Many children continue to wet the bed long after they have learned to stay dry during the day. Up to the age of six, in fact, peeing in bed at night (a phenomenon called "nocturnal enuresis") is considered normal and acceptable by most of the experts; however, more than 10% of children continue to struggle with nocturnal pee control well beyond the age of six. Thankfully, there are a number of ways to help your child sleep soundly and dry.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Eliminate the diaper
Step 1. Don't rush, wait for your child to be ready
The fact that your child has successfully learned to control pee during the day does not mean that he is able to do it at night as well. For many babies, it's not a problem to keep putting on diapers (or panties) until they start to wake up dry most mornings.
Each child develops differently from the others. There are children who even before the age of 3 manage to stay dry at night; others, on the other hand, continue to struggle with nocturnal pee until they are six years old and beyond. It is therefore important that you do not make comparisons between your son / daughter and other children
Step 2. Buy a waterproof sheet for mattress protection
When you decide to quit nighttime diapers, you will still need to be prepared for any accidents. Put the waterproof sheet between the mattress and the regular sheet.
Step 3. Keep spare sheets and pajamas handy
In case your child has to pee in bed, it is best to have spare parts ready. This way, all you have to do is remove the wet sheets, clean the waterproof mattress cover, make the bed with dry linen and help your child get into clean pajamas.
If your baby is old enough, you can involve him in cleaning and changing. Already in preschool, children are able to remove wet blankets, change out of pajamas and help parents make the bed
Step 4. Stay relaxed
Accidents do happen - and, in fact, they could happen quite often at first - and it is therefore important that you are encouraging to your child, without letting yourself be upset. Reassure your child that learning how to control pee at night is a long process and therefore it will take some time.
Part 2 of 3: Increase the Chance of a Dry Night
Step 1. Limit fluids in the hours before bedtime
Keep your child hydrated during the day, make sure he drinks at least one glass of water at dinner, but avoid taking any other fluids after the evening meal.
In particular, avoid your child drinking drinks that contain caffeine, as they can increase urine output
Step 2. Have him go to the bathroom just before getting into bed
Try to make him get into the habit of emptying his bladder before going to sleep. It will be less likely to get too full overnight.
Step 3. Establish and stick to a pre-sleep routine
Often, bedwetting is overcome by synchronizing the bladder and brain; this is only possible if you stick to a specific routine during the moments preceding sleep, allowing your child's body to "learn" to retain urine during certain hours.
Step 4. Check the baby's nutrition
Certain foods may cause allergic reactions that are not perceptible to the outside, or irritate the bladder, or in any case increase the chances of accidents at night. If your child struggles to stay dry at night, consider keeping a diary of his nutrition and look for any correlations between particular types of food and nocturnal accidents.
The "special guards" appear to be spicy and acidic foods, bladder irritants, as well as milk and other dairy products, which can cause drowsiness and make it more difficult to wake up when the bladder is full
Step 5. Make sure your child is getting enough calcium and magnesium
Some experts identify the lack of calcium and magnesium as a part of the cause of bedwetting. In addition to dairy products, calcium and magnesium are found in bananas, sesame seeds, beans, fish, almonds and broccoli.
Step 6. Try waking your baby up during the night
Until your child learns to wake up and go to the bathroom by himself, an excellent solution to avoid nocturnal accidents can be to wake him up on purpose. You can start by setting an alarm every two / three hours, and then gradually extend the interval until your child spends a whole night in the dry.
Step 7. Keep it warm
Cold weather can increase the urge to urinate, so make sure your baby is warm while he sleeps.
Step 8. Keep a journal
If your child continues to struggle to hold back pee at night, keep a diary of his nocturnal accidents, also noting the time at which they occur. You may notice the emergence of patterns that will allow you to identify the causes of bedwetting more easily, as well as giving you the opportunity to wake up your child in time in order to prevent bed wetting.
Step 9. Encouragement is needed
Never punish a child for peeing in bed, which is most likely beyond their control. Instead, try to encourage him to do better and sleep dry.
Part 3 of 3: Additional Countermeasures for Continuous Nocturnal Enuresis
Step 1. Warm baths in salt water
Immerse your child in a tub full of water in which you have dissolved 500 g of sea salt. Salt water minerals can decrease infections, strengthen the immune system and detoxify the body. This method is also useful if your child has frequent bladder infections.
The water temperature should be equal to that of the body (37 ° C)
Step 2. Have your child drink parsley tea
Add fresh or dried parsley to boiling water; leave it to flavor for about 5 minutes and then filter the liquid; add a few drops of lemon and a teaspoon of honey. Parsley herbal tea cleanses the urinary tract and protects them from infections; in addition, it is an excellent blend of calcium and magnesium. Of course, offer him the tea in the morning.
Step 3. Try corn stigmas decoctions
Let the corn stigmas dry (it will take a few days), then prepare an herbal tea by immersing them in boiling water and letting them rest for 10 minutes. Corn stigma tea strengthens the bladder muscles and cleanses it of toxins. Here, too, the same warning applies as before: offer him the herbal tea in the morning, because giving it to him in the evening could cause accidents during the night.
Step 4. Also try the oat tea
Boil the oats in a liter of water (immerse it immediately in the still cold water), then let the liquid rest for an hour before filtering and serving. Oats are rich in calcium and magnesium and have a relaxing effect on the nervous system, preventing accidents due to stress. Again, only offer herbal tea to your child in the morning.
Step 5. Know when to see a doctor
Bedwetting is perfectly normal and usually does not require any medical consultation. However:
- See a pediatrician if your child is over the age of seven and continues to urinate in bed. A pediatrician can recognize the physical causes (including urinary tract and bladder infections) and give you valuable advice on how to keep your baby dry.
- See a pediatrician if your child is over the age of five and continues to get wet during the day as well as at night. By age five, most children should be able to control urination. If yours is having difficulty, see a doctor to identify any physical causes and get help with treatment. However, keep in mind that in this case the problem could be genetic: at that point, it's just a matter of waiting.
- Consult a pediatrician or child psychologist if your child starts wetting the bed again after a long period of dry nights. In this case, bedwetting could be linked to trauma or stress: the death of a relative, the divorce of the parents, the arrival of a little brother or sister, or anything else disturbing or frightening.
Advice
- Do not scold, punish, or humiliate a child who has wet the bed. Chances are your child has no part in it and these methods are only counterproductive, causing more stress and thus leading to other nighttime accidents.
- As your child grows up, they may begin to feel ashamed of bed wetting. Make sure you surround him with love and encouragement, constantly reminding him that this is a passing thing that will disappear over time.
- There are medicines and alarms on the market (devices that start ringing when your child wets the bed) for prolonged bedwetting, but be sure to speak to your child's pediatrician before resorting to these countermeasures.
