Bedwetting is a common, and also very normal, problem among young children. Whether it be because the child isn't physically able to hold their urine while sleeping, or perhaps because they are too comfortable to want to get out of bed, there can be many reasons for bed wetting. Sometimes kids just sleep too deeply to be aware enough of themselves to wake up and go to the bathroom. Some kids can even be afraid of going down the hallway in the middle of the night when things are dark and everyone is in bed.
Let me start by saying that bedwetting is very common. More than five million children in the US wet the bed at night. Bedwetting is also genetic. Doctors will not even treat bedwetting as a medical problem, in most cases, until the age of seven. It is also not considered an actual problem until the age of five. Before that age, it is expected that only some children are night time toilet trained, because they are still at the age of potty training. A lot of parents are concerned when their children are still not staying dry at night around the ages of three and four, but the fact is that it really shouldn't be an "expected" thing yet. You can definitely encourage it, but don't get stressed out or frustrated if your child isn't progressing the way you would like. Some kids night time train very young, but others take a longer time. Every kid is different. My four-year-old wasn't fully night time trained until he was about three and a half, and that was without much effort from us.
There are several helpful tips to preventing bedwetting, but none of them can work until your child is actually physically and mentally ready to stay dry through the night. Try not to ever get frustrated if you feel you are trying it all, and nothing seems to help. Everything will correct itself in good time. This isn't a preventative measure, but one important thing would be to protect the mattress by using a mattress cover underneath the sheets.
One major thing that I have always done with my oldest ever since he was daytime potty trained is having them go to the bathroom right before bed. Even if they say they don't need to go, ask them to please try. That way they are emptied out and they have a better chance at being able to hold it. It might also be good to withhold drinks for an hour or two before bed to help keep their bladders from filling up. Let the child help you change the sheets, to take a small measure of responsibility for the situation. Also, a lot of times you can start a very good habit of waking up to use the bathroom if you go in late each night and wake the child up to go. If they are afraid of the hallways or the bathroom when it's dark at night, install some night lights (my son loves these). As a last resort, things like bedwetting alarms and medications to treat bedwetting do exist as well.
One thing I can't stress enough, is to be understanding with the kids that have more trouble, and are still wetting past the normal age (5+). They have so much expected of them, and sometimes it can be a lot on their little shoulders. Make sure you let the child know that it is not their fault, and that someday they will be able to stay dry through the night. It is just as disheartening, if not more, for them when they have accidents. Do not let anyone else in the family tease them, and don't put them down or make a big deal out of it. Always be supportive and positive of the future - "it's alright, it was an accident, we will keep trying to stay dry."
Let me start by saying that bedwetting is very common. More than five million children in the US wet the bed at night. Bedwetting is also genetic. Doctors will not even treat bedwetting as a medical problem, in most cases, until the age of seven. It is also not considered an actual problem until the age of five. Before that age, it is expected that only some children are night time toilet trained, because they are still at the age of potty training. A lot of parents are concerned when their children are still not staying dry at night around the ages of three and four, but the fact is that it really shouldn't be an "expected" thing yet. You can definitely encourage it, but don't get stressed out or frustrated if your child isn't progressing the way you would like. Some kids night time train very young, but others take a longer time. Every kid is different. My four-year-old wasn't fully night time trained until he was about three and a half, and that was without much effort from us.
There are several helpful tips to preventing bedwetting, but none of them can work until your child is actually physically and mentally ready to stay dry through the night. Try not to ever get frustrated if you feel you are trying it all, and nothing seems to help. Everything will correct itself in good time. This isn't a preventative measure, but one important thing would be to protect the mattress by using a mattress cover underneath the sheets.
One major thing that I have always done with my oldest ever since he was daytime potty trained is having them go to the bathroom right before bed. Even if they say they don't need to go, ask them to please try. That way they are emptied out and they have a better chance at being able to hold it. It might also be good to withhold drinks for an hour or two before bed to help keep their bladders from filling up. Let the child help you change the sheets, to take a small measure of responsibility for the situation. Also, a lot of times you can start a very good habit of waking up to use the bathroom if you go in late each night and wake the child up to go. If they are afraid of the hallways or the bathroom when it's dark at night, install some night lights (my son loves these). As a last resort, things like bedwetting alarms and medications to treat bedwetting do exist as well.
One thing I can't stress enough, is to be understanding with the kids that have more trouble, and are still wetting past the normal age (5+). They have so much expected of them, and sometimes it can be a lot on their little shoulders. Make sure you let the child know that it is not their fault, and that someday they will be able to stay dry through the night. It is just as disheartening, if not more, for them when they have accidents. Do not let anyone else in the family tease them, and don't put them down or make a big deal out of it. Always be supportive and positive of the future - "it's alright, it was an accident, we will keep trying to stay dry."
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Another good idea would be to maybe get him a new bed set with a favorite theme or character on it and make a big deal out of how we want to keep them clean and dry. ODS seemed to go for that when we bought his new Lightning McQueen set lol.
