How to Deal With Bedwetting in Older Kids

How to Deal With Bedwetting in Older Kids

What do you do if your child is still wetting the bed at 6 or older?

For a start don’t panic this is more common that you would think. It’s not the end of the world and while it is frustrating for you it is also something your child is not proud of. Work on it together.

There are also some great resources available to get your child the additional help that they might need.

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When staying dry at night is difficult

If your child is finding it difficult to stay dry at night, some of these suggestions may help:

• Remember that it might take years for your child to reliably master night-time dryness.
• Don’t stress about it or compare your child’s efforts with other children who are apparently dry at night.
• If your child is scared of the dark, going to the toilet at night is an enormous challenge. Consider putting night-lights in the hallway. Think about leaving their door open for easy access.
• If they feel that going all the way to the toilet is still too daunting, you could put a potty in their bedroom.
• Make sure your child feels that it’s okay to wake you up in the night when they need to go to the toilet.
• If your child is becoming anxious or frustrated, take the pressure off. Forget about night-time toilet training for a while.

Generally it is considered acceptable for a child to wet until the age of 6. After this is when you can start thinking about what can be done to aid your child. The euresis blanket is generally the first option here.

Nocturnal enuresis or bedwetting is the involuntary release of urine during sleep. Bedwetting can sometimes be a symptom of bladder control problems like incontinence or overactive bladder.

How to Deal With Bedwetting in Older Kids: How To Deal With It

Treatments

Monitoring Fluid Intake

The first step towards preventing bedwetting is limiting the intake of fluids in the afternoon and evening, which creates a decrease in the amount of urine produced at night.

Bladder Volume Control

This technique attempts to increase bladder capacity in those with smaller functional bladders. Training involves drinking large amounts of fluid during the day and refraining from urinating for as long as possible to increase functional bladder capacity.

Bedwetting Alarm System

Wet-detection alarms can be used in underwear or on the bed itself to vibrate or give off sound when bedwetting occurs. This wakes you and allows you to stop the flow of urine and finish in the toilet.

Waking

Setting a random alarm each night to get up and urinate may be helpful in preventing bedwetting. Avoid setting an alarm at the same time each evening in case your body becomes accustomed to emptying at a set time each night.

Things to remember

• Keep your child in night-time nappies until most nappies are dry in the morning.
• Remember that it might take years for your child to reliably master night-time dryness.
• If your child is becoming anxious or frustrated, forget about night-time toilet training for a while.

It is always advisable to have your child checked by the doctor just to make sure there is nothing medically wrong!

When parents get desperate

We all know it can be frustrating to toilet train kids. Just ask this couple in the UK, who put out an ad asking for someone to toilet train their daughter for them.

The parents in Surrey, England, reached out via an online parenting website begging for some help with toilet training.

“Both of us work in full-time, demanding jobs, and we have previously tried to toilet train her, but due to our busy careers we’ve both realised we have not got time to do so,” wrote the parents.

They were even willing to pay $90 an hour plus a “handsome bonus” to the right person.

‘We will pay a handsome bonus. Ten hours of training over five days a week would be ideal, but we are flexible and willing to be negotiable for the right person.’

Now that’s pretty desperate! It can be tricky but patience is definitely a must. Bribery often works well too if you are really at your wits end. (A dollar a pee sounds fair?!)