How to Keep Your Toddler's Bed Dry
It’s a rare parent who hasn’t awakened to a soggy little person in the early morning hours. While bedwetting is usually associated with very young children, six to eight percent of eight-year-olds still wet the bed, according to the Canadian Paediatric Society. “It’s the kind of thing that isn’t talked about outside the family, so your child may think he or she is the only one this happens to,” says Dr. Howard Bennett, a pediatrician and author of Waking Up Dry: A Guide To Help Children Overcome Bedwetting (American Academy of Pediatrics).
causes of bedwetting
Bedwetting, also known as nocturnal enuresis, is divided into two categories: Primary nocturnal enuresis and secondary nocturnal enuresis. The first afflicts children over age five who have never been consistently dry at night. “The brain may not be communicating with the bladder—we’re not sure why not—so the child is not getting the signal to wake up and pee,” says Katharine Saje, an advanced practice nurse at the urology clinic at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. Heavy sleeping, small bladders, constipation and genetics may also be factors. “Three-quarters of children I see at my practice will have a parent or another close relative who was wet as a child too,” notes Dr. Bennett.
About 10 percent of the time, bedwetting falls into the secondary enuresis category, a condition in which a child who has been dry for six months suddenly starts wetting the bed. Underlying medical conditions, such as a urinary tract infection or diabetes, are more commonly seen with secondary wetting. But most often, the condition arises due to anxiety, resulting from a move, new baby, or trouble at school. That’s the case for Sandy Vogel* in Brandon, Man., whose son Jacob* is eight and wets the bed. “He was dry from about age four to age six, but then started wetting the bed after some bullying in Grade 1,” says Sandy. The family is now working with their pediatrician to help Jacob stay dry at night. “We give him lots of drinks during the day and we ask him to wait as long as possible before going to the washroom. Our pediatrician suggested these two things in tandem would help increase his bladder capacity,” says Vogel. Jacob also goes to the bathroom before and after reading a book at bedtime, plus his parents get him out of bed for another pee before they go to sleep.
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