Bedwetting

Bed-wetting is something that affects millions of children world wide. Primary nocturnal enuresis is a regular history of bed-wetting (at least twice a month, but usually more frequently), while secondary nocturnal enuresis can have long periods (at least 6 months) of no incidents followed by sudden bouts of bed wetting. They each have different causes and different treatments. Primary enuresis is medically classified as never being dry since birth, while secondary enuresis denotes the occurrence of bed-wetting after a successful dry period of six months.

Primary nocturnal enuresis (NE) is simply a physical inability to control the bladder at night. It usually starts as the patient is a baby. Secondary NE is a situational event that develops after the person is already sleep potty trained and is usually brought on by some sort of change, be it environment, work, school, death in the family, medical conditions (such as diabetes or UTIs) or any number of issues. The main concern with Secondary NE is finding the cause.

Recognize that in most cases bedwetting is something that a child must simply grow out of. An unfortunate thing about bedwetting is the shame and embarrassment that this causes mature children.

Try to limit the bed-wetting.

• Remind your child to go to the bathroom immediately before they go to bed.
• Limit late night fluid intake. Usually no fluid intake within 3 hours prior to bedtime. If your child goes to bed several hours earlier than you do, it is often helpful to wake them up for a bathroom visit before you go to bed.
• Avoid giving them chocolate or drinks that contain caffeine as they can increase the urine output.
• Consider getting a device that sounds when the sheets start becoming wet. Bed-wetting alarms that will wake the bed-wetter the moment they start to urinate. It is advisable to protect the mattress with a rubber pad in case the alarm fails to wake them in time. Bed Wetting alarms are more successful than medical therapies.

Support your children.

• Praise the child for staying dry. Never shame or punish them for wetting their bed. Consider getting a calendar and noting every dry night. The child is then rewarded for an agreed upon number of dry nights. If he has a relapse, you simply restart the count. This is always done in a matter of fact fashion. Your child is absolutely not doing this on purpose, and introducing shame and hurt into this situation certainly does not hasten the resolution process nor does it enhance the parent-child relationship.
• Confide in the child the fact that you were also a bed wetter, if in fact you were. Explain that it might be hereditary, so that it will make him feel less guilty and less ashamed of himself.

Determine the root cause of why the child became a bed wetter after already being nighttime potty trained. Causes can include:

• Medical conditions like diabetes, constipation, urinary tract infections, spinal cord trauma..
• Psychological stress including divorce, death of a loved one, a housing or school relocation, or family tension.
• Deep sleep patterns observed in some teens.

Consult a doctor to eliminate the risk of a serious undiagnosed medical problem.