Bed Wetting: How Should Parents React?

Knowing how to respond to bedwetting isn’t easy, but it can make a big difference to your child. Providing the right kind of support can help your child to overcome this common problem.

What Not to Do When Your Child Wets the Bed

Although it’s easy to get frustrated or to do the wrong thing on occasion, you should try to avoid:

• Getting angry or blaming your child: getting upset in the middle of the night isn’t going to make it any easier for your child to stay dry. Stress and anxiety can exacerbate bedwetting and you can also damage your child’s confidence.
• Punishing your child: children aren’t to blame for bedwetting, so there is no point in punishing them. It will only make your child feel worse.
• Embarrassing your child: be as sensitive as possible when discussing bedwetting with your child. Be careful about mentioning it in front of other people as this can be very embarrassing for your child.
• Making a big deal out of it: bedwetting is very common in young children and it isn’t unusual for it to happen occasionally in older kids. Making a fuss will put more pressure on your child and make them feel like they aren’t normal. Although it’s important not to ignore the issue, you should try to deal with it in as simple and straightforward a manner as you can.

So What You Should Do?

Staying calm and treating bedwetting as a normal part of childhood is important. You can do a lot to support your child and to help them to overcome this problem.

• Talk to your child about bedwetting: being open about problems like bedwetting is important. Make sure that you listen to your child and ask how they are feeling. Explain how common it is to wet the bed at their age and that they will grow out of it. Talk about what you can do together.
• Focus on what you can do: practical solutions such as taking your child to the toilet during the night and using a mattress protector can make things easier for everyone.
• Understand why it is happening: some children are simply deep sleepers, while others may wet the best because they’ve been drinking too much or due to an underlying medical problem. Finding out why it’s happening is essential for working out a solution.
• Seek help when you need it: most children will have a few accidents as they learn how to stay dry at night, but if it happens often or lasts longer than expected, it’s a good idea to consult a doctor. You’ll get support and advice on tackling the problem, as well as the treatment that is needed to address any underlying medical issues.