Most children who experience bedwetting have at least one parent or
first degree relative who also had a problem with bedwetting. Knowing
this often helps the child feel less stressed about the situation.
Roughly 20% of children still wet their beds at age 5, only 5% do so by
age 10, and 2% by age 15. An unfortunate 1 out of 100 childhood
bedwetters continues to have a problem into adulthood.
Some common causes of bedwetting are usually simply. For example, one
cause is due to a delay in the maturation of the part of the nervous
system that controls bladder function. Or bedwetting may sometimes be
due to either psychological problems or medical disorders, such as a
urinary tract infection, urinary tract abnormalities, or diabetes.
Do not worry about bedwetting in children before the age of 6, unless
they were previously well toilet trained and the bedwetting is now a new
symptom.
Do not punish a child who wets his or her bed. This problem is not
caused by laziness or rebelliousness. Shaming a child for wetting the
bed can lead to poor self-esteem and feelings of low self-worth.
Reassure, encourage, and express confidence in your child. You can also
have your child take an active part in cleaning up from the bedwetting.
For example, have them help with stripping the bed, putting the sheets
in the laundry. This’ll show your child that you are not angry, and that
it is something that can be dealt with in a calm manner.
Withholding bedtime drinks may be helpful in some children because it
decreases the volume of urine in the bladder. However, this does not
prevent the problem completely. Avoiding caffeine-containing drinks,
such as many types of soda, can also help decrease the amount of urine
in the bladder since caffeine increases urine production.
See your health care provider to consider the use of alarm systems. Some
alarm systems include Wet-stop and Enuretone. You may also speak to your
health care provider about drug alternatives such as DDAVP, a simple
nasal spray that can be delivered right before bedtime. DDAVP stops bed
wetting in 60-75% of children while taking the drug, but is not a
permanent cure. Once the medication is stopped, the bedwetting tends to
recur.
Call your health care provider if there have been repeated episodes of
bed wetting after the age of 6, especially if your child complains that
it hurts when he/she urinates, or if your child has been drinking
excessive amounts of fluids, or if your child has been exhibiting
strange behavioral changes (such as a normally outgoing child becoming
withdrawn or a child suddenly behaving in a sexually suggestive manner).
Dealing with your child’s bedwetting doesn’t have to be traumatic for
them, or for you. It’s something that can be dealt with delicately, and
with understanding. It doesn’t have to affect their maturation and
growth.
About the Author
E. Cordova is a health writer. He has created a website,
http://stop-bed-wetting, to help
parents deal with their children's bedwetting.
Dressing Girls For School
I have spoken to so many parents who tell me it is a monumental task to get
their younger daughters ready for school in the morning. Unless your daughter
has only one set of clothes to wear, she probably wants to change her outfit
three times before choosing the one she will "agree" to wear to school each day.
Here's how we solved the problem in our family...
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there, the floor is strewn with stuff that you can't even guess what it is! Most
of us feel a whole lot better when things are organized. Is it natural to be
neat and tidy or is it a skill that must be learned? We'll let you worry about
that question but we'll give you a few simple ideas on how to make that playroom
fun again.
What should you expect at 6 weeks, 6 months or 1 year? We provide useful
milestones and developmental stages so that you can keep an eye on your
baby's development in the first year. Baby Stages
Ideas For Sharing Stories
With Children
This two-part article discusses the ways in which stories and
storytelling play an important role in children's lives. Techniques are
offered for using stories to help develop children's verbal skills and
imaginations. This is part one.
Who Owns The Problem; Parent or Child?
It is tempting for parents to assume ownership and responsibility for everything that goes on in the life of their child. However, when the parent jumps in too soon to solve the problem or give the answer, the child never learns to trust his own judgment and become a critical thinker.
Parenting - Making A Schedule This article on the benefits of scheduling your day as a parent
really struck home with me. It took me a while to work this out for
myself when I had young children at home, and I wish I had done so - and
benefited from the much calmer household that was the result - sooner!
