Information and Tips to Help with Bed Wetting

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Let’s talk bed wetting.

If you have a child who wets the bed, I am sure it can take a toll on all involved – parents and child.

I wanted to share more information and tips to help with bed wetting.

Causes

Males tend to wet the bed more than females.
It is genetic. Most children who wet the bed have a sibling and or parent that also wet the bed.
Psychological cause (family problems, social adjustments, fears, stress, etc.)
Deep sleep.

Don’t…

Blame your child.
Belittle your child.
Shame your child.
Punish your child.
Tease your child.

Help with Bed Wetting

Rule out any other factors. If your child is experiencing family problems, social adjustments, fears, stress, etc.; psychotherapy can be helpful. Behavioral therapy has been beneficial in preventing bed wetting. Ensure they are not constipated. Speak to their pediatrician.
Listen to your child. You may find that one of the factors above is an issue that you didn’t realize.
Encourage potty breaks before going to bed at night (or during the day for nap.)
Turn it into a game. During the day, give your child a timer or watch with an alarm and keep prolonging the time between bathroom breaks each day. It will help ‘train’ the bladder.
While it is not wise to withhold drinks prior to bed, let them only have small drinks before bed. (We used to let K go to bed with a sippy cup of water. We had to end that after several nights of bed wetting.)
Put a night light in the bathroom or in the hallway so that (a) your child can find the bathroom and (b) they aren’t afraid to go into the hallway when it is dark.
Be sure you have a waterproof mattress or mattress pad, extra sheets/blankets, and pajamas.
You can try alarms that trigger when it feels wet. It can be effective for some, but others may sleep through it.
You can also try waking the child to use the restroom a few hours after they have fallen asleep. (To each their own, but I couldn’t imagine waking any of my children after they were asleep. They would never go back to sleep!)
Use positive reinforcement when they have a dry night. There is no consequence on a night that they wet the bed, but on a morning when they wake up dry – acknowledge it. Maybe give them a special treat for staying dry. Keep it positive.
Monitor what they are drinking near bed time. Try to keep away from caffeinated beverages (soda, chocolate milk). Sugary drinks like juice can be cause for bed wetting as well.