Most children stop wetting at night by 3-4yrs of age, while some may continue much longer than this. If the child has pain when he or she empties the bladder or dribbles urine in between, it indicates that the child has a physical problem. In such cases, the child must be referred to a doctor. If there is no physical cause, then the child must be trained in bladder control.
Causes for Bed Wetting?
Bed-wetting is most common and is often related to having a full bladder when a child is in deep sleep but doesn’t wake up at night. Some children may produce more urine during the night or may have small bladders. Constipation may also be one of the reasons which leads to bedwetting as the bowel presses on the bladder.
If your child always wets the bed and never had more dry nights, there is nothing wrong with your child and this bedwetting is not caused by behavioral, emotional or medical problems. If your child hasn’t wet the bed overnight for at least a couple of months and starts to wet again, it’s time to consult your doctor.
Here are a few suggestions on how to handle bedwetting:
- Parents are advised not to give any liquid food after 6 pm in the evening.
- Alarms can be set to wake the child at midnight so that the child can use the toilet and go back to sleep.
- Avoid punishment, instead the child can be praised for not wetting the bed.
- Understand and convey to your child that the problem is common and will eventually improve.
- Ask and encourage your child to go to the washroom before he/she goes to bed.
- Do not wake your child to go to the toilet when you go to bed as it does not help with bedwetting, instead it disrupts the child’s sleep.
- If the child wets the bed at nighttime, make sure he/she washes well in the morning so that there is no smell.
Sometimes, timid children at school may pass urine in clothes in the class. When this happens, the teacher or other students should not make fun of him/her. Some children may have poor bladder control by nature. Such children should be allowed to go to the toilet more frequently at home and at school. If the teacher in the school treats them well with consideration, they may get over it gradually.
Author: Ramya S