Bedwetting and children – Tips to help you deal with it.

Bedwetting (or nocturnal enuresis) is a common night time right of passage for families around the globe. It can be upsetting and embarrassing, but very normal nevertheless! Especially more common in boys than girls, where experts estimate the ratio as roughly 2 boys to 1 girl. Although many children simply outgrow this phase, here are 8 ways you can prepare your home and children to deal with it:

1. Focus a consistent bedtime routine. Although simple, this can already make a big difference. This could include for example, going to bed at the same time, reducing fluids, several toilet breaks, etc… For inspiration read our past post “How to create a good bed time routine.”
2. Set up small doable agreed goals with your child, like for example 2 dry nights in a row, followed by a 3,4 or 5 night dry night spell, etc.. Once you reach your goal of a week extend it to a new reasonable goal. After 3 dry week you are well on your way to permanent dry nights.
3. Upon reaching each goal, allow your child to select a reward in advance for positive actions, such as a sticker for every time they used the toilet before going to bed.
4. Oh dear, the bed is wet. After many broken nights you are probably starting to get quite tired of this situation. You may even start to feel angry. But don’t despair! And try not getting angry! It is not their fault and can make bedwetting worse. This one is very important.
5. Your child is really really keen to have a sleep over, but also a little bit worried that they may have a bedwetting accident. Here’s a little trick! Send them off with a sleeping bag to sleep in, and place an extra diaper at the bottom of the sleeping bag. Once they are in bed, they can quickly change out and also get a good nights rest.
6. Cleaning the bed after an accident. After becoming accustomed to changing the bed every night (perhaps even several times a night) it might have become part of the routine. If your child is old enough, get them involved in changing the bed. The night before prepare the pile of clean sheets and teach them how to handle them. Using waterproof mattress and duvet covers can help. When using the Oopsie Heroes bedwetting alarm you can also teach them how to remove and replace the sticker. By getting your child involved it can help them become more aware of their body and bladder.
7. Another opportunity to get your child involved, is for them to set their bedwetting alarm. Again by becoming aware when they go to bed, it helps them learn on how to listen to their body. This can be especially tricky for deep sleepers, where you feel the whole neighbourhood is awake listening to the bedwetting alarm except for your child. Ideally the child should wake up by themselves, but this of course depends on each household situation.
8. Last but not least, be prepared for broken nights. When starting to use a bedwetting or moisture alarm make sure you have the time and attention to be consistent. It is not the time to be starting a new job, welcoming a new sibling or just starting school. You need to be committed. And so does your child!

How do you deal with bedwetting at night? We would love to hear your tips!