Bedwetting: Debunking the Misconceptions

The best solution is to wait for it to go away on its own:

FALSE: Only 15% of children with bedwetting stop each year. This means that 85% of the other children will still have this problem next year. We have safe techniques available today to help your child overcome bedwetting. Therefore, waiting is not recommended. Bedwetting causes a lot of stress for children and their families (washing sheets, buying diapers, the child withdrawing into themselves, refusing to go to friends' houses). However, we advise against treating a child before the age of 6.

Children suffering from enuresis have physical or mental problems.

FALSE: Only 3% of children with primary nocturnal enuresis have a physical or urological cause. Psychological problems causing primary enuresis are uncommon. Even so, children experiencing emotional difficulties may be eligible for treatment for enuresis.

If the child is a heavy sleeper, the alarm will not work:

FALSE: Children with bedwetting may have a higher threshold for loud noises than other children. Initially, the alarm is heard by the parents, who can then wake their child and accompany them to the bathroom. Over time, the child's brain begins to associate the alarm sound with the action of stopping the flow and going to the toilet. Gradually, children learn to control their muscles in response to a full bladder.

If my child doesn't talk to me about their bedwetting, it's because they don't care about it at the moment.

FALSE: No child wants to wake up in a wet bed. When children reach school age and realize that their friends don't wear disposable pads or worry about waking up to a wet bed, their self-esteem and social independence will suffer. In a school setting, their age-appropriate social activities may be significantly reduced. All children prefer to be dry, and if given the tools to control this, they will be very cooperative with treatments and bedwetting alarms.

Bedwetting is just another small problem that will go away easily.

FALSE: Bedwetting has many serious consequences that make it a real problem. Financially, bedwetting can be extremely costly. The extra laundry every day can cost up to €600 per year. The use of disposable training pants can easily add over €200 per year. Bedwetting medication can cost up to €3 per tablet, even with social security coverage. Emotionally, bedwetting has serious repercussions for children and their families. Hiding bedwetting from other family members and friends is very painful for children. Friends and siblings may be cruel, teasing, or humiliating. Parents make every effort to avoid teasing from siblings, but classmates are another matter. Children with bedwetting may withdraw into themselves and be very unhappy. In terms of time and patience, bedwetting has a real impact. Cleaning becomes a daily task, occupying parents every day. The whole family suffers from a loss of sleep quality and duration. Having supplies outside the home quickly becomes a burden (bed pads, diapers, spare clothes, etc.). Generally speaking, a child's bedwetting can reduce the number of options available to a family.

My child is the only one with this problem

FALSE: Bedwetting is an extremely common problem, and chances are that someone close to the child has experienced the same issue. If a parent, grandparent, aunt, or uncle has had this problem, we recommend sharing their story with the child. It can be very reassuring to learn that a respected and admired adult has gone through the same thing. Also, remind children that in a class of 25 eight-year-olds, at least one or two other children will also wet the bed.

Bedwetting persists because the children wear diapers.

FALSE: Most children are potty-trained between the ages of 2 and 4. There are generally three types of children when it comes to nighttime dryness:

• Those who are spontaneously so.
• Those who start with an occasional dry night, then progress more and more regularly, and finally become completely dry without any intervention. Around the age of 6.
• These are children who have had very few dry nights in their lives. They may wet the bed anywhere, even if their fluid intake is limited, or even if their parents take them to the toilet during the night. In this case, the use of disposable incontinence pads can reduce frustration for both parents and children until an alarm-based treatment plan is implemented.

Punishing or depriving a child will make them toilet trained sooner.

FALSE: Remember, children don't consciously control their bedwetting. Punishing children for an activity they have no control over is discouraged and can even make things worse. Address bedwetting constructively, for example, by asking your child to help you make the bed or do the laundry. This should be seen as sharing household chores, not as a punishment.

Puberty often cures bedwetting

FALSE: While it's true that the number of children with bedwetting decreases with age, a small percentage of even those over 18 continue to experience it. Puberty does not cure bedwetting, and there's no reason to wait until a child is approaching that age before attempting treatment. This age should not be considered the last resort.

Treating bedwetting with medication is the best method

FALSE: While medications such as desmopressin (DDAVP) or Ditropan (oxybutynin) work well as an adjunct to therapy and in cases where a child needs to be dry for a short period, medication alone rarely helps children overcome bedwetting permanently. When medication is stopped, 80 to 90% of these children relapse. Children who use bedwetting alarms are nine times more likely to become dry and stay dry than those who use medication alone.