Bedwetting runs in families
Heredity is one of the strongest risk factors for bedwetting. If one parent wet the bed as a child, the child's risk is clearly higher. If both parents did, the risk is higher still. Many parents only realise this when they ask their own parents.
What is inherited?
Researchers have found several genes linked to bedwetting. What is inherited is mainly how the body handles the night: how deeply the child sleeps, how much urine is made at night, and how the bladder behaves. It is not about upbringing.
Does heredity change the treatment?
No. Children with a family history respond to the bedwetting alarm and to desmopressin in the same way as other children. Heredity can also be reassuring: a parent who wet the bed and became dry is living proof that it passes.
Should you wait it out?
Bedwetting often stops with age, but slowly. If it bothers your child or the family, there is no reason to wait. Treatment usually works from around age 5–6.
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Last updated October 2026.