When a child wets the bed, making him or her feel bad about it won't help. In fact, it may only make things worse. — dpa
When youngsters at the age of five or older still wet the bed now and again, doctors have an important message for parents: You cannot force children to stop wetting the bed.
Bedwetting, or enuresis nocturna as the medical term goes, is only likely to get more pronounced if a parent increases a child’s sense of shame, be it verbally or with a simple gesture like a frown.
”Since children themselves suffer from enuresis and are ashamed of it, parents should definitely refrain from reproaches and punishments,” says Ulrich Fegeler, a German paediatrician. “That only puts the children under additional stress.”
Instead, one way parents can help is to keep a bladder diary and a calendar, says Fegeler. Parents write down their child’s drinking behaviour in the pee log over a period of at least 48 hours.
They also note the amount they drink and the amount of urine they pass. That creates a useful overview and later can help the doctor with the diagnosis.
A child-friendly calendar can also help, with parents and children recording the dry nights together, maybe using a kind of sticker they really like.
That helps the child become aware of the goal in a positive way. Parents’ praise can also positively reinforce nights that are dry.
The nights in which the child wets the bed are not highlighted in the calendar in a negative way, but just stay blank.
About 15% to 20% of children become dry at night after just a few weeks of keeping a calendar, according to Germany’s BVKJ association of paediatricians.
If children continue to only have wet nights, then it’s best to stop the calendar after about two weeks. If it shows a clear improvement, however, then it can help to continue it beyond four weeks.
Both the pee log and the calendar ultimately provide a good overview and can help to encourage the children. But they mainly support the diagnosis at the paediatrician’s office.
Alongside a physical exam, they can help exclude any physical causes and help the doctor to create a suitable therapy plan. – dpa
