Bedwetting

As published in the LaPorte County Herald-Argus, Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009:

Bedwetting
by, Michelle Harmon

Bedwetting, although, embarassing and frustrating for both the child and the parent, is more common than you think. Lots of kids wet the bed, and they do so for a variety of reasons. If your child is consistently wetting the bed, the best approach is to try to figure out why, then, you can decide which intervention is the right one.
First off, if your child is under 5, bedwetting is completely normal. Children at this age are still growing and their bladder and urinary tracts are still getting the kinks worked out, so to speak. The proper course of action here is encouragement and use pads or Goodnights to keep the bed dry. Also, stop all liquids after dinner. Chances are your child will simply grow out of it. Have patience.
If your child is elementary school age and is wetting the bed, the first thing you want to do is take him to his peditrician and discuss treatment options. He may suggest waking him in the middle of the night to go. He might suggest alarms that are placed on a bed pad that beep when wetness occurs, waking your child up, so he can head to the bathroom. He may also suggest medication. He may also suggest you see a urologist to rule out any infections or other abnormailities. But chances are you kid just wets the bed. Wetting the bed is something that is hereditary, so if someoe in your family was a bedwetter, your child might have inherited it. In this case, it will just stop on its own. Again, patience is essential here.
Also, it is important to note patterns of bedwetting, if any are present. Maybe your child only wets the bed sometimes, not all the time. Note this. Think about what is happening in your child's life at the times she wets. She may be under undue stress at those times, or you may be able to identify another trigger. You can then teach your child some stress-relieveing techniques like exercise, or even yoga to relieve her tense feelings. This may help her to stop wetting the bed.
Similarly, children who wet the bed are more likely to have nightmares or night terrors, which often coincide with bedwetting. No one knows for sure what causes nightmares or night terrors; however, talking to your child's doctor about them can help you figure out what may be causing them and you can help your child accordingly. Counseling is a normal treatment for night terrors. Usually, if the nightmares or night terrors stop, so does the bedwetting.
Bottom line, bedwetting is normal and there is no reason to be ashamed. Most kids simply stop doing it on their own. However, as aforementioned, there are several differents kinds of treatments and interventions available to you. Keep in mind, you'll probably have to try several things before something works, and it is just as likely that nothing will work and you'll just have to wait it out. Your child will eventually stop. Most importantly, never, ever chastise your child for wetting the bed. Nobody wets the bed on purpose. Your child needs your support, not condemnation.
Next week, let's talk about ADD/ADHD. Is it a real disease? What are the signs/treatments?