There is hardly a parent who does not know the common situation where they wake up in the morning, wake up their child, and discover that the little one wet the bed during the night due to involuntary urination in their sleep. It can indeed be somewhat frustrating and create extra work for you in the morning, but it is important to understand that this is a normal and common phenomenon that many children suffer from, so your child is not exhibiting unique or concerning behavior, and of course, they are not doing it on purpose.
Nevertheless, it is clear that this is an issue you want to resolve and prevent from continuing. To do this, you need to be a little patient and follow the 9 tips below that can help you free your child from that frustrating nightly bedwetting.
To prevent your child's bladder from overflowing during the night, it is important to control the amount of liquids they drink in the afternoon and later hours. Let them drink enough water during the morning and afternoon, but gradually reduce the amount as the day progresses; it is also essential that your child goes to the bathroom to relieve themselves every night, right before bed - you should make this a part of their bedtime routine.
There are several types of foods that can irritate your child's bladder and cause those unfortunate incidents of bedwetting while they sleep, as at their young age they still lack full control over it. Therefore, before bedtime, avoid giving them acidic foods and drinks, such as fruit juices, carbonated drinks, tomatoes, and their products. Additionally, know that consuming dairy products in the evening, such as yogurts and desserts, can induce significant drowsiness in your child, which may prevent them from waking up to go to the bathroom during the night. It is therefore advisable to avoid these in the late stages of the day.
Children tend to sleep deeply by nature, so it is sometimes difficult for them to wake up at night, even when they feel their bladder is full and they need to relieve themselves. Therefore, the idea is to "interrupt" your child in the middle of the night and actually make them (not by force, of course, but with parental authority) get up and go to the bathroom to empty their bladder; this will help them become more aware of the issue, and eventually, they will wake up on their own during the night, naturally, and relieve themselves when needed.
It is advisable to monitor the number of times your child goes to the bathroom during the day and the frequency with which they do so, so you know how many times and when to wake them up at night for this purpose: for example, if your child goes to the bathroom about 7 times a day every 3 hours, try waking them up every 3 hours at night to do so. Gradually, you can change this to every 4 hours, then to once a night, and finally - when a week passes and you see that they haven't wet the bed at all - stop your intervention; using this method, you may quickly see that they are trained to go to the bathroom on their own.
According to a study conducted by the National Clinical Center in the U.S., children may suffer from nighttime bedwetting due to a lack of magnesium in their diet; the deficiency of this essential component reduces the readiness and response ability of their nervous system, so during sleep, they are not aware of the moments when they need to wake up and go to the bathroom. But don't worry - there is no need to give your child supplements to improve their diet and add magnesium to it; simply incorporate magnesium-rich foods into their meals, such as avocado, banana, salmon, legumes, and tofu.
In many cases of recurring issues, doctors, therapists, and experts recommend keeping an "activity journal," which allows you to track everything that happens during the day and see if certain factors negatively or positively affect the treatment process. This is also true for children's bedwetting problems - keeping such a journal will help you monitor all of your child's habits, activities, food and liquid intake, and emotional state so that you can work together to overcome the problem.
An activity journal can help clarify what might trigger your child's need to urinate in bed while they sleep; it could be related to certain foods they eat that cause irritation, or drinks they consume before bed. Therefore, it is important to write down in such a journal everything that happens with your child during the day, to succeed in understanding what is behind the phenomenon. If there are professionals helping you deal with it and find treatment, this can certainly help them as well.
It is advisable to initiate an open heart-to-heart conversation with your child about this issue and how they feel in general; the conversation doesn't necessarily need to revolve around their bedwetting problem but rather focus on their overall emotional state. It is important to understand that children go through many changes in their lives - sometimes ones you are not even aware of, such as those that occur in kindergarten, school, or other settings where they are without your presence. These situations can cause your child to experience stress or anxiety, one of the symptoms of which is bedwetting. If the child's crisis is not really severe, it's likely that things will pass with time, but in the meantime, you should make them feel supported and not embarrassed or ashamed, and while talking to them, let them know you are with them and there for them always - these can help resolve the bedwetting issue if it stems from a psychological cause.
When it comes to bedwetting, it is important to use positive reinforcement and rewards to encourage your child, but not necessarily in situations where they haven't wet the bed. You should remember that in the early stages, the child still has no control over the situation, and if you reward them for one night without bedwetting but the next night an accident happens - they may feel like they have failed in their progress, which can negatively affect them. Therefore, at first, be sure to reward and encourage them for things they can control and stick to, which are related to the important points in the process we mentioned earlier, such as:
In addition to the rewards and prizes you give your child for their efforts, it is also important to encourage them to develop a sense of responsibility and independence, to a certain and possible extent. For example, if one night they wet the bed, don't let them sit on the side and wallow in guilt while you clean and arrange everything yourself; instead, gently explain how they can help you: change the sheets on their bed with you, take their clothes and put them in the laundry themselves, and even show them how to operate the washing machine. All of this may cause them to appreciate you more, which will lead them to want to be more responsible when it comes to staying dry at night.
Bedwetting is a normal and common occurrence that in most cases resolves on its own, or thanks to your intervention following the tips and advice we have shared with you so far. However, there are cases where it is necessary to consult a doctor, and that is when the situation does not improve. These are the cases where you should consider consulting a doctor on the matter:
