Advice On Child Bedwetting
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Summary: In childhood there is no more embarrassing occurrence than bedwetting.
There is shame and embarrassment. This is nothing to tease or ridicule
a child about. Siblings may be thrilled they have something over the
child but this must be avoided.
Primary enuresis is bedwetting that occurs at night (nocturnal ) and it has been happening since infancy. Secondary enuresis usually occurs six months or more after one has already learned to control their bladder. Much of the advice that’s out there is the same for both types of night time bedwetting.
Let’s take a look at Secondary Night Time Enuresis first. This may be the most disconcerting since bladder control had previously been accomplished. There may be some contributing factors to consider here. Things such as a recent illness, a change in routine or anything else that changes the routine can cause bedwetting episodes.
The best advice that I can give to anyone that is dealing with night time bedwetting is try to stay relaxed as possible. Getting upset over it is not going to make anyone feel better.
Let’s talk about children who wet the bed. Sometimes they will hide their wet clothing and bed linens. Observing a child to determine if there is a pattern. Take a look at what’s going on in the child’s life that might be causing the bedwetting. Has there been any illness? Has there been major changes such as a move or going to school for the first time?
Sometimes other behaviors such as nightmares may accompany secondary enuresis. The child may start acting out. Some may simply be embarrassed because they wet the bed.
It is important to keep note of significant events. Let me also suggest that each incident of bedwetting and if possible note anything significant that could explain why this is happening.
Bed wetting is difficult for the family as well. If there are siblings they may tease the one who suffers with bedwetting. This will further the embarrassment and shame for the child. This should not be allowed under any circumstances.
Try to be as positive as possible. Positive support for some children, will correct the problem. It might help if the siblings were participating in their siblings care. For example, if the child needs to be woken up during the night to go to the bathroom in order to prevent “accidents”.
Other advice is to try limit drinking a couple of hours before the child’s bedtime.
If it is of some serious concern whether about the child or the bedwetting or both, you should consider taking the child to the doctor.
No one is at fault in this. There should be no blaming or belittling going on. The child has enough to deal with without adding continuing blows to their
self-esteem.
