How to End the Misery of Bedwetting
When a child wets the bed they worry. Children tend to become
dry during the day more easily than at night. During the day
they are awake and aware of their feelings and can go to the
toilet normally. However, at night, when they are asleep, the
usual feelings of a full bladder aren't sufficiently strong to
wake them. The result is a wet bed. Or, young children have to
continue wearing diapers at night.
Fairly soon they realise this is not normal. They wonder why
they don't need a diaper during the day, but do need one at
night. They might also talk to siblings or friends and discover
that they don't need a night-time diaper. This will only
compound their worries.
Throughout childhood, your son or daughter is trying to
establish their identity; they are trying to find out who they
are. They also want to make sure they 'fit in', that they are
just like everyone else and that they are not abnormal. As soon
as they discover that wetting the bed is not usual, they worry.
Your child might not say they are worried, but they will be.
What this means is that you need to do everything you can to
reduce the potential for concern. That means treating the bed
wetting occasions as normal, no trouble. Don't make a big thing
out of them. The more you make a fuss, the more the child thinks
they are unusual, out of the ordinary. And when that happens,
they are more likely to continue wetting the bed.
Also, it's important not to punish the child. One survey found
that 21% of all children who wet the bed are punished for doing
so. But the child has no idea why the punishment is taking
place. They are doing something natural - urinating - and they
can't connect the punishment to any crime. This can lead to all
sorts of difficulties for the child, including social ones.
Punishment is also counterproductive, lengthening the time it
takes to achieve night time dryness.
Instead of punishment, children who wet the bed need support,
guidance and encouragement. Positive reinforcement of the good
times - when they have a dry night - is much more likely to
succeed in the long term.
The problem for most parents is that the best methods of dealing
with bed wetting also take a long time. The child also gets
frustrated at the delay in achieving a dry night. That's whey
encouragement and a positive home and attitude are essential in
helping children come to terms with the difficulties they face.
The more you talk about bed wetting and make them feel abnormal,
the worse the situation will become. The more you treat each bed
wetting incident as a normal everyday occurrence, the quicker
the dry nights will arrive.
More information on bed wetting can be found at www.bed-wetting-info.co.
uk