Children Who Wet The Bed: Causes And Treatment

Doctors and psychologists call this problem nocturnal enuresis (or urinary incontinence). However, we all know it as “ bedwetting ”. It happens when the little ones have not yet got their bladder under control and they urinate while they are sleeping.

There are also cases where enuresis occurs during the day. Anyway, all parents should read this article carefully. Children who wet the bed:  what is the cause and how can we solve it? That’s what we’re talking about in this article.

What is enuresis?

This is the accidental leakage of urine in children aged four years or older. This usually happens during sleep, but can also happen during the day. In this article, we will talk about the children who wet the bed at night, which are common, and how to fix it.

Bowel and bladder control is a natural process that develops as the child grows, changes and learns. This process should come to an end between the ages of 15 and 18 months.

It depends on many factors. For example, whether the parents have taught the child to go to the toilet alone, and have gradually started to replace diapers with underwear, and so on. At this point, the child already knows (or at least is learning) how to pee alone .

There are many techniques used by parents to teach their children to go to the bathroom, such as putting on underwear instead of diapers so that they learn what it feels like to pee your pants. Pediatricians, books, and grandparents (these are always experts) can help in this regard.

If the learning process is successful, the child becomes “a big boy or girl.” He or she goes to the toilet just like the adults do and lets someone know if he or she needs to pee.

It seems that around the age of four or five the child is able to control the psychological urge. He or she no longer needs help to empty the bladder.

The consequences of bedwetting

So far everything is going well. The problem arises when the child does not learn after many attempts. That’s especially true if he or she is asleep and doesn’t realize he feels he needs to pee.  The child forgets that there is no longer a diaper that catches everything and lets everything run.

However, the result is wet sheets and blankets, crying, nightmares and concerned parents. Bedwetting usually happens around the age of five.  It can occur frequently or every night and in severe cases persist into adulthood.

There are many different ways to treat this discomfort, from psychological to medicinal ways. The problem can be solved if the cause is known. B ovenal is important that parents do not lose patience, do not get angry and punish the child.

Remember that bedwetting can cause the child to become depressed, embarrassed, withdrawn and self-esteem suffer. If the parents punish the child, it will make the situation worse instead of improving it.

With patience and understanding of the circumstances and by letting the child overcome the problems, the results will no doubt be positive.

The possible causes of bedwetting are:

• A small bladder (if the child has to go to the toilet often during the day, we can tell that this is the cause).
• Not Enough Toilet Training.
• Stress, nervousness, anxiety, changes at home, parental separation, problems at school, quarrels with siblings, and so on.
• Starting toilet training too late or too early.

Things to watch out for when kids wet the bed

It is important to give the child time

If the child is five years old and wets the bed once at night, do not run to the doctor immediately. If it happens every night or several times a night, it’s a good idea to see a doctor. Otherwise, even if they are eight, there is no need to panic.

Don’t blame the child, don’t get angry and don’t tease the child

Punishment will not lead to the desired result, because the child is not in control of the situation. He or she is not responsible. It will only lead to more stress, worry, nervousness and the feeling of being disobedient or failing.

Don’t use diapers again

This is for a number of reasons: firstly, because the child needs to grow up and not be brought back to infancy; second, if you start using diapers, the child will learn to just wet the bed again; third, because it is not pleasant for the child and he or she will feel ashamed and may feel depressed.

Don’t make the mistake of forbidding the child to drink water

Avoiding the water consumption will not help and it will not improve the situation. The goal is not for the child to urinate less, but for him or her to learn to recognize and control the urge to urinate at night.

Do not wake the child at night

In this way, the child learns to go to the toilet whenever you want to, but this leads to the child’s sleep pattern and yours being interrupted and this is not good. It is better that the child learns to recognize the feeling of a full bladder and wake up because of this,  even if he or she is sleeping deeply.

Finally, as a reflection, it is good to keep the child’s feelings in mind. He or she is now at an age where he or she knows what is going on. Teach the child to have faith in you and to be able to say how he or she feels, why he or she thinks bedwetting is still an issue, and so on.

Make sure the child is a participant in the treatment and techniques that will reduce and stop bedwetting by working together to solve the problem.