How To Help Your Child Conquer Bed Wetting

Having a child who constantly wets the bed can be a pain. My five year old has been potty trained since she was two, but we can’t get the bed wetting to stop just yet. It is definitely frustrating, and every time it happens I question my parenting and my sanity a little. Like any other millennial mom, I googled bed wetting. I know it’s a phase that most children go through, but I wanted a little more information. I kind of also wanted confirmation that I wasn’t doing anything wrong.

• Delayed bladder maturation.
• Low ADH hormone. (The anti-diuretic hormone tells the kidneys to make less urine).
• Deep sleeping.
• A smaller functioning bladder.
• Constipation.

Any of those things could be the reason your child is wetting the bed. All of them can be outgrown with time. There are also personal reasons for bed wetting. Stress, lack of sleep, lack of stability, and an underlying medical condition could also be the culprit. The important thing to do is to make sure your child knows that they are not alone, and that you’re not upset. I have to admit that I thought my daughter was wetting the bed because she was being lazy. I had to sit down and talk with her to figure out what the problem was, and how we were going to fix it. Once again, I googled possible solutions for bed wetting, and here’s what I found.

1. No drinks before bedtime.
   Stop letting your child drink fluids right before bed. I don’t give my daughter anything to drink after 6pm. If she’s really thirsty, she can have a sip of water. I make sure she uses the bathroom immediately afterwards though.
2. Make sure your child uses the bathroom before bed.
   Using the bathroom before bed may help reduce the chance of your child having an accident in their sleep.
3. Wake up every three hours.
   Y’all, I hate this one lol. Wake up every three hours to take your child to the bathroom. You’ll definitely be tired, but it gets your child used to waking up to go to the potty, and it decreases the chance of bed wetting.
4. Talk to your child’s pediatrician.
   Sometimes, there is a medical reason for a child’s bed wetting. It’s always a good idea to follow up with their pediatrician to make sure everything is okay.
5. Invest in a bed wetting alarm. Apparently, there is an alarm that goes off whenever your child begins to pee on themselves. It’s a cool concept, but it’s a little expensive.
6. Good Nites. The pull ups for bigger kids. Do this at your own risk. Letting your child wear pull ups at night can do more harm than good. On one hand, the actual bed won’t be wet. On the other, your child may get used to not waking up to potty because they know they have a pull up on.

Personally, I’ve done five of the six things listed above. I don’t let my daughter drink after 6pm, she uses the bathroom before bed, we wake up every 3 hours to potty, I’ve tried GoodNites (never again), and I’ve talked to her pediatrician. All of these things have helped, but we still have some work to do. Is your child still wetting the bed? What are some tips and tricks you have for combating bed wetting?

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