Bedwetting: How to Care for Your Child

Bedwetting is common in childhood. Even though most children grow out of it by about 10 years old, it can be upsetting when it happens. There are many ways for you to help your child deal with bedwetting until they outgrow it.

• Reassure your child that bedwetting is not going to last forever.

• To help your child wet the bed less often:

  • Remind your child to go to the bathroom regularly during the day and just before bedtime.

  • Encourage your child to drink more fluids during the daytime hours and less in the evening and at night. Your child should avoid sugary and caffeine-containing drinks as much as possible.

  • Use a reward system (such as stickers for using the bathroom before bed and for dry nights). Consider offering a small reward, such as a new book or watching a movie together, for a certain number of dry nights in a row.

  • If recommended by your health care provider, use a bedwetting alarm or medicine as directed.

  • Waking your child a few hours after they go to bed may make them wet the bed less often, but it won't teach them to wake themselves to go to the bathroom.

  • Keep a diary that includes what nights your child is wet or dry, any particular activities that happened that day, whether your child peed before bed and got up to pee in the night, and what your child drank during the day to figure out what works best for your child.

  • Talk to your health care provider for tips to help your child stay dry through sleepovers, such as wearing pull-ups under their underwear or having the friend's parent remind your child to use the bathroom before bed.

• If your child wets the bed:

  • Have your child help change the sheets. Try using a mattress protector to make cleanup easier.

  • Don't yell at or punish your child for wetting the bed, and don't allow family members to tease your child. Bedwetting is no one's fault.

• Avoid using pull-ups unless your child is sleeping away from home. Sometimes the feeling that they might wet the bed helps kids wake up to go to the bathroom, and wearing a pull-up takes away this feeling.

Your child:

• has pee accidents during the day

• has constipation (fewer or hard to pass poops)

• has poop accidents

• has burning or pain when peeing

• has to pee often

• is drinking or eating much more than usual

• has swollen feet or ankles

• is under a lot of stress

• stops wetting the bed for a while but then starts again

• is still wetting the bed at 7 years of age or older

What causes bedwetting? Many things can cause bedwetting. Kids who wet the bed may:

• take longer to develop bladder control than other kids

• make more pee at night than other kids

• have different sleep patterns that make bedwetting more likely

Bedwetting also tends to run in families. Most of the time, bedwetting by itself is not a sign of a medical or emotional problem.