Bed Wetting is a Big Issue for Little People

Did you know that 90% of children are daytime potty trained by age 5. What you don’t always hear about how long bed-wetting can last. 

Nocturnal Enuresis, commonly known as bedwetting, can be pediatric issue that negatively impacts the quality of life impact for children and their caregivers. Up to 30% of 4 year-olds experience urinary leakage at night. 

Bedwetting can be very damaging to your child’s self image and confidence. It can also be very difficult for caregivers to cope with and manage with their child. 

Although bedwetting is a common problem it does not mean that nothing can be done to help fix it! 

Tips for Parents to help make bedwetting less frustrating and easier to manage:

• Focus on the problem: bedwetting. Avoid blaming or punishing your child. Remember, your child cannot control the bedwetting, and blaming and punishing will just make the problem worse.
• Be patient and supportive. Reassure and encourage your child often. Do not make an issue out of bedwetting each time it happens. If you or your spouse wet the bed as a kid, remind your child that mommy or daddy had the same issue and eventually outgrew it.
• Encourage responsibility. Help your child understand that the responsibility for being dry is his or hers and not that of the parents. Reassure your child that you want to help him or her overcome the problem. In addition, have your child help in the clean-up process.
• Make clean-up easy. To increase comfort and reduce damage, use washable absorbent sheets, layer sheets among waterproof bed covers, and use room deodorizers.

Tips to Prevent Bedwetting

Along with supporting your child emotionally, there are a number of steps you can take that may help reduce the number of bedwetting accidents. Here are my top 4 tips but doing a therapy consultation wil provide many more…

• Reduce evening fluid intake before bedtime. Do not give your child anything to drink in the two hours before bedtime, especially drinks such as tea or sodas that contain caffeine. Also avoid chocolate before bedtime.
• Have your child use the bathroom at regular intervals throughout the day. This helps train the kidney and bladder to rest and produce less urine during the nighttime hours. 
• Make sure the child has easy access to the toilet. Clear the path from his or her bed to the toilet and install night-lights. Provide a portable toilet if necessary.
• Monitor your child’s bowel movements. Constipation can interfere with the complete and efficient emptying of the bladder. Talk to your pediatrician if your child has troubles with constipation

A consultation with a Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist can be very helpful with the issue of bedwetting. They will interview you and your child to find out about your daily routine, eating and drinking habits and activity level. Then the PT can help your child make simple lifestyle changes to work towards the goal of eliminating bedwetting. Email me at practicallyperfectPT@gmail.com for a free consultation to see if our PT can help you and your child.