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Bed Wetting

It's 3a.m. and you hear your child cry out. You go to his bedroom in a daze, remove the wet sheet, wipe down the plastic undersheet and put on a new sheet; then you change his pyjamas, give him a kiss and make your way back to bed - via the laundry basket.

Now you're awake, unable to get back to sleep worrying about the bedwetting and all those other little niggles that have built up over the day. This has happened every night for the past month.

Almost half of all children still wet the bed at age three. In fact, most experts consider bedwetting normal until age six, when only 12% of kids still wet the bed. So why do some take so much longer to stay dry at night? For a start, bedwetting is hereditary - more than a quarter of kids whose parents were both bedwetters end up the same. And most seem to be very deep sleepers. Whereas other children wake up when they sense that their bladders are full, your child may simply have difficulty rousing. And some kids just need to wee more at night - maybe due to a smaller-than-average bladder. So what should you do? For a start, if your child isn't ready to sleep without night nappies, don't force him. All of you will sleep better if your child stays in nappies at night until he's ready to stay dry. If he sometimes wakes up dry or his nappy is barely damp in the morning instead of looking like a water- filled balloon, he may be ready to try. But if after a few weeks your child wets the bed frequently, you may have to put him back in nappies or disposable training pants. Tell him in a reassuring way that his body isn't ready to stay dry at night yet, and try again in a few months.

Even if your child is over six, his bedwetting will probably resolve itself naturally - with the right encouragement, support and positive reinforcement. Offering incentives like a small treat if they wake up dry can work. Whatever you do, don't punish your child for bedwetting. This will make him feel bad and will probably make the problem worse. No one wets the bed on purpose - after all, it's often embarrassing and uncomfortable. Would you like to wake up in a damp pool wearing cold, soggy pyjamas?

Whatever you do, don't make your child feel like their problem is some terrible family secret that should never be spoken about. Reassure them that it's a common problem. And tell them about other family members who used to be wet but are now dry. Also explain the condition to them - buy a book aimed at children about bedwetting. The more they know about the condition, the more likely they'll be able to overcome it.

If your child is over six, he could try a buzzer alarm - a device which wakes your child when he wets. This eventually teaches him to wake when he needs to go. You may need to get your doctor to refer you to a sleep expert, however, to learn how to use it properly. Your doctor may also prescribe medications such as anti-diuretic hormones that can be sprayed up the nostrils before bed to stop the urge to go to the toilet. However, behavioural techniques, such as the buzzer alarm, are thought to work best.


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