Coping With Bedwetting
Many people struggle (or have struggled) with nighttime bedwetting, known in medical terms as nocturnal enuresis. In fact, this condition still affects roughly 1-2% of teens today. While bedwetting is commonly perceived as “normal” when it happens to children, many people begin to worry and develop feelings of embarrassment and shame as bedwetting persists into the later years of childhood, adolescence, or even into adulthood. If you or a loved one is coping with bedwetting, you’re not alone. Keep reading for our tips on how to beat the bedwetting blues, and remember: accidents happen — not everyone needs to know.
Don’t Panic
Many children wet the bed at night or even experience daytime incontinence while potty training. This is perfectly normal, genetic in many cases, and is usually a phase that the child will grow out of. Some children are just deep sleepers, or have small bladders that can’t store the amount of urine produced by their bodies for extended periods of time. However, when bedwetting doesn’t stop, it may be time to examine possible triggers as culprits, especially if your child is exhibiting other unusual behaviors.
Practicing Positive Routines
Typically, bedwetting can be alleviated by practicing positive routines, such as regular bathroom habits (going to the bathroom and fully emptying bladder before bed), dietary precautions (no beverages within the 2-3 hours leading up to bedtime except for water if your child is thirsty; avoiding sugary drinks altogether), and having a consistent bedtime every night. But in the case of some older children, things like stress at school and emotional or physical trauma may be underlying triggers of enuresis, making an existing problem with incontinence even worse.
Other Possible Causes of Enuresis
This YouTube video from Info4YourLife, titled Treating Bedwetting, explains that bedwetting can cause children more anxiety than other conditions like obesity and asthma. If this is the case, identifying the root cause of your child’s bedwetting can help to alleviate compounding stress, which can cause a host of other health problems. This WebMD article explains the relationship between stress, anxiety, and bedwetting, stating that children’s behaviors while enduring stress (whether social, familial, or trauma-related) are more likely to contribute to increased occurrences of bedwetting.
Separation anxiety could be another trigger; many families report that their children only wet the bed while away from home, which can be socially debilitating and ruin a child’s self-esteem. As children mature, social activities will play an increasingly significant role in their development, and if a child is afraid or too embarrassed to attend a sleepover, go to camp, stay with relatives, or travel, it can hinder their developmental progress.
Ways to Cope
There are many differing schools of thought on how to “treat” or “deal with” bedwetting, from the people who will advise you to just wait it out as if it’s a phase to those who will try to diagnose your child with any number of a handful of other potential medical conditions. Certainly, we’re not advocating over-treatment, but there’s no reason why you can’t help put your child’s mind at ease (and give yourself a break from all the late night and early morning laundry you’ve been doing).
Natural and At-Home Remedies for Bedwetting
Natural and at-home remedies are gaining popularity among families who realize it’s most likely unnecessary to shell out big bucks for doctors to perform inconclusive tests and tell you what you can probably read on the internet. Among the most obvious recommendations are making sure your child is using the bathroom regularly throughout the day — kids often “forget” to go or hold their bladders for long periods of time when they’re having fun. Altogether avoiding sugary and carbonated drinks before bedtime is also helpful.
Here are some other creative methods you might try:
- The Enuresis Treatment Center recommends setting an alarm in 4-hour intervals to get up and visit the bathroom. This could be a helpful practice for older children.
- Patient.info advocates the use of a reward system for younger children that will encourage and motivate them to practice good habits and learn how to be mindful.
- Top10HomeRemedies.com suggests chewing on cinnamon sticks, taking Indian Gooseberry (Amla) extract, drinking cranberry juice, and eating walnuts and raisins as dietary controls that are easy to introduce.
Products to Help With Bedwetting
There are tons of products aimed at parents of children who wet the bed, many of which can be inconvenient (plastic bedding covers), expensive (endless supplies of disposable diaper-like products), embarrassing and startling (bedwetting alarms), and ineffective. All of these products also hinder a child’s ability to participate normally in social activities — what kid wants to take their bedwetting alarm to a friend’s house with them or be seen wearing a big-kid diaper?
The Just-In-Case 360 Wetness Protector may be a more socially feasible and budget-friendly option. It’s a discreet, travel-ready, waterproof, reusable liner that can easily slide between the sheets of any bed or into a sleeping bag for 360 degrees of wetness protection, guaranteeing dry sheets (or sleeping bag) in the morning. If a child wakes up wet, they can quietly change their pajamas and put their Just-In-Case in the laundry or in a bag until it can be washed. Just-In-Case is superior to small mats that sometimes don’t stay put or don’t cover a large enough area. It’s also the environmentally responsible alternative to disposable wetness protection. Try Just-In-Case for a limited time special price and start empowering your child today, or get the 3-pack for added value — it’s perfect for keeping one at home, one at grandma’s, and sending one to summer camp!
The Most Important Thing Is You
Being understanding and compassionate are perhaps the most important and effective ways to cope with bedwetting. Although bedwetting can be confusing and frustrating to parents, it’s important to remember that it’s even more frustrating (and embarrassing) to your child. Scolding, blaming, and punishment are not the answer and can often cause further damage to a child’s self esteem and confidence. Instead, use encouragement, invite them to help you clean up so they can see how to be proactive about the problem as they get older, and remind them that there’s nothing “wrong” with them. Treat the problem with love and resources that empower and restore confidence, and pretty soon it won’t be a problem anymore.