Bedwetting is sometimes called nocturnal (night-time) enuresis. Childhood
bedwetting happens in many families. While a lot of children grow out of wetting the bed
by the time they start school, many children of primary school age still wet the bed.
Most children stop daytime wetting by about 3 years old and wetting at night by
the time they are five, although many pre-schoolers still have
"accidents" from time to time. Until the age of ten, about one in every 10 children wet the bed. That means that if your
child wets the bed she is probably not the only one in her class at school or amongst her
friends who is wetting.
WHY DOES BEDWETTING HAPPEN?
Bedwetting is nobody's fault. It is something which the child has no control over.
It is not caused by laziness or seeking attention.
- When the bladder gets full at night, the child does not wake up enough to
stop the wetting or go to the toilet. Many children who wet the bed
sleep deeply and do not wake up easily.
- Just as some children grow later than others, some children become able to
stop wetting the bed later than others.
- Some children produce more urine (wee) at night than others due to hormones.
- It may be that a child who wets the bed has a bladder which holds a
smaller amount of urine (wee).
- Occasionally it can be due to a medical problem and it is wise to get a check up with
the doctor to make sure that it is not.
- Bedwetting "runs in the family" and you may find that dad, mum, uncle or aunt used to wet
the bed, and they may still have to get up at night to go to the toilet.
- Sometimes children who wet the bed are dry when sleeping in a strange place. This may be
because when they are a bit worried about sleeping in a strange place, they sleep more
lightly for the first few nights. When they are at home again and relaxed they often wet
the bed again.
Note: Some children who have been dry might start wetting the bed again if something
happens to make them very stressed eg family break-up or starting school, or if they are
not well. In this case the bedwetting will usually stop when the child begins to feel more
secure. If a child who has been dry starts to wet the bed again it is important to have a
medical check-up in case it is caused by an infection or other health problem.
The Brain
- tells the kidneys to rest at night
- tells the bladder when to empty (do wee).
The Kidneys
- cleanse the blood
- get rid of waste as urine (wee).
The Bladder
- holds wee until a suitable time to get rid of it
- tells the brain when it is full
- may empty (do wee) by itself if the brain doesn't
wake up the child
WHAT PARENTS CAN DO
- Reassure children that bedwetting is normal, there is nothing to be ashamed about, and
they will grow out of it in time. It can be very helpful to them to know if someone
else in the family used to wet the bed too.
- Explain to your child simply some of the reasons for bedwetting. For example "While
you are asleep your brain isn't getting the message that you need to go to the toilet and
so you don't wake up". Or you could say "Your bladder, where your wee is stored,
hasn't grown big enough yet to hold all the wee until morning, but this will change as
your body grows".
- If the bedwetting seems to be because of stress or worries, do what you can to make your
child feel better. Let her know that the bedwetting will stop in time so that this doesn't
become an added worry.
- To help save washing:
- cover the mattress with a plastic sheet
- put plastic over the bottom sheet and on top of the plastic place a piece of towelling
- put thick underpants on your child.
- Try leaving a potty in your child's room.
- Leave a soft light on or give your child a torch to go to the toilet.
- Encourage your child to call you if she is afraid of the dark.
- Make sure your child has a shower or bath in the morning.
- Children need to have 5 or 6 drinks (about 1 litre or more) every
day. Soft drinks that contain caffeine are not a good idea as they
increase the amount of urine produced and children need to go to the toilet
more often.
- Give your child lots of encouragement especially if there are
"accidents".
It is not a good idea to make young children clean up after themselves. They can
easily see it as a punishment for something they cannot help. Children are often sad when
they wake up in a wet bed. Making young children change their own bed cannot make them
stop wetting. It will only make them sadder to have upset you.
Older children are able to help you by changing their beds or taking their wet clothes
to the laundry.
Behaviour change programs, such as using a star chart, cannot work. The
child cannot control the bed wetting.
SCHOOL CAMPS
Children often worry about wetting the bed at school camp. They should be encouraged
not to miss school camps. Teachers are used to dealing with these situations at camp
without embarrassing the child. Discuss with the teacher in private how this can be
managed. Then talk with your child about what he can do if it happens at camp.
If your child is very anxious about camp or sleep overs, there is a hormone
medication (which is sprayed into the nose) that can decrease the amount of
urine produced at night. See your doctor a couple of weeks before the
camp, or sleep over, to find out whether this might help your child.
WHAT NOT TO DO
Don't punish, criticise or tease your child. This can make children tense and anxious
and make the problem worse. Remember children cannot control their bedwetting.
It does not help to "lift" the child at night even though it may
sometimes save a wet bed.
IF THE CHILD IS OVER SEVEN
If the bedwetting is not too worrying for your child or you, you might be happy to just
wait until he grows out of it. If your child is over seven and is worried by the
bedwetting he may be helped by a bladder training program and or a bell/alarm program. These programs are often very
successful and you can find out more about them from your local community health
centre or
doctor.
There are other treatments such as some medicines and behaviour training and so on.
Hypnosis may help. Most treatments work for some children but not others. The important
thing to remember is not to use a treatment that adds to your child's discomfort.
Check with a health professional if:
- your child is still wetting in the day by 4 year of age
- a child who has been dry starts wetting again
- you or your child are becoming very upset by the bedwetting
- your child is constipated often (this can sometimes be related to
bedwetting)
- you have any other concerns about it.
REMINDERS
- Reassure your child that bedwetting is common and nothing to be ashamed of.
- Don't punish, criticise or tease your child, or offer rewards for
something your child can't control.
- Get a medical check-up to be sure there is no physical cause.
- Consider using a bladder training or alarm program if your child is over 7 or 8 and really worried.
- Help the child to feel as comfortable as possible about going to school camps.
- Bedwetting is something that children cannot help and they grow out of it.
