Bedwetting is common among children even after they have been potty trained. Here are some bedwetting tips for parents to help kids get a sound sleep without the trouble of wetting their beds…
Bedwetting, or bed-wetting is a common occurrence in children who attend elementary school. Parents begin potty training their kids at a very tender age but bedwetting can pose as an issue for some. As parents, you need to understand that you’re not the only one facing this dilemma. There are many children, between the ages of 6 and 10, who wet their beds. Of course, this does bring about feelings of frustration and stress for parents, and embarrassment and low self-esteem for the kids.
Amongst all this, you need to remember that your kids will feel as safe as you show it to them. Your undying love and caring support is what your kids require at this stage. With patient diligence, you can help your kids address their bedwetting problems and stop future occurrences. In the following section, we have put together some helpful tips for parents to work on with their kids. So read the rest of the article and help improve your child’s overall state of mind.
How Parents Can Help their Child Stop Bedwetting
What you should remember during this phase is that taking this issue one day at a time is the key to finding success. You can’t just expect an immediate, positive change in them as not to wet their beds is a routine that they need to practice and develop over time. Every child has his/her own ability to cope with this situation and you, as a parent, require a lot of understanding for your child’s needs and limitations. Keeping this in mind, these are the tips which we suggest.
Have Them Sleep At The Regular Time, Every Night
When your kid is at a regular sleeping schedule, his/her body reacts in a certain manner. You are not only training them to sleep at a particular time during the night, but are also training their bladder to respond at certain times through the night. Of course, a few minutes here and there don’t make a huge difference, but don’t alter their bedtime (for example, Monday’s bedtime was 9 p.m., Tuesday they slept at 10 p.m., Wednesday’s time was 9:45 p.m., and so on).
A proper routine has to be followed so that they can follow the “before bedtime” tasks in time. If they happen to sleep on time one night and the other night it’s an hour late, they tend to drink more water, delay their bathroom visit, and are more likely to wet their beds.
Keep An Eye On What They Drink During And After Dinner
It’s obvious, the more liquids go inside them, the bathroom visits will become that much more frequent. What we are trying to say is that we don’t want you to stop your kids from having liquids. Bedwetting doesn’t occur only because kids have a full bladder before going to bed; well, that is part of the equation. Half the issue lies in them not waking up during the night to empty the bladder. In their sense of deep sleep, they don’t get the sensation, or are triggered with the feeling, of wanting to use the bathroom.
As adults, we realize (even in deep sleep) that we need to empty our bladders. Sometimes, this message isn’t processed by few kids and this results in bedwetting in children. So, try to avoid having water or any other fluids about 2 hours before bedtime.
Don’t blame your kids for wetting their beds
Explain them that bedwetting is not their fault and they shouldn’t blame themselves for it. Many a time, kids take it to heart that there’s something wrong with them and hence, they wet their beds. In fact, the two most common reasons for bedwetting are heredity and hormones. If your child is old enough to understand these concepts, do explain them that he/she is not at fault here. Also, punishing them after such an incident isn’t fair as well. As kids are growing up, they are bound to make mistakes and learn things at their own pace. Hurrying them in any manner won’t do any good. As I mentioned before, take one day at a time and let them cope with this issue on their own terms.
Visit your kid’s pediatrician for guidance
Getting professional help on this one is smart thinking. There’s nothing to hide and quite frankly, you will find other children who have similar issues with bedwetting as well. Upon your visit, you can explain the pediatrician about your child’s symptoms, daily habits, current health, routine, sleep schedule, and medication (if any). This way, since the pediatrician has your child’s complete medical history, he/she can give you advice as to how to go about it. Are there any medication that your child needs to take? Or should you change your child’s eating and sleeping habits? All these questions can be answered by the pediatrician.
Use potty alarms in the middle of the night for training them
As kids can go into deep sleep and not feel the sensation to use the bathroom, you can set the alarm for nighttime breaks. After every 2 hours, you can wake up and take them to use the bathroom. If your child is old enough to wake to the sound of an alarm, keep it in his/her room. This habit of waking up in the middle of the night will become sort of a regular habit and if not soon, your child will learn to wake up whenever he/she has to go.
Often times, when some children take a longer time to learn and teach themselves from not to wet their beds, parents try to make them use pull-up diapers. This also is a good idea till your child is confident enough to sleep without them. You can even lay plastic sheets underneath the sheets to protect the mattress. The issue of bedwetting in children can be solved. As parents, you need to work as a team and handle this situation for your children. Over time, these bedwetting tips for parents will work and you child will overcome it.
