Bed wetting is a very common issue for children of all ages. It can be embarrassing for the child and frustrating for the parents. To help your child overcome bed wetting, you need to find a solution that you are both happy with. Your child will tend to have more accidents if they feel a great deal of anxiety over the situation. It is a good idea to start by having your child examined by a doctor. Some cases of bed wetting are the result of various medical issues.

Age and Stage

Once medical problems have been ruled out, you need to take the age of the child into consideration. Some children are able to be potty trained (here's how to potty train your child in just 5 hours) at an early age, but their body hasn’t developed enough for them to hold their urine throughout the night. This can be handled by allowing the child to sleep in pull ups or plastic underwear until their body catches up with them.

Another suggestion is to keep the mattress dry all night with this Handy's Plus waterproof pad. It's an easy solution for bed wetting problems and the pad can absorb up to 6 cups of liquid. 

Changes in Environment

If your child has been doing fine using the bathroom at night, then suddenly starts wetting the bed, consider any changes in their environment or eating habits. For instance, some children wet the bed in the summer time because they drink more fluids throughout the day. Stress can lead to bed wetting including a new school, new home, or conflicts. Talk to your child to find out if anything is bothering them.

Older children may add to the stress of bed wetting by avoiding social gatherings including camping and sleepovers. This can make your child feel isolated and even more embarrassed. You might suggest your child have a sleep over at home where they can discreetly take care of any accidents. Bed wetting in older children can affect their self esteem. A child should never be punished for bed wetting as it will only magnify the situation. You can offer rewards for trying hard to find a solution though.

Other Effective Solutions

Make sure your child doesn’t consume liquids in the last hours before bed time. Make sure they also use the bathroom before lying down. Some parents find it helpful to wake the child up to use the bathroom again before they retire themselves for the night.

There are alarms available that will wake your child up when they start to use the bathroom while they are asleep. For some children these alarms are effective. Other children find them intimidating and they are anxious about using them.

Discuss the various options with your child and let them have a say in how the situation is handled. The more positive you are about focusing on the solution rather than the problem, the more likely your child will confide in you and be willing to work on the issue. Have your child be responsible for cleaning up after any accidents including changing their sheets. If a particular method isn’t working with you then work with your child to find something that will.

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