Most kids outgrow bedwetting
Most children who wet the bed outgrow it, and treatment is necessary only if bedwetting is upsetting to the child.
Most children who wet the bed outgrow it, and treatment is necessary only if bedwetting is upsetting to the child.
In general, bedwetting does not stem from a medical, psychological or emotional problem. But it can become a problem if parents, children, or physicians allow themselves to be bothered by it. Bedwetting may occur because a child sleeps very deeply. Ten to 15 percent of 5-year-olds and 6-8 percent of 8-year-olds wet the bed. Parents hoping to help their children stay dry at night should follow the guidelines set by the Canadian Pediatric Society (CPS):
make getting up at night to go to the bathroom a clear goal, and make the toilet easily accessible
stay away from excess fluids and caffeine-containing foods before bed
have the child urinate before bedtime
stop using diapers at night, although training pants may be appropriate
have the child help clean up the wet bed in the morning in a nonpunitive manner
and preserve the child's self-esteem.
Known scientifically as nocturnal enuresis, bedwetting should not be seen as a possible medical issue unless a child continues to wet the bed at least twice weekly past the age of five, according to the CPS. If bedwetting persists beyond age eight to ten, psychological problems such as poor self-esteem may be involved, making reassurance, support, and avoidance of punishment and humiliation particularly crucial.
The most effective treatment for bedwetting is an alarm device that goes off when the child wets the bed. Although it cures bedwetting less than half the time, the group states, alarms can be helpful for older, motivated children with motivated families when simpler approaches don't work. The drug desmopressin is an effective short-term treatment for some children, and may be useful for camp or sleepovers.
Behavioural approaches such as rewards or waking the child to go to the bathroom can be helpful for some children, although they carry the risk of causing poor self-esteem in the child and frustrating the parents. The goal of treatment is largely to reduce problems with frustration, conflict and poor self-esteem, and, thus, behavioural therapies for enuresis may do more harm than good.
Pediatrics & Child Health,
December 2005
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