Jul 22

Written by: Jennifer Hill
7/22/2008 1:46 PM

Bedwetting is a serious problem many children face. As a parent, bedwetting can be aggravating and frustrating, for a number of reasons.

First of all, parents want to know why. What is causing my child to wet the bed??

There are many causes of bedwetting, many of which there's nothing that can be done to help. However, there are always tips and tricks that may reduce the problem, and in some cases fix it altogether.

Some children are simply genetically predisposed to bedwetting. My pediatrician told me today that if bedwetting runs in your family, all you can do is wait it out. Eventually, the bedwetting will stop.

Bedwetting can also be caused by a medical condition known as reflux. Basically, this is when your child's bladder doesn't fully empty when he/she goes pee, and the remaining urine causes either bladder infections or urinary tract infections (UTI's). This, in turn, causes your child to lose control of his/her bladder, and bedwetting is the result.

Another cause of bedwetting is severe trauma or stress in a child's life. This can include abuse, divorce, bullies at school, any kind of pressure that could be stressing the child. Bedwetting in this case can often be helped by anti-depressants.

So...if there isn't anything physically wrong with your child, and no underlying psychological reasons for the bedwetting, what can you do? There are many products and ideas that can help. Your pediatrician can help you choose products to try, and there are also many books on the subject that can help.

Some things I've tried:

• be sure your child is drinking lots of water...sometimes, the body just isn't getting enough water, and (especially in little girls) this can cause problems with controlling their bladder.
•   try eliminating drinks after a certain time. Start out with an hour before bedtime, and reduce the time by 15 minutes until you find a time that works.
• make sure your child is going to the bathroom regularly; sometimes children forget, and wait until the last minute to go...and then it's too late!
• wake them up a few hours after they go to bed and have them go to the bathroom. This can be a pain in the butt, especially if you don't stay up really late, but sometimes it works!

My pediatrician also recommended a couple of products. One is a night time alarm, that shrieks really loud if it gets wet, and a watch for the child that reminds them to go to the bathroom at set intervals. This can help them feel more "independent", and can sometimes help with bedwetting.

Sites to visit:

bedwettingstore.com
pottymd.com

Do you have anything that has worked for you?

 

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