Tough Times Can Lead to Wet Beds

Emotional turmoil can sometimes trigger bedwetting. It’s definitely a less common cause, but it’s something you should look in to, especially if your family is going through a period of transition. Children thrive on routine. When something disrupts their world, bedwetting could be a result of the toll the event is taking on their mind and body.  

For example, a move can trigger bedwetting. New house, new school…that’s a lot changes being thrown at your little guy all at once. 

Another possible trigger is divorce. Even divorces involving minimal conflict are going to be really hard on a child. At a minimum, one of their parents will no longer be living under the same roof.  

Needless to say, adults get stressed out in these situations, too. It’s understandable that your child’s bedwetting might not be your top priority. For instance, if you’re dealing with the death of a loved, you might just change the sheets and forget about it.  

But bedwetting can be like a flashing red sign that your child is having trouble coping.  

It’s not as easy to make that connection as it would be with crying or lack of appetite. When your family is dealing with big changes, try to keep in mind that stress affects every person differently. Children especially are going to be affected by stress much differently than adults. 

There are a couple of ways you can cope with the bedwetting. Start by sitting down and talking to your child. Give them an opportunity to express their feelings and concerns. The two of you can probably find ways to help alleviate some of those worries. 

If that doesn’t seem to help, consider talking to a pediatrician or a child therapist.  

These folks are medical professionals. They’ve got a storehouse of ideas and advice for helping your child cope with what’s upsetting them.

Alas… Giddy Too Soon

It was a streak – a lifetime achievement of sorts. But it’s on hold for the moment. We went on vacation, and have had a couple of less than thrilling nights dryness-wise. Maybe this is a show that’s not meant to be taken on the road? 

The first night, confident as all get out, he decided not to use the alarm… or pull-ups. I was not consulted in this matter, mind you. Good thing we thought ahead and brought our own mattress cover with us – so no harm done. Upon questioning him, bare lightbulb style, “Vee have vayyys of making you speak,” I found out he’d assumed a few dry nights meant he was done! Oh the optimism of youth!! 

Night two on vacation – no alarm. “Can’t find it, Mom. I have no idea where you put it!” (At close to $100, this is not an item I want going AWOL! Subsequently found it, safe and sound, in the drawer.) And at least this time, he went with pull-ups, so we didn’t have laundry to do this morning.  

By the way, we found some that seem to work well and fit! Youth sizes are hard to come by, but these disposables get the thumbs up. No leaking, no problems at all. 

I’m thinking we’ll put the alarm trial on hold for a few days until we get back home. And we’ll start again – but this time, I’ll explain that it’s about a three month process. Plus, even after you’re having a whole string of dry nights in a row, they recommend using it for another couple of weeks… just to be sure.

Giddy? Yup.

We could be onto something here!  

Another dry night (HOORAY!), and one happy kid. At first I thought that maybe he was staying dry by not actually sleeping (based on prior grumpiness) – but now it’s pretty obvious he’s been sleeping… and staying dry.  

I can see on his face how proud he is to have these few dry nights under his belt. Even with his complaints about the alarm giving him a heart attack, he’s catching the vision for what life could be like without a bedwetting problem. Interrupted sleep for some small period of time might just be worth it for the freedom he’ll have when he’s got this beat. 

We’ll see whether this track record keeps going.

Malem Alarm Night #2

One night down – three months to go? The Malem alarm went off a couple of times, and woke him up, and made him grumpy. We didn’t hear it, which was something I’d been worried about. We did, however, hear him showering, up and about an hour early for school – he said he couldn’t fall back asleep. 

We reminded him how he said he wanted to beat this problem now, and all the ways he’ll benefit from some perseverance. We’ll probably all need some of that quality… for the next three months!

Buckle Your Seatbelts – This Could Be a Rough Ride

It came in the mail today. 

Our lovely blue Malem Ultimate 1 bedwetting alarm. We’ve been dealing with enuresis so long that we’ve tried it all once. And now it’s time to try everything again. In the past several years, the technology has improved, so it’s certainly worth a shot. 

Plus, at least we’re DOING something. 

But already, there’s some resistance from the little guy who lives down the hall. A half hour into the night, he’s already been in my room complaining about how this thing woke him up (“gave me a heart attack, Mom!”) because it got wet. (Gee, wonder how that happened?!) 

I’m thinking half the battle will be getting him to commit to giving it a fair try. Bribery? Might work. Anyone got any great ideas? 

I’ll do a night-by-night report, and let you know how it goes.

Early to Bed – Less Likely to Wet

Sleeping too deeply to wake up and use the bathroom is a very common cause of bedwetting. Some kids are deep sleepers by nature, but there’s something you can do that might help. It’s pretty simple – and simple is good! Just have your child go to bed earlier.  

Kids who are really tired are going to have a harder time waking up, even if their bodies say, “Whoa! Mr. Bladder is completely full!” 

You can probably relate…well, maybe not to the bedwetting part. But think about the last time you worked really hard and went to bed physically exhausted, say a Saturday spent cleaning out the garage. It was probably the some of the soundest sleep you’ve ever gotten. 

Our little guys don’t need a full day of physical activity to go to bed exhausted. Their little bodies get worn out much more quickly than an adult’s. A day of school and an afternoon playing outside will be enough to wipe them out.  

Understandably so, your child might balk at the earlier bed time. 

You remember being a kid. You have this illogical but intense desire to stay up as late as possible. Remind your child that it’s only temporary and that it’s a good way to help them stop wetting the bed. You can probably get your child to understand that a few weeks of going to bed early is good trade off for no more bedwetting. 

Also, you want to be careful that the earlier bed time doesn’t seem like a punishment. 

A child who’s already feeling embarrassed about the bedwetting might be quick to construe it that way. You should be able to prevent those feelings just by explaining how the early bed time will stop with the bedwetting. Just take a few minutes to explain to your child that it’s definitely not a punishment.

Get Me to the Bathroom On Time!

For a child who wets the bed, getting to the bathroom on time is important. En route accidents would probably be more embarrassing than wetting the bed.  

Giving your child easy access to the bathroom can be a big help. 

If it’s possible, give your child a bedroom near the bathroom. But unless you’re Bill Gates (which I’m definitely not – although imagining him writing a bedwetting blog is pretty amusing), you probably don’t live in a mansion where everyone has a private bathroom.  

One thing you can do is switch up sleeping arrangements. Have your child swap bedrooms with whoever is closest to the bathroom. Of course, big sister might not be thrilled with the idea of giving up her prime real estate. Just explain that it’s temporary. And it’s something we do as part of being a family – we sometimes sacrifice for one another. And tell her that no, it’s not okay for Billy to just sleep in the bathtub.  

There are a couple of other steps you can take to make getting to the bathroom easier.  

Keep the room brightly lit with a night light. Fear of the dark, and the boogie man, might dissuade your child from leaving their room in the middle of the night.  

Also, make sure the door is open and the lid to the toilet seat is up (remind dad that this isn’t free reign for leaving the seat up – there’s a big difference!). If you’ve got a little guy, keep a step stool nearby so they can easily get on the toilet.

Could Your Child’s Medicine Be the Culprit?

Some medicines can really zonk you out. After you take a dose, you conk out hard within 30 minutes. The same is true of some children’s medications. Even common over-the-counter meds can make children really drowsy. If your child starts wetting the bed, check the potential side effects of any medication they’re taking.  

Medication that causes drowsiness might be the culprit.  Heavy sleeping is one of the most common causes of bedwetting. So, it only makes sense that drowsiness from medicine could have the same effect. Plus, medicine-induced sleepiness tends to be intense. It makes you sleep very deeply. That factor can increase the chances of bedwetting. 

All medication and prescription drugs have the potential side effects listed on the label. Checking it out will only take a few minutes.  It would be quite a relief to find that something that simple is causing the bedwetting.  

You can also talk to your family doctor. He or she will know all about any potential side effects of the medication. If it turns out that your child’s medicine might be the problem, you have a few options.

• You can talk to your doctor to see if it’s okay for your child to stop taking the medicine altogether – that’s definitely something you should consult a professional about.
• Another option is to switch meds. There are a lot of prescription drugs that pretty much do the same thing. Your doctor will be able to tell you if this is a possibility.
• Last, a simple adjustment to dosage might also solve the problem.

Is There Really a Problem?

Your child wets the bed one night and panic sets in. Did all that potty training come undone? Will I have a 12-year old that needs Depends? Take a deep breath, say “
Om,” and remember that bedwetting is normal for young children. 

If your child is under the age of three, bedwetting is a particularly common problem.  

Toddlers have short little arms, tiny toes, and a teensy bladder to match! Seriously, though, at that age, a lot of children’s bladders aren’t fully developed. During the night, their body can produce too much urine for their bladder to hold. As the bladder develops, the bedwetting stops. 

Even children up to age five wet the bed occasionally, and it’s no cause for alarm.  

At this age, medication or a trip to the psychologist should be a distant thought. The scientific term for frequent bedwetting is “nocturnal enuresis.” Millions of children deal with enuresis, and only 1% of them carry the problem into adulthood.  

If your child is older than five, you’ll want to look at the problem more closely.  

Does bedwetting run in the family? If so, the problem will likely run its course and then go away. Learning what helped those family members overcome the bedwetting might help your child.  

Frequent bedwetting in older children might be a sign of a physical problem, some of which are quite serious.  

Unlike a newly potty trained two-year old, a seven or eight-year who wets the bed multiple times a week should see a doctor – not that anything’s necessarily wrong. You just want to be sure to rule out a urinary tract or bladder infection, among other pretty benign conditions. 

For many children, a period of bedwetting is just part of growing up. They may never outgrow leaving dirty socks on the floor, but they will outgrow enuresis.

Don’t Leave Your Kids in the Dark

You know it’s an inherited condition called Enuresis. All your child knows is “I must be a baby because I wet the bed.” To cope with bedwetting, both you and your child need to know the facts. As you research and learn about the problem, share that knowledge with your child.  

It might help to think back to the last time you had a medical problem.  

You probably wouldn’t have felt much better if your doctor had simply said, “This is nothing to worry about. It happens to lots of people your age” and left it at that. You’d want to know the how’s, the why’s, and what you can do about it. Your child feels the same way.  

In order to help your child, the lines of communication have to be open. Unfortunately, embarrassment might make your child keep those lines closed.  

Start by explaining that bedwetting is an actual medical condition—that it even has a scientific name.  

Knowing this will help your child feel more comfortable discussing the bedwetting. In addition to alleviating embarrassment, you can also eliminate fear. There are a many proven techniques for helping your child overcome bedwetting. Talk about those options with your child. Otherwise, they might be left to think they’ll be in diapers forever! Yikes! 

When your child understands that it’s a common problem—and it’s not their fault—they can take the focus off of “what’s wrong with me” and put it on “how can we make it better?”