Pediatric bed-wetting, or enuresis, affects around 5 million children in the United States, according to the National Association for Continence. Approximately 40 percent of 4-year-old children, 20 percent of 5-year-old children and 10 percent of 6-year-old children are known to wet the bed occasionally, says MentalHealth.net. A child may wet the bed because his brain has not fully developed and he lacks the control to hold urination until he can make it to the bathroom. Also, his brain may not send a signal to wake him up when his bladder is full in the middle of the night. Many pediatricians will not consider bed-wetting a problem until after the child is at least 6 years old.
While bed-wetting can be frustrating, it will generally resolve itself with time.
Step 1
Encourage your child to use the toilet often in the evening. This will help to keep her bladder as empty as possible. Have her go one last time right before hitting the sack. Once her bladder is completely empty, she'll be more likely to stay dry overnight.
Step 2
Limit his fluid a few hours before turning out the lights. No excessive juice or drinks. With less fluid intake, his bladder will remain empty throughout the night. This might help prevent late-night accidents.
Step 3
Wake him up to use the restroom at regular intervals throughout the night. While it may not seem like an ideal thing to do, it could be the perfect solution to save an older child's ego. If he is old enough, consider getting him an alarm clock that he can set and get himself up to potty.
Step 4
Consider using bladder training to help push that bed-wetting to the curb. Throughout the day, whenever your child expresses the need to use the restroom, encourage her to hold it for as long as possible. Over time, this will help her learn to control her bladder in hopes that her daytime efforts will carry over into the night.
According to the National Association for Continence, experts disagree on the effectiveness of bladder training, and some believe it may even have negative effects. Talk to your child's pediatrician before beginning this approach.
Step 5
Use a bed-wetting alarm to wake your child up before he urinates. This could be beneficial to older children who are still wetting the bed. The alarm consists of a moisture monitor pad that he would either sleep on or place in his underwear. Once it senses moisture, an alarm sounds to wake him up so that he can stop urination and run to the toilet.
Step 6
Talk to your child's pediatrician if all else fails. Some medications are available that can be helpful in preventing overnight bed-wetting. Both Imipramine and Desmopressin have been shown to increase the number of dry nights. Medication is usually only suggested when all other methods have failed and should be closely watched by a doctor.
Tips and Warnings
- Most often, bed-wetting is resolved on its own through time and patience.
- Never yell at or shame your child for accidents. If nightmares or unusual fears accompany the bed-wetting, it could be the sign of an emotional problem. Combined with painful urination, stream abnormality or daytime incontinence, bed-wetting could be the sign of an infection of the urinary tract.
