Are you having challenges stopping your child from bedwetting?
Do you find the situation embarrassing and want to put an end to it however possible? I understand your frustration and I share in your worries. But truth be told, there is little or nothing you can do about stopping your child from bedwetting if he is not yet ready to try.
Nighttime incontinence, or nocturnal enuresis which is the medical term used for bedwetting, refers to when a child up to 5 years of age urinates involuntarily.
If your child is more than 5 years and still bed wets, you should naturally worry. But do bear in mind that every child is different and will only stop when he is ready except there are other underlying health issues. The US National Institutes of Health has it that not less than 5 million children after 5 years of age still bed wets.
One thing to note is that if you had delay in controlling nighttime incontinence as a child, the same thing may have been inherited by your child. But always remember that since you outgrew yours, he most certainly will outgrow his.
However, here are ways you can encourage him to quit bedwetting:
1. Frequent bathroom trips before bedtime
If you can merge this point and the one about limiting fluid intake before bedtime, you can almost be sure that your child will remain dry all through the night.
If for instance you stop your child from taking fluid 2 hours before he goes to bed. And then in between those 2 hours, you encourage him to empty his bladder several times before he sleeps, you will be happy with the result in the morning.
2. Limit fluid intake at least 2 hours before bedtime
This does not sound funny but it can actually help your child who is struggling with bedwetting.
Studies have shown that stopping children who bed wet from taking fluid for at least 2 hours before bedtime can reduce bedwetting. The reason is because the child’s bladder will not be as full as it would have been had he taken fluid before bedtime.
You should not stop your child from taking fluid abruptly as this may be challenging for him. However, you can allow him take sips in between meals until he can go through his dinner without fluid.
But do note that if you must practice this on your child, make sure that he makes up for this by taking enough fluid in the day.
3. Get a bedwetting alarm
How this works is that it wakes your child up when he wets the bed. While this may sound like it’s not going to be so helpful since it does not prevent bedwetting but wakes the child up when he wets his bed, do not forget that such interruption has been proven to help condition the brain to work better at controlling the bladder.
The alarm has proven to work in about 75% of the cases observed. It is important to state that this alarm works best if the child is ready to stop bedwetting. The alarm can be purchased online and from most stores.
4. Wake him up in between sleep
Did you roll your eyes at this idea? Well, I understand how challenging it can be to keep getting up in the night to wake your child to take bathroom breaks. But you will be rewarded with dry sheets in the morning.
Besides, this pattern is also very effective because it can condition your child’s brain to wake up at some certain time in the night to go take a leak in the bathroom all by himself. It can be inconveniencing for you but it has a very high success rate at ending bedwetting.
5. Check for constipation
Constipation can cause daytime or nighttime incontinence. It is important that you monitor your child to be sure that he poops as frequently as he should. Also check the consistency. If you notice his poop is hard, you should increase his fruit and fiber intake. It will also help to encourage him to take more fluids to ease things up.
6. Let him partake in changing the sheets
Some kids may not have control over bedwetting, but there are some who are just lazy to get up when they feel pressed at night. If your child is up to 8 years or a little younger, you should get him involved.
Let him change the bed sheets with you. It will give him an opportunity to see the consequences of his actions. Even when he cannot help with his bedwetting, it will surely help in propelling him to take actions against bedwetting.
7. Visit the pediatrician
When all efforts seem to fail, it’s important to speak to his pediatrician. The pediatrician will be in a better position to check for other underlying issues that you may not be aware of. In many cases, the visit proves that your child is normal and is only taking his time.
Other times, some medications may be prescribed to stop him from bedwetting. You should only accept this option if the situation is becoming very inconveniencing for you. The reason is that most times, when the child stops the medication, the bedwetting returns.
Besides, some children experience facial flushing, headaches, water retention and nausea when using such medications.
These 7 tips can help out with your child’s nighttime incontinence and discourage him from bedwetting (if he’s ready).
Leave a Reply