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Other Wetting Notions:

Here are some other ideas to help with the day to day reality of living with a child who wets.

Not getting enough fluids:
Children who do not drink enough in school may be dehydrated by the time they come home and consequently “make up” fluid loss in the afternoon, which may contribute to wetting at night. Encourage teachers and day staff to allow adequate fluids during the day.

Plus, many children are shy about using bathrooms in public places, such as their school. Kids may be waiting to drink and use the bathroom until they come home. This forces the body to take most of its water but also perform most of its voiding within a few hours, encouraging accidents in the night.

Sleep apnea:
This very serious medical condition can be associated with bedwetting. Consult a sleep specialist for testing.

Consistent bedtime routine:
This can help a child develp their own body rhythms and regulate their sleep pattern. Overly tired children have more accidents.

Honey:
Some parents find that a teaspoon of honey taken orally morning and night helps prevent bedwetting. There is some controversy about this treatment, as some doctors insist that it does not work while some happy parents claim that it does. Research indicates that the substances in honey may help with water retention and help calm fears. This is not a well researched therapy but a teaspoon of honey at night and in the morning is not harmful in any way and can easily be used with other treatments.

Behavioral treatments:
These are usually tried first when treating a child with bedwetting. This includes the obvious recommendations of not drinking a lot of fluids right before bed, making sure your child urinates before going to bed, and avoiding caffeine, which can act as a diuretic. Many parents wake the child to urinate during the night. Parents use different methods to do this, including waking their child when they go to bed, waking the child just before he usually wets the bed, or taking their child to the bathroom without fully waking him up (lifting).

Bedwetting alarms (enuresis alarm):
These are probably the most helpful treatment for bedwetting and include an alarm and a moisture sensor that attaches to your child's underwear or sheets. When your child begins to wet the bed, the sensor triggers the bedwetting alarm, which either wakes up your child or a parent, who can then wake up the child. Problems with bedwetting alarms include that they can take several months to work, they don't work for everyone, some children have relapses after they stop using the alarm, and the nightly alarms, which sometimes go off several times a night and can wake up everyone in the house, can be stressful for some families.

Medication:
After the age of 6, you may consider medication to help stop bedwetting. DDAVP (Desmopressin), oxybutynin and imipramine are medical treatments used for bedwetting. Consult your pediatrician for more information on these medicines and their side effects. Desmopressin decreases the production of urine in the kidneys and imipramine is a tricyclic antidepressant.

Hypnosis and acupuncture:
These are sometimes offered as alternative treatments for children with bedwetting.

Taking care of wet bedding:

For many parents, this is the most frustrating part of bedwetting. Washing blankets and sheets daily can be annoying. There are a few things that you can do to cut down on your frustration.

  • Cover your mattress with a waterproof cover. Large discounters carry them regularly and they are inexpensive, in comparison to dealing with a urine soaked mattress.
  • Many parents place disposable pads (chux pads) below the sheets to help absorb the wetness. This will help keep the child dry, and maybe some of the upper layers of bedding.
  • When traveling, bring along an extra protective cover for the mattress. Some parents bring a water resistant sleeping bag and have the child sleep in that on tops of the mattress. Informing hotel staff that you need extra protection is always thoughtful.
  • Place an extra set of sheets beneath your mattress for quick changes.
  • Switch out cotton and flannel blankets that may be more difficult to dry with Vellux-type blankets. Use layers, so that the top blankets may not need to be washed every time.
  • Adding Borax additive to your wash will de-acidify urine. A borax and detergent solution can also be used to scrub the mattress if needed. You can also pour borax powder onto wet stains to absorb the stain (be aware that borax may remove color from the fabric). Vacuum when the powder dries.