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Posts Tagged ‘bed wetting’

by Graham Jones

When a child wets the bed they worry. Children tend to become dry during the day more easily than at night. During the day they are awake and aware of their feelings and can go to the toilet normally. However, at night, when they are asleep, the usual feelings of a full bladder aren’t sufficiently strong to wake them. The result is a wet bed. Or, young children have to continue wearing diapers at night.

Fairly soon they realise this is not normal. They wonder why they don’t need a diaper during the day, but do need one at night. They might also talk to siblings or friends and discover that they don’t need a night-time diaper. This will only compound their worries.

Throughout childhood, your son or daughter is trying to establish their identity; they are trying to find out who they are. They also want to make sure they ‘fit in’, that they are just like everyone else and that they are not abnormal. As soon as they discover that wetting the bed is not usual, they worry.

Your child might not say they are worried, but they will be. What this means is that you need to do everything you can to reduce the potential for concern. That means treating the bed wetting occasions as normal, no trouble. Don’t make a big thing out of them. The more you make a fuss, the more the child thinks they are unusual, out of the ordinary. And when that happens, they are more likely to continue wetting the bed.

Also, it’s important not to punish the child. One survey found that 21% of all children who wet the bed are punished for doing so. But the child has no idea why the punishment is taking place. They are doing something natural – urinating – and they can’t connect the punishment to any crime. This can lead to all sorts of difficulties for the child, including social ones. Punishment is also counterproductive, lengthening the time it takes to achieve night time dryness.

Instead of punishment, children who wet the bed need support, guidance and encouragement. Positive reinforcement of the good times – when they have a dry night – is much more likely to succeed in the long term.

The problem for most parents is that the best methods of dealing with bed wetting also take a long time. The child also gets frustrated at the delay in achieving a dry night. That’s whey encouragement and a positive home and attitude are essential in helping children come to terms with the difficulties they face.

The more you talk about bed wetting and make them feel abnormal, the worse the situation will become. The more you treat each bed wetting incident as a normal everyday occurrence, the quicker the dry nights will arrive.

Reprinted with permission.

by Dr. Carol Cooper

By three many toddlers are dry at night, but some children take their time and don’t become dry till four or so. In fact at least one five-year old in 10 still wets the bed on a regular basis. Boys often learn bladder control later than girls.

Starting Off

There’s no point rushing things. Wait till your child has good control during the day say over three hours between visits to the toilet and he also has a dry nappy every so often when he wakes in the morning. Without pressurizing find out if he actually wants to do without a nappy at night. The decision should be a joint one.

Before you go ahead cover the mattress with a protective plastic sheet and use bedding that’s easy to wash. There’s no need to have ugly bedclothes especially since nice-looking things are just as washable.

Before Bedtime

A visit to the toilet before his bedtime is a must. Many parents also put their toddler on the potty late at night before they themselves go to bed, this is a good idea and helps prevent some wet beds. However you need to wake your toddler for this. If he’s not awake enough to feel his bladder emptying then he‘s still passing urine in his sleep. It’s not in his bed but he isn’t learning anything from this.

It’s no great achievement to stay dry overnight if the bladder is empty. There’s therefore no point restricting drinks but do reduce fruit juices fizzy drinks and tea. All these can stimulate the bladder too much. In the case of fruit juices and fizzy drinks this is because they’re acidic. Tea and coffee contain caffeine which is a diuretic but your toddler shouldn’t be having tea or coffee anyway.

If your Toddler Still Wets the Bed

Be patient and change the bed without making any fuss. Getting angry is counter-productive and unpleasant for your child. Chances are he is already upset so shouting is the last thing he needs.

You can expect some regression during holidays or after a new baby or house move. However see your doctor if your child wets the bed having been dry for many nights. It could be a urine infection. Many parents ask about enuresis alarms. They can work well but are usually for those aged seven or more.

If you like this article, you will find many more child development insights from Dr. Carol Cooper at www.ichild.co.uk, where we cover ages 0-11 years. Our leading education advisor Godfrey Hall, has also produced hundreds of free educational activities all based around the National Curriculum, visit http://www.ichild.co.uk for these and more.

Dr. Cooper has published many best-selling parenting books including the Baby Milestones and Your Clever Baby. She is a practising family doctor and has three children, including twins. Carol is a lively contributor to a variety of TV programmes in the UK and abroad, and is the Five News Doctor, where she provides comments on health news. Dr Carol Cooper is the child development expert at iChild, so please visit http://www.ichild.co.uk for more development articles and hundreds of free educational printable activities.

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