8 Things You Can Do About BedWetting

04 Oct 8 Things You Can Do About BedWetting

Here at Stargait, a common issue we often hear about from parents is regarding bedwetting. Most children develop bladder control during the day and night around age four.  Sometimes bedwetting can persist far beyond the age of four.  While this issue can be frustrating and time consuming, there are practical ways to encourage dry nights. The following strategies can be helpful in dealing with overcoming bedwetting.

Overcoming Bedwetting

1. Try to establish a regular bedtime routine, including regular hours of going to bed and waking up.
2. Increase fluid intake during daytime hours and reduce intake at night.
3. Work on a daytime urination schedule of every 2-3 hours. Encourage your child to try to go even if they feel like they don’t need to. Have your child empty their bladder before bed.
4. Consider an earlier bedtime, it may be that your child is sleeping too deep to wake up due to not having enough sleep.
5. Use nightlights to help your child easily navigate from their bed to the toilet
6. Utilize a reward system to encourage your child, for example, a sticker chart to keep track of their progress.
7. Bedwetting alarms can be used and have been found to be effective at eliminating bedwetting among two-thirds of children who use them. The alarm needs to be used every night until the child has been accident free for two weeks. Bedwetting alarms usually take two-three months to work and some children are not responsive to them.
8. Be patient with your child. It’s important that you keep your cool and avoid shaming them.  Have your child help with cleaning up after accidents so they can feel some control over the situation. Teach your child that bedwetting is a normal thing that happens to kids their age. Be encouraging and celebrate their successes. Do not discuss their bedwetting in front of siblings or peers. 

Schedule an Evaluation

If you have tried these techniques and find that your child is still having difficulty gaining control over night time bedwetting, it’s possible that the issue is related to a retained reflex. There are two spinal reflexes responsible for mastery of bladder control.  Please come see us, we may be able to help! You can schedule an evaluation using the form below or call us at 541-507-9902.

References and further reading:

The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. (2018, November 8). How to help older children overcome bedwetting. Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Retrieved October 4, 2021, from https://www.chop.edu/news/health-tip/how-help-older-children-overcome-bedwetting. 

Team, C. H. (2020, September 14). How to help your child stop wetting the bed. Cleveland Clinic. Retrieved October 4, 2021, from https://health.clevelandclinic.org/how-to-help-your-child-stop-wetting-the-bed-2/. 

Hospital, U. C. D. C. (n.d.). Bedwetting Solutions: Expert pediatrician offers help for kids. UC Davis Health. Retrieved October 4, 2021, from https://health.ucdavis.edu/children/patients_family_resources/bedwetting-solutions.html.