Overcoming bedwetting is a milestone, much like learning to walk. Your child will need all the support and encouragement to get through this trying time. Furthermore, there’s a lot of shame involved in bedwetting, and it’s frustrating for both the child and the parent.
Bedwetting is also common in children between the ages of five and six years old, and they eventually outgrow it. However, if you want to know how to help your child stop wetting the bed, there are a few things you can do.
How to Help Your Child Stop Wetting the Bed
Using a bedwetting alarm is one of the most effective ways to help your child stop wetting the bed. It’s a simple device that detects moisture and sounds an alarm to wake up the child. Then, your child can go to the bathroom on the spot. Your child can wear the alarm underneath their underwear or pajamas. As a result, your child can modify his behavior and activate the brain-bladder connection. For this strategy to work, it’s best to motivate your child. You can achieve this simply by rewarding them when they don’t wet their bed.
The reward system might work without using a bedwetting alarm. You can help your child stop wetting the bed by promising them a new toy, a sleepover with friends, or a trip to the amusement park.
You might also try waking up your child after two hours of sleep to go to the bathroom. It’s a proven method to train children to control their bladder and stay dry. When your child goes to sleep, wait two or three hours before waking them up for a bathroom visit.
Tips for Success
Cleaning the mattress is one of the annoying consequences of bedwetting. However, providing a safe, clean sleeping environment for your child might help activate the brain-bladder connection. So, you might want to prioritize cleanliness to support your child through this stage. An excellent guide on removing pee from a mattress can help. Canadian shoppers can check one out here.
Enlist your child’s teacher to help your child stop wetting the bed. You may want to allow your child to use the bathroom while at school or drink water at specific intervals. Your child will probably be around the teacher more often. So, working closely and discreetly with your child’s teacher will accelerate your child’s success.
Why Does My Child Wet the Bed?
In part, bedwetting is genetic. Your child might have inherited it from you or another family member. If this is the case, they’ll likely outgrow bedwetting at the same age you did. The primary cause of bedwetting is a developmental delay in the hormone that regulates the bladder.
Furthermore, your child might be a heavy sleeper, and they can’t notice they have a full bladder. When the signal from their bladder doesn’t wake them up, it’ll eventually void itself without a second warning. Your child’s bladder might also be too small to hold too much pee. Moreover, it could also be that their body can’t control pee production while sleeping. So, the bladder gets full quickly, the brain doesn’t wake up on time, and your child can’t help but wet the bed.
There might be many things going on within your child’s life that could cause them to wet their bed—for example, nightmares or overexcitement due to new experiences.
Understanding the Problem
Understand that bedwetting is involuntary. Your child isn’t doing it on purpose to provoke you nor out of laziness. It’s a miswiring between your child’s brain and their bladder. You only need to spark the wires for your child to stay dry. Patience is key.
When to Take Your Child to a Specialist:
- You suspect an infection
- Your child is seven years of age or older
- Your kid returned to bedwetting after staying dry
- Your child started to wet the bed after a traumatic experience
The Best Way to Approach This Issue With Your Child
Assure your child that it’s not their fault, and encourage them to work with you to solve the problem faster. Punishing, ridiculing, or scolding your child won’t help the situation. On the contrary, it might worsen the problem as the child loses self-confidence.
Conclusion
Bedwetting is frustrating for everyone involved, but you can help your child stop wetting the bed with simple strategies like using an alarm. Keep in mind: bedwetting is not your child’s fault. Bedwetting has various reasons, including genetics or a temporary disconnect between their brain and bladder. Your child needs all the support they can get, so don’t shame them. Rather, give them the encouragement they need. If you feel that there might be an underlying problem, it’s best to take your child to a specialist.
Therefore, bedwetting is natural. With your help, your child can overcome it. In conclusion, it’s a milestone to celebrate as a family when your child stays dry for the first time.
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