Bedwetting: How to Help Your Child |
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The reason for soggy nights
Why does your child wet the bed? To put it simply, they can't help it. Your child doesn't wet the bed because they are unhappy at school or looking for more attention at home. They don't wet the bed because they are too lazy to walk to the bathroom during the night or because they are trying to make your life stressful. Bedwetting, or "nocturnal enuresis" as it is medically termed, is a physical problem caused by a number of factors.
Parents aren't always clear about what's triggering their child's bedwetting and, out of confusion or anger, their instinct may be to punish the child for it.
Such an approach will not stop the bedwetting and it can be damaging to the child's self-esteem, which will only compound your child's difficulties.
After all, children who wet the bed are likely already struggling with self-esteem concerns, especially if they're being taunted or teased about the condition by classmates or siblings. Without a supportive environment, parents may be putting a serious emotional and psychological burden on their child, making the child feel trapped, embarrassed, and helpless.
So what do we do as parents?
Your doctor can quickly determine the cause of your child's bedwetting and rule out any other physical problems. The doctor will be able provide you with important information about the various treatment options that are available for your child and what you can do as a parent to help.
What are the options?
An estimated 15% of bedwetters between the ages of 5 and 19 will outgrow this condition without the use of treatment each year. Unfortunately, based on this statistic, there is still an 85% chance that without treatment, your child will still be wetting the bed a year from now.
Bedwetting may be a medical condition that is beyond your child's control, but there are safe and effective ways to help them stay dry at night. And aside from keeping your child dry, treating bedwetting has been shown to improve the child's self-esteem. In other words, treating bedwetting can help your child feel good about themself.
Register for the "Parent's Guide to Managing Bedwetting" webcast to learn more about your child's bedwetting and what you can do to help them.
