My child wets the bed

Bedwetting: Tips and Tricks Identify the cause Start by consulting a doctor to rule out any medical causes, such as a urinary tract infection. Physiological causes are the most common; in more than 80% of cases, the child has never been toilet-trained and will simply become so a little later than others due to an immature bladder. This type of enuresis is often referred to as primary enuresis because the child has not been toilet-trained. But the origin of the problem can also, more rarely, be psychological and the child may start wetting the bed again after a period of toilet training : a shock that is not well overcome (moving, separation of parents, arrival of a little brother) can unconsciously lead your child to take refuge in his early childhood. This is called secondary enuresis. Sometimes, this phenomenon results from learning to be clean too early (before the age of two) but the factors can be multiple and the best solution is still to consult. First of all, take the drama out of it! In any case, blaming your child or yelling at him is not the solution. Nor is changing his bed three times a night and no longer sleeping yourself. Start by covering his mattress with a plastic mattress protector or offer him night underwear adapted to his problem (diapers or pull-ups) and... take the drama out of it! Talk about this situation with your child, explain to him that he is not responsible for it since it happens to him while he is sleeping and, above all, that the problem is temporary and will inevitably improve. Help him take charge of his bedwetting: he's old enough to change his pajamas in the middle of the night and put them in the laundry basket himself. You can suggest that he not drink in the evening, but there is no point in waking him up just as you are going to bed to encourage him to urinate "one last time" before you go to bed. If he wants, reassure him by placing a potty near his bed. It's also possible to offer him specific nighttime underwear, adapted to his problem and decidedly discreet. Use it, for example, when he goes to summer camp or sleeps at a friend's house. You can also, if he's up for it, suggest he try a bedwetting alarm (Rodger or Dri Sleeper) which sounds a bell as soon as the first drops of moisture appear. Once he's awake, he'll have time to go to the bathroom. Consider suggesting that he drink regularly throughout the day and listen to his bladder. He must learn to go to the bathroom whenever he needs to so that his bladder doesn't "get even" at night. Finally, if his bedwetting is the result of a psychological disorder, remember that the best way to overcome it is through dialogue: talking, listening, reassuring... simply telling him that his mother loves him and always will. If the problem persists, a therapist can help you overcome it and in any case, trust in him is the key to the problem.