Bedwetting

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• Bedwetting facts
• Why does bedwetting happen?
• What parents can do
• School camps and sleepovers
• What not to do
• If your child is over seven
• Reminders

Bedwetting facts

Bedwetting is sometimes called nocturnal (night-time) enuresis. Childhood bedwetting happens in many families.

• Most children stop daytime wetting by about three years of age and wetting at night by the time they are five, although most preschoolers wet their bed from time to time.
• A lot of children grow out of wetting the bed by the time they start school. But many children of primary school-age still wet the bed.
• About 1 in 5 five-year-old children wet the bed, 5% of 10-year-olds, and 1% of 15-year-olds.

Why does bedwetting happen?

Bedwetting is nobody’s fault. It is not caused by laziness or done to get attention. It is something over which a child has no control.

• Bedwetting happens when children do not wake up when their bladders are full at night.
• Many children who wet the bed seem to sleep more heavily and be harder to wake than other children. They’re not able to wake up when they have a full bladder.
• Many children who wet the bed produce more urine (wee) at night than others, because of a low level of a hormone that controls how much urine is made while they are asleep.
• A few children who wet the bed have bladders that cannot hold a large amount of urine.
• Occasionally, bedwetting can be due to a medical problem. For this reason, it’s wise to have a check by your doctor.
• Often bedwetting runs in the family. You might find that dad, mum, uncle or aunt used to wet the bed and might still have to get up at night to go to the toilet.
• Most children who wet the bed ‘grow out’ of it, but their self-confidence can be harmed while they are wetting. It’s worth looking into ways of helping your child to stop wetting at an earlier age rather than later. When children stop wetting, their self-confidence usually returns.   
• Sometimes children who wet the bed stay dry when sleeping in a strange place. This might be because they are worried about sleeping in the strange place. They therefore sleep more lightly for the first few nights. When they’re at home again and relaxed, they often wet the bed again.
• Some children who have been dry might start wetting the bed again if something happens to make them very stressed – for example, a family break-up or starting school, or if they’re 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’s important to have a medical check to see whether there’s an infection or other health problem.

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 for them to know if someone else in the family used to wet the bed.
• Don’t limit how much your child drinks during the day or evening. Children need to have at least 5-6 drinks every day. Soft drinks that contain caffeine are not a good idea. This is because they increase the amount of urine produced, so children need to go to the toilet more often.
• 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 enough yet to hold all the wee through the night, but this will change as your body grows’.
• If bedwetting seems to be causing stress or worries, do what you can to make your child feel better. Let your child know that the bedwetting will stop in time, so that this doesn’t become an added worry.
• Some parents find it helpful to take their child to the toilet two or three hours after the child goes to sleep. For others, this doesn’t work. 
• To help save washing:
  • cover the mattress with a plastic or waterproof sheet
  • put plastic over the bottom sheet and a piece of towelling on top of the plastic
  • put thick underpants or ‘pull ups’ on your child.
• Leave a soft light on so it’s easy and ‘safe’ for your child to go to the toilet.
• Make sure your child has a shower in the morning to feel fresh and clean and not smelly to others, which can sometimes lead to teasing by other children.
• Give your child lots of encouragement, especially after accidents. Children need to feel loved and lovable.
• It’s not a good idea to make young children clean up after themselves. They might see it as a punishment for something they have no control over. Changing their own bed linen won’t make them stop wetting. Children often feel sad when they wake up in a wet bed, and the last thing they want to do is upset you. 
• Older children are able to help by changing their beds and putting their wet sheets and clothes in the laundry.
• Alarm systems help many children who are about seven years old or more. 
• Behaviour change programs such as star charts can’t work because your child can’t control the bedwetting.
• Check with your doctor if:
  • your child is still wetting in the day by school age
  • your child who has been dry starts wetting again for more than one or two nights 
  • you or your child are becoming very upset by the bedwetting
  • you have any other concerns about bedwetting.  

School camps and sleepovers

• Children often worry about wetting the bed at school camps or at sleepovers. They might try to avoid going. Children should be encouraged not to miss out on these fun times.
• If your child is very anxious about camp or sleepovers, there’s 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 sleepover to see whether this might help your child.
• Teachers are used to dealing with these situations at camp without embarrassing the child. Have a private discussion with your child’s teacher about how the bedwetting can be managed. Then talk with your child about what to do if it happens at camp.
• If your child is going on a sleepover in someone else’s home, discuss with the parent how to best manage the bedwetting.
• Night time ‘pull-ups’ might help. There are also ‘nappies’ for older/bigger children.

What not to do

Don’t punish, criticise or tease your child and don’t let others do this to your child. This can make children tense and anxious and make the problem worse. Remember young children cannot control their bedwetting.

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 your child grows out of it. But many children hide their distress, so think about trying something to help.
• If your child is over seven, a bladder training program and/or a bell/alarm program might help. These programs are often successful. You can find out more about them from your local community health centre, pharmacy (chemist) or doctor.
• Other treatments, such as medicines and hypnosis, might help. These treatments work for most children.
• It’s important to use a treatment that does not add to your child’s discomfort.

Reminders

• Reassure your child that bedwetting is common and nothing to be ashamed of.
• Don’t punish, criticise, tease or offer rewards for something your child cannot control.
• Get a medical check-up to be sure there is no physical cause.
• Consider using a bladder training or bell/alarm program if your child is over seven and worried.
• Help your child feel as comfortable as possible about going to school camps and sleepovers.

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