Childcare and You

Childcare and You

Saturday, December 31, 2011

Tips on How to Stop Bedwetting in your Child



When my daughter continued to wet her bed even at 5 years of age, I rushed to my pediatrician with my concerns. The doctor, without batting an eyelid, told me come again, if she continued to do it after she had turned 6. He assured me that it was perfectly normal for a child to wet the bed until 6 years of age. I returned home with some misgivings but decided to stay put until then. Meanwhile, I carried on with my own techniques of dealing with the issue and believe it or not, my daughter stopped bedwetting after her 6th birthday! I guess what the doctor probably meant was that by age six, children are old enough to exercise better bladder control long enough to wake up and go the bathroom all by themselves. So, to all parents with children bedwetting even at age 3, 4, 5 or even 6, do not despair. However, if it still continues as your child gets older, then it may be more than a bladder issue and you will have to visit your doctor to deal with it. Here are a few of my tips you would like to try, to solve this problem.

Stop giving your child water or any other fluids to drink at least a couple of hours before going to bed. By the time he is ready to go to bed, his bladder would be full and ready to expel the fluid waste.

Have your child use the bathroom just before he is ready to go to bed. Alternately, change his diapers before he goes to bed so that his sleep is not hindered on account of an over soggy diaper.

Set an alarm to get up during the night to take your child to use the bathroom. For older kids aged above 3 years, you can wake them up and take them to the bathroom. Usually children wet the beds within the first two hours of sleep. Using this technique consistently will attune your child’s body clock and soon he will be up on his own to go to the bathroom.It is tiresome for you but it is one of the best remedial measures for bedwetting.

Leave the bathroom light on and have a night lamp on in your child’s room as well, so that he can find his way to the bathroom and head straight there without any hindrance.

Place a rubber sheet or a plastic sheet over the mattress and have your child sleep over it, so that the urine is not absorbed into the mattress and you will not end up washing sheets and bedding every day.

You  don't need to know rocket science or be a doctor to solve your child's bedwetting problem. These simple techniques are guaranteed to solve your child’s bedwetting issues. But you will need to be patient and tolerant. Do not rant and rage at your child. It is quite normal for a child to wet the bed and usually the problem resolves on its own. But if it persists even after he has turned six, then visit a doctor to diagnose if it is a psychological problem more than a physical one.



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