Bed-wetting can often result in soaked sheets and pajamas, in addition to being a genuinely embarrassing condition for your child. It shouldn’t be something to be overly concerned about before the age of 7, as your child may still be developing his/her overnight bladder control. However, after that age bed-wetting may become an ongoing issue. You need to be there for your children, and help them train their bladders with a combination of patience and understanding. When home remedies prove ineffective, you need to consult a medical professional to prescribe the appropriate medication. If bed-wetting is an issue, consider these tips when seeking treatment for your child:
Motivational Therapy and Moisture Alarms
Before seeking a medical professional, it is best to try a combination of these two techniques to encourage your child to avoid wetting the bed. To start, you should encourage and reinforce your child’s nighttime bladder control. This can be done by rewarding your child for having a dry night, or encouraging them to use the toilet before bed. Absolutely do not punish or embarrass your child for wetting the bed, as this will only exacerbate the problem. As part of motivational therapy, you may want to involve a professional behavioral therapist who can teach your child the proper techniques to stay dry throughout the night.
You may also want to consider employing a moisture alarm. These alarms are worn on the body, and sound when urine starts to wet your child’s pajamas. Once the alarm sounds, your child will be encouraged to get out of bed to turn off the alarm. They will then be able to finish peeing in the bathroom, and will change or wipe down the moisture sensor. This will encourage accountability and responsibility for bed-wetting, and also turn it into a game with tangible rewards.
Medications
If motivational therapy and moisture alarms aren’t working, it may be time to seek out a medical professional to prescribe medication. The most popular options are desmopressin and tricylic antidepressants. Both of these medications will increase the capacity of your child’s bladder, and decrease how much urine is released by the kidneys. However, this should only be used in situations where other techniques have failed. If bed-wetting becomes a consistent problem for your child, you should discuss further treatment options with your medical professional to remedy your child’s bed-wetting issues.
If your child is suffering from bed-wetting, schedule a consultation with Dr. Shukla today. For any other sleep-related questions and concerns, contact us for personalized medical advice.
