Children Bedwetting

by Prav

Bed-wetting Children: What to Expect

Children are very aware of their environment and are very sensitive to the way thing work around them.  When they are suffering from something that is out of the ordinary, like wetting their beds when other children their age have stopped doing so, can cause them to feel scared and withdrawn.
If your child wets the bed once in a while before he reaches the age of 6, then you should not worry about it too much.  The most you can probably do is to assess whether the child is in discomfort over it, or ashamed because of it.  There are pediatricians and psychologists that can help you understand this better.

Physical Considerations with a Child Who Wets His Bed

Physically, there should be nothing wrong with your child.  However, if he complains about pains, then you should go to your family doctor. Some of the questions asked would be directed to the area of the bladder.  These would include:  Is the child suffering from urinary tract infection; is there fever? Is there abdominal pain? Is there back pain? Is there pain when urinating?

These symptoms signal an infection and necessitate a thorough check up including urinalysis, urine culture, and urodynamic studies.

Behavioral Symptoms in a Child who is suffering from Nocturnal Enuresis
There are no significant behavioral symptoms that are caused directly by bed wetting; there are behavioral changes though, that follows, or sometimes precedes bed wetting incidents.

Since bed wetting is normally associated with stress, see if your child is having trouble in school, with his peers, or with your general home environment.  Sometimes, bed wetting follows a period of stress in the child’s life.  This is no cause to run to a psychiatrist though; it may be a onetime incident that you can rectify by discussing the difficulties with your child.  You do not even have to mention the bed wetting situation since it is just a byproduct and not the real problem.

Be aware if your child is getting too fatigued over school activities.  If he is too tired, he will of course sleep like a log and would not have the energy to wake up in the middle of the night to go to the toilet.

If the bed wetting is a condition that necessitates treatment, then there may be behavioral changes that will occur after the treatment has started.  It is important therefore to not only follow the treatment procedure but to talk about it with your child as well. 

Your child may seem more quiet than usual and withdraw from social interactions with others in his peer group.  Your child is still very small and will not be able to cope without your help.  Sit him down and make sure he understands that he can overcome the bed wetting very soon and that it is not something he should be afraid of.

You should also be aware that your child can already feel shame, and this is because he knows what is expected of him; to go to the toilet and wee there, not on the bed.  He knows that this is what big kids like him do.  This may be the reason why he starts becoming shy and reserved.  When this happens, it is your task to make him feel “big” in other ways.  Praise him for his other accomplishments and let him know that there are other things he can do better than most kids his age.