10 Tips on bedwetting

Your youngest is still wetting the bed even though she’s four years old? Instead of worrying and perhaps exaggerating the problem, which is already disturbing for your child, you can consider a few practical ways to mitigate it and make your child’s life easier.

Bedwetting can have a number of different origins - from the more medical of urinary tract infections, to the deep-seated psychological entailing emotional stress. If you child does have a deeper psychological issue that is provoking his bedwetting, don't try and counsel him yourself, but get some professional help. What a child needs his parents is their love, support and understanding.

Sometimes bedwetting is a phase that your child is going through due to an emotional change in her life - new school, a newly arrived brother, change of house... and in this case, you can do a lot to help her find her way back to the 'toilet on time'. If you put pressure on your child, it will only serve to heighten embarrassement and feelings of guilt, so dedramatising bedwetting is a great start.

These 10 tips will give you some extra ways of helping your child, while respecting their dignity and independence.

1.  Reduce pre-bed drinks. Nobody questions the fact that drinking lots of water is important. Few people, however, realise that it’s pointless to drink right before bedtime. Make sure your child drinks regularly throughout the day until her mid-afternoon snack, working down smaller amounts over the evening and, most importantly, no large glass of water or other liquid just before going to bed.

2.  Pee just before going to bed. This seems obvious but your child won’t always remember it, so make sure you send him to the toilet right before bedtime. If he often reads for a bit before going off to sleep, then send him to the toilet just before saying goodnight and the final lights out.

3.  Mitigating fear of the dark. A little night-light in your child’s bedroom will help her wake up more easily to go to the toilet. There are dozens of them, all very fun and adapted to your child’s needs, so don’t hesitate to get one!

4.  Facilitating access the toilet. Leave the corridor light on and the door open to make your child feel safe when leaving his bed. Sometimes fear of the dark or imaginary things that go bump in the night prevent your child from getting up and going to the toilet.

5.  Easy to change clothing. Make sure your child wears pull-on pyjamas or a nightgown. This way, she won’t have difficulty undressing in the toilet and, if you leave her clean dry clothes close at hand, she will get used to taking off wet pyjamas and putting on new clothes all by him or herself.

6.  Help close by. Suggest placing a chamber pot by the side of your child’s bed. While taking care not to treat him like a baby, there is no reason not to do it if it reassures him and helps him avoid wetting the bed.

7.  Keep a change close by. Similarly, without imposing anything on your child, make her life easier by giving her clean dry nightwear adapted to her age and problem. Whether it’s habitual or reserved for special occasions like sleepovers, having dry clothes handy can do her a huge favour. However, do not force your child to carry dry clothes wherever she goes. 

8.  Privacy and independence. Put a dirty linen basket where your child can easily access it, in his bedroom or in the bathroom, thereby allowing him to become self-reliant, drop his dirty linen into the basket in the morning and eliminate the need to broach the subject with anyone. This will save your child embarrassment in front of other family members and won’t repeatedly draw attention to the problem.

9.  Feeling comfy and safe. Simple steps often suffice to help your child sleep comfortably: put a glass of water within her grasp. Feel free to ask whatever she may need or if there are things that are bothering her and accommodate her requests if they’re reasonable.

10. Sleep-overs? What if your child sleeps at a friend’s house? Just slipping a note to the parents who invite him can make a big difference, or giving the other mum a quick call. Informing them will spare your child embarrassment and make him confident for all the sleepovers to come.

Copyright © 2011 Doctissimo

Posted 12.01.2011

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