In order to stop bed wetting, it is necessary to first understand the reasons behind the the problem. Wetting the bed is common (although embarrassing to the sufferer) and in many cases treatable. There are millions of people from young children to adults who wet the bed at night.
There are two types of bed wetting – Primary Nocturnal Enuresis and Secondary Nocturnal Enuresis.
PRIMARY NOCTURNAL ENURESIS
This is the more common of the two types of bed wetting. Invariably it means that your child has probably never been dry at night.
This problem is usually genetic, and it will probably be discovered that one or another of the parents (or even perhaps one of their siblings – not that anyone is likely to admit to it to having wet the bed at night.)
Time will be the “great healer”. Eventually your child will stop bed wetting as he or she out-grows the problem.
SECONDARY NOCTURNAL ENURESIS
This is another matter altogether. At some point, the bed wetter did not appear to have a problem and was certainly dry for an extended period of at least 6 months.
In this case, a more specific problem exists. It could be emotional e.g. stress and its myriad causes, or a specific medical condition such as diabetes, ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyper Activity Disorder) or a variety of other conditions.
According to at least one pediatrician, children with ADHD have a higher incidence of wetting the bed than non-ADHD children. There is also a strong possibility that in these cases stress also plays a major role.
Please be aware, that your child is likely to develop a low level of self esteem as a result of the bed wetting. He or she is also likely to avoid making friends with other kids in an effort to prevent them from finding out that he has a problem. He will feel both ashamed and traumatized.
WHAT TO DO
In both cases a visit to the pediatrician is called for. There is much that he can do to discover the underlying cause and help the child to stop bed wetting.
The problem may be as “simple” as a bladder infection or a small bladder capacity. There may be a deformity of the urinary tract. It is also possible that the neurological system has not fully matured and that the signal from the bladder is not reaching the brain.
In the case of emotional problems and stress, e.g. a new baby in the home, the death of a pet, it is necessary to find out the underlying cause in order to be able to deal with it.
There could even be a combination of both physiological and emotional causes for the bed wetting. No matter what the problem, the pediatrician will be able to assist.
Meanwhile:
- Avoid giving the child chocolate, caffeine, carbonated drinks or citrus during the late afternoon or evening (they increase urine out-put)
- Cut down on evening fluids such as water, juice and milk. In fact, it would be better to have no fluids at all for at least two hours prior to bed-time.
- Ensure your child goes to the toilet before going to bed.
- Some children sleep very deeply at night and are hard to wake up. Try to get your child to focus on waking up at night rather than on the problem of wetting the bed.
- Wake your child to go to the toilet before you go to bed.
- Provide a night light so that he or she can find their way easily. A dark passage and bathroom can be very off-putting to a child. His own night-time torch may be an inducement for your child to wake up just so that he can use it.
- Protect the bed with a plastic or rubberized cover.
- Provide the child with disposable pull-up diapers if possible. It may make him feel more confident and secure.
- Use a good barrier cream and/or moisturizing cream to protect his or her skin from the irritation of the urine.
- Never, never show irritation or punish your child.
- Provide lots of love and support, and ensure that other members of the family do not tease him, or tell anyone else about the problem.
With loving support and an understanding of the reason causing the problem, your child’s self confidence and esteem will grow and it wont be long before he or she will stop bed wetting.
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