tea, coffee, hot chocolate)
    • Desmopressin medication can be used if rapid onset /short-term improvement is a priority of treatment (e.g., school camp, sleepover)

    Information for families

      Resources and links

    Acknowledgements

    The development of this guideline was coordinated by the Department of General Medicine (Dr Laura Marco, Natasha Burgess). Guideline reviewed in August 2025.