Most children are potty-trained by the time they are 3-4 years old. However, bedwetting at night is still a common problem for many 6 to 8 year old children - about 8% of 8 year olds still wet their bed. It is also more common in children, whose parents used to wet the bed as children as well.
Bedwetting is usually caused by the child having a small bladder capacity, or not being able to tell when his/her bladder is full. The chances of the problem being caused by a disease or a physical problem is very low.
The right method should be employed when parents deal with this very delicate and potentially embarrassing problem. Punishment and scolding will often produce a negative result. Parents have to assure their child that it is an issue that can be overcome, rather than making them feel bad about it.
Below are some tips that could help increase the number of dry nights your child has:
- Establish a routine of having your child do to the toilet before they go to bed so they can go to bed with their bladder empty.
- Another step is to avoid letting your child consume large amounts of fluid up to 2 hours before bedtime. This should reduce the tendency to urinate during the night.
- Protect your bed with a plastic or rubber sheet in between the bedsheet and mattress. This will make it easier for parents to change the bed and also reduces the disturbance your child would experience in a wet bed. Letting your child help change the wet sheets may be beneficial too.
- Consider an awakening routine, in which you wake your child up to urinate about 2-3 hours after bedtime. This could be either at parent’s bedtime or later, setting an alarm clock.
- Praise your child when he/she has a dry night. This shows your child the positive side of not wetting the bed.
Don’t forget to reassure your child that this is normal at his/her age and it is not their fault. Also, be sure to express that you understand your child is not doing it on purpose. Last but certainly not least, NEVER punish or blame your child for wetting the bed and ensure that the rest of the family does not tease him about it.
