Preventing Child Bedwetting
Believe it or not, bed wetting isn't that uncommon among young people and children. Bed wetting occurs for a variety of reasons, and no, it is probably not because your child is too lazy to get out of bed. Some of the causes of bed wetting include:
- Children tend to get in a deep sleep and have a hard time awaking
- Drinking too much liquid before bedtime
- Genetic factors- bed wetting often runs in the family
- Urinary tract infections
There are ways to help your child to stop wetting the bed. We will focus on three major areas.
Wake Up Regularly During The Night
By waking up the child consistently during the night, they become used to waking up and using the bathroom. They will begin to naturally wake up on their own and will be used to finding their way to the bathroom. An ideal routine would be to wake the child up possibly two times during the night, perhaps at 2 and 4 am.
No Drinks After 8pm
Depending on when bedtime is for your children, it is generally a good idea not to give drinks 45 minutes to an hour before bedtime. Many children use the "I need a drink" as a stall tactic because they may not be ready to go to bed. Giving them an opportunity to get a drink well before bedtime will help avoid bed wetting later on during the night.
It would be important to note that when children are sick or fevered they should always be allowed a proper amount of fluids. Lack of water at bedtime isn't meant as punishment, but a way to avoid bed wetting. Parents should consider every time if children really do need fluids or not.
Pull-ups
This is, of course, mostly for young children trying to learn to sleep through the night without wetting. Using pull-ups will allow them to feel wet and be able to change themselves as well as when they successfully wake up to use the bathroom prior to wetting the bed.
Other helpful suggestions would include having a night-light available so that children can see clearly the way to the bathroom and not be forced to find their way in the dark. Also, at most stores, you can find a type of bed sheet that is made out of plastic. This is very helpful in the clean-up aspect for those who are mothers of frequent bed wetters.
Remember that it is never a good idea to punish children for wetting the bed. This is often something that is out of their control and punishment is simply wrong when it comes to bed wetting. Rather, children should be awarded when they make it through the night staying dry.
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