Children’s health Bedwetting
Bedwetting help for parents
Most children will stay dry through the night as they get older. But if your child is affected by bedwetting there are things you can do that may help
Bedwetting is common among children. According to ERIC (The Children’s Bowel & Bladder Charity), half a million children and teenagers in the UK are affected by bedwetting, including around 12 per cent of children between seven and nine years old. A small number of these children (up to two per cent) find the problem can continue into their teenage and adult years too. In general, however, bedwetting
becomes less common as children get older (it’s still considered normal in children under the age of five). But if your child is aged five or older and is wetting the bed, there are things you can try at home as well as treatments your GP can prescribe if self-help measures aren’t successful.
What causes bedwetting? According to the NHS there’s usually no obvious reason why children wet the bed. Some things that may cause it include:
• Constipation • Overactive bladder • Emotional distress (when starting a new school, for instance)
• Health conditions such as type 1 diabetes (though this is rare)
Your child may also be affected by bedwetting because they sleep very soundly, which means they don’t wake up when their bladder is full at night.
32 All About health
Self-help treatments There are several things you can try for bedwetting at home, including:
• Making sure your child has plenty of fluids to drink during the day (though try to avoid drinks that contain caffeine such as hot chocolate, as caffeine increases urination).
• Not giving your child anything to drink during the hour before bedtime.
• Encouraging them to go to the toilet before going to bed (as well as regularly during the day).
• Making sure they can access the toilet easily during the night (try using a night light or leaving the light on in the bathroom, for instance).
Meanwhile your local Careway pharmacist can advise you about waterproof covers you can put on your child’s mattress and duvet. You can also buy pull-up training pants your child can wear at night from your local pharmacy if you’ve tried going without nappies but decided to go back to nappies for a while before trying again. Your pharmacist can also
recommend a moisturising cream to apply to skin that has become wet to help relieve chaffing and soreness.
Should you see your GP?
Bedwetting isn’t usually considered a problem if your child is aged five or younger. But if you or your child are finding it hard to cope with bedwetting, your GP can offer advice and support. You may also want to see your GP if
your child is affected by bedwetting along with other symptoms such as constipation or a high temperature, or if they’ve been dry at night for a while but have suddenly started wetting the bed again. Your doctor may initially
recommend a bedwetting alarm, which is activated if your child starts to wet the bed (these aren’t available on the NHS but you may be able to borrow one from an enuresis or continence clinic). They may also suggest a medicine
for bedwetting that helps reduce the amount of urine produced by the kidneys, though this is only usually prescribed for children aged five or older.
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