What to do if Your Child is Experiencing Bedwetting

Most children who experience bedwetting have at least one parent or first degree relative who also had a problem with bedwetting. Knowing this often helps the child feel less stressed about the situation. Roughly 20% of children still wet their beds at age 5, only 5% do so by age 10, and 2% by age 15. An unfortunate 1 out of 100 childhood bedwetters continues to have a problem into adulthood. Some common causes of bedwetting are usually simply. For example, one cause is due to a delay in the maturation of the part of the nervous system that controls bladder function. Or bedwetting may sometimes be due to either psychological problems or medical disorders, such as a urinary tract infection, urinary tract abnormalities, or diabetes. Do not worry about bedwetting in children before the age of 6, unless they were previously well toilet trained and the bedwetting is now a new symptom. Do not punish a child who wets his or her bed. This problem is not caused by laziness or rebelliousness. Shaming a child for wetting the bed can lead to poor self-esteem and feelings of low self-worth. Reassure, encourage, and express confidence in your child. You can also have your child take an active part in cleaning up from the bedwetting. For example, have them help with stripping the bed, putting the sheets in the laundry. This