Treatment for Bedwetting

Bedwetting can be a frustrating problem for both parents and children. Parents don't want to clean wet sheets every morning, and children may feel too shy to enjoy sleepovers. While some bedwetting is normal until children are fully potty trained at age 3 or 4, the condition might persist into grade school or even the early teens in some children. Below, you'll learn about effective treatments for bedwetting.

Treating underlying conditions

Bedwetting is normal until children are potty trained around age 3 or 4. However, in older children, recurring bedwetting may be a symptom of an underlying condition such as bladder stones, diabetes, urinary tract infection or even constipation. It's important to rule out an underlying medical condition before embarking on a traditional bedwetting treatment routine.

Avoiding shaming and blaming

Some parents become angry and punish children for bedwetting because they misunderstand the causes of bedwetting. Punishment doesn't eliminate bedwetting because it is not a behavior problem. It is an issue of maturity. Children who wet the bed at older ages than their peers usually have an immature nervous system or are extremely heavy sleepers. They are not being "naughty" but rather are unable to wake up to use the bedroom. Blaming and shaming children does not help, but involving children in the treatment and empowering them does usually help.

Setting goals and tracking progress

Setting goals and tracking progress is an important part of treatment. Some parents believe the goal should be training the child to "hold it" until morning. However, experts such as pediatrician Dr. Parang Mehta suggest the proper goal should instead be training the child to wake up to use the bathroom when the urge to urinate occurs. Bedwetting treatment programs tend to work best when the child helps set goals and determine incentives. Parents can use a calendar and gold stars for times the child wakes up to use the restroom. As the child goes two or three nights in a row without bedwetting, he may win incentives such as a small toy or a trip to the zoo.

Lifestyle changes

Lifestyle changes are important to treating bedwetting, include encouraging the child to use the bathroom right before going to bed and limiting liquids within a few hours of bedtime. Alarms either for the child or for parents can also be useful. One type of alarm senses moisture in the bed and wakes the child as she is beginning to wet the bed. Over time, the child is trained to sense a full bladder and wake up before the accident occurs. If parents know about what time of night the child is likely to wet the bed, they can also set alarms for themselves. When the alarm goes off, the parent wakes the child to use the bathroom.

Drug treatments

Drug treatments may be appropriate for children who do not respond well to other kinds of treatment for bedwetting. Two common drugs are Desmopressin and Imipramine. These drugs help children get through the night without bedwetting, and they can be useful for sleepovers and summer camp. However, they do have some side effects and do not treat the primary problem, which is the inability to wake up when the bladder is full. Many children relapse when the drug treatment is discontinued.

Resources

• Treatments for bedwetting