Real Life Solutions

Bedwetting is a fairly common problem in children under 7 years old.  It can be very frustrating for the parents, and embarrassing for the child.  It is important to remember that bedwetting is not normally a medical problem, and it is usually not associated with psychological or physical problems.  In the majority of cases, children simply sleep too deeply and do not feel the urge to go to the bathroom when they need to, and as a result they wet the bed.

Bedwetting will almost always go away on its own eventually.  But there are some things you can do to help your child stop sooner.  Here are some treatment ideas and general tips:

* Don’t give your child fluids for two hours before bedtime.  Let him have plenty of fluids up until that point, however, to prevent dehydration and constipation.  While this may not completely stop bedwetting, it may reduce its frequency.

* Make sure your child goes to the bathroom right before bed, and that he completely empties his bladder.  Tell him to try again once his bladder feels empty, just to be sure.  This is called double voiding.  If more urine comes out, have him try one more time.

* Some children’s bladders are simply too small to hold their urine through the night.  Bladder stretching exercises may help in these cases.  These simply require your child to hold his urine a bit longer than usual.  If he generally goes to the bathroom at certain times during the day, have him wait 15 minutes or so before going, then increase the time slightly each week or so.  This will take several weeks, and possibly months, so be patient.

* Take your child to the doctor.  There are some underlying problems that can cause or contribute to bedwetting.  The doctor can check for these and treat the problems he finds.  As a result, the bedwetting may go away on its own.

* Use a bedwetting alarm.  These have moisture sensing pads that go in the child’s underwear at night, sensing moisture when it first starts to dribble out.  The alarm then wakes the child with sound or vibration so that he can go to the bathroom.  After using an alarm for a while, children often become conditioned to wake up when their bladders are full, eliminating the problem.

* Consider medication as a last resort.  There are medicines that can help prevent bedwetting by slowing urine production or relaxing the bladder.  They do, however, have potential side effects.  Consider using them if the other methods fail, or perhaps keep some on hand to give your child for sleepovers or trips.

* Avoid scolding your child for bedwetting.  It’s not his fault, and scolding will only make him feel hurt and ashamed.