“Oh no, not again!” Soggy sheets and pajamas - and an embarrassed child - are a familiar scene in many homes. But don’t despair. Bed-wetting isn’t a sign of toilet training gone bad. It’s often a normal part of development.
Bed wetting, also known as sleep enuresis, is problematic not only for the child but also for the family members. Parents agree that bed wetting ranks third sleep disorder in terms of stressors on the family. It is an issue many families face every night. It is common under the age of five but sometimes it continues after the age of five.
How common is bed-wetting?
It’s very common. Every night five to seven million children in the United States wet their beds. More boys than girls do. About 15 percent of five-year-olds are wet at night. By age 12 about three percent of kids still wet the bed (mostly boys).
The American Academy of Family Physicians offers these common causes of bedwetting:
1. Bedwetting tends to run in families.
2. Difficulty waking up.
3. Delayed development of the central nervous system.
4. Hormonal imbalance.
5. Urinary tract infection.
6. Abnormalities in the urethral valve or ureter.
7. Small bladder, leading to an inability to hold urine for long periods.
Never punish a child for wetting
Never punish a child for wetting his bed or clothes. He or she cannot control the bed-wetting or incontinence and punishment usually makes the problem worse. In many cases, punishment increases the child’s shame and embarrassment. Instead, use positive reinforcement for any success at staying dry by marking a calendar when the child has a dry day and/or night and celebrating the child’s success with stars and stickers. This is very effective at decreasing the incidence of wetting. Identifying achievable goals, staying dry one night a week, for example, can be helpful.
