What Are The Treatments For Child Bedwetting?

Bedwetting is also known as enuresis, which is the involuntary urination into a bed at the age when toilet training is normally finished. According to the National Kidney Foundation, more than 5 million children in the United States continue to wet their beds after their sixth birthday.To properly manage the problem, you should consult your physician and develop a treatment plan.

Moisture Alarm

The first step that must occur is to rule out that your child has any medical problem that is causing the bedwetting. In most cases of bedwetting, there is rarely any disease found. One behavior modification that has proved to be successful for nighttime bedwetting is the use of a moisture alarm. The alarm is attached to your child's underpants or pajamas. The bell or buzzer on the alarm is triggered when she begins to urinate. When the alarm goes off, she will get up to use the toilet or you may need to help arouse her. Over time, your child is conditioned to get up when she senses some bladder fullness. According to the 2008 book "Pediatric Primary Care," because of the high success rate, the use of the enuresis or moisture alarm should be the first line of therapy.

Bladder Control Therapy

Bladder control therapy is used to increase your child's awareness that she needs to use the toilet. To be successful with this therapy, you need to encourage your child to urinate frequently throughout the day. This teaches your child to use the toilet before she has the urge to go. Proper body positioning is important here so your child can sense when her bladder is becoming full and she needs to use the toilet.

Drug Therapy

Drug therapy is not a cure, but helps treat the problem. Several drugs are available for your doctor to consider as part of the treatment regime. One drug of choice is desmopressin acetate, which decreases the number of wet nights by decreasing urine production. This drug mimics a chemical in the body that controls urine production. Another drug that is available is imipramine, which is an antidepressant. This drug is thought to help in several ways, one being that it changes your child's wake and sleep patterns. Success rates with this drug have been found to be more successful in older children, according to the National Kidney Foundation. Anticholinergic drugs can also be considered for their ability to increase bladder capacity or the amount of urine the bladder can hold. Your doctor may decide to use a combination of drugs or drugs combined with other treatments.