Bed Wetting

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What is bedwetting?  

Doctors call it enuresis (“en-you-REE-sis”). Bedwetting is considered enuresis if the child is at least 6 years old. It is much more typical for children under that age to wet the bed.  Five to seven million kids in the US wet the bed. That is 20% of 6-12 year olds wet the bed. 72 % of kids that wet the bed will outgrow it by the age of 11, and 99% by the age of 15.   

Why do children wet the bed?  There are several reasons that children wet the bed.  One reason is heredity.  If one parent wet the bed as a child, the child has a 40 % chance that they will wet the bed.  If both parents wet the bed as a child that number increases to 70%. Some might not be producing enough of ADH hormone at night. 

For some it is because their bladder hasn’t grown as fast as the rest of their body.  And some just sleep too soundly to wake.   Children do not wet the bed because they are lazy. 

Bed wetting is not a learning or behavioral problem. It requires patience and understanding until a child outgrows it.  No one wets the bed on purpose.  It is neither the child’s fault nor the parents’. What can I do if my child is wetting the bed?

Check with your child's physician to rule out any illnesses or physical reasons. There are a couple of medications that may help but will not “fix” the problem. Imipramine or Desmopressin Acetate are two of the medications available. Talk to your physician before starting any therapy for bedwetting. 

Limit fluids 2 hours before bedtime, especially anything with carbonation or caffeine.   Exercises might be recommended by your child’s physician to help strengthen the bladder.  Stopping urine mid-stream may help strengthen a weak bladder muscle. They may be asked to hold urine for as long as possible during the day to also stretch the bladder.Your child may want to wear “pull-ups”. 

Use a plastic sheet cover that can be sprayed with Clorox or some other cleaning agent to keep the smell away.  You may want to use pad that has a plastic backing on the back on top of the sheet to keep from having to wash every night. 

You might want to wake your child before you go to bed to give them one more chance to empty their bladder and not wet the bed.  You may want to put a pair of clean pajamas with underwear next to the bed to help with middle of the night clean up.  Don’t make the child sleep in a wet bed.  You can put a couple of dry towels in place under your child to absorb the wetness.  Remember it is important to be supportive of your child.  Use open communication and don’t be critical.  A child may already have a low self-esteem because of the bed wetting. 

They may decide not to do sleep-overs with friends for fear of wetting the bed somewhere else.  The child could wear pull-ups so as to still be able to go with his/her friends. 

Tell him/her about the statistics and let them know that their friends may be dealing with the same issue but most kids just don’t talk about bed wetting with their friends. There are many books and online resources that can be helpful.  Check with your physician to get more information.  http://www.goodnites.com/NA/bedwettingbasics/Default.aspx?WT.srch=1&WT.mc_id=5630399&iq_id=5630399