Bed wetting is a frustrating problem for most parents. When a child who has no medical reasons continually wets the bed, it causes tension in the home, and erodes the child’s self-confidence. A lot of bed wetting children simply sleep too soundly to wake up when their body signals that they need to use the bathroom. A little help from you can make all the difference in their confidence and also train their bodies to wake up when they need to go. These are some tips that I found when I dealt with a bed wetting child.
Consult your doctor about bed wetting
The first step to stopping bed wetting is to speak to your child’s doctor. There could be a medical reason for your child wetting the bed. A doctor is the only one that can determine this. If you find that there is no reason for your child’s bed-wetting, then it is time to proceed to the next step.
Do not punish for bed-wetting
In spite of the feelings of anger and frustration we feel when our children wet the bed night after night; punishing them may actually make the problem worse instead of better. Children respond to praise, much quicker than they do to anger and frustration. Try to reign in your feelings and take some positive steps to stop the bed wetting.
Limit drinking in the evening
Restrict the amount that your child drinks in the evening after dinner. Don’t make this a punishment, or you may end up with a child sneaking up to get a drink from the bathroom faucet. Allow small drinks to keep your child from feeling deprived. Do not allow guzzling of large amounts of drinks, because this will result in frequent needs to visit the bathroom and possible bed wetting.
Wake your child up to prevent bedwetting
Some children simply sleep too soundly to wake up to go to the bathroom. Their body sends them a signal that they need to go to the bathroom and they are just too deeply asleep to respond to this signal. Young children are in bed several hours before their parents. If you are a night-owl, this works perfectly. Simply wake your child before you go to bed to take them to the bathroom, this will reduce the bed wetting and
If you are not a night owl, you might have to set your alarm to wake yourself up so that you can make sure your child makes it to the bathroom. I found that waking a child up around midnight to take them to the bathroom assured a dry night. You could also purchase an alarm that sounds when the bed becomes wet, thus training the child to respond to nighttime bladder alerts. However, I chose not to use this method, because unfortunately, when the alarm goes off, the bed is already wet.
Guide your child to the bathroom
When you wake your child late at night to prevent bed-wetting, your child will be groggy and half-asleep. When you first begin to wake them, you might even have to carry them to the bathroom to prevent stumbling and falls. Gradually as their bodies become used to making that trip to the bathroom, you can switch to guiding them gently to the bathroom. This will train them to begin waking up when their body signals the need to go to the bathroom.
Praise your child for each night that they do not wet the bed
When your child manages to make it through the night without wetting the bed, be sure to praise them lavishly. Children thrive on praise. Your child will be proud and their self-confidence will grow. Continue to assist your child in waking up to use the bathroom until your child begins to get up on their own. You will be rewarded for your efforts by finding a dry bed every morning and having less laundry to do.
Sources:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/bed-wetting/DS00611
http://familydoctor.org/familydoctor/en/kids/toileting/enuresis-bed-wetting.html
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