Bed-wetting is a problem that can worry the child and parents alike. Parents become concerned and the child suffers from guilt or embarrassment. It might happen when the child is very much exhausted or when he feels insecure. However, occasionally this turns to be a regular problem.
The nature of the problem
Bed wetting is also termed as enuresis. It occurs when a child sleeps. It may be regular phenomena, or may be occasional. This problem is more predominant among the boy child rather than girls. Doctors say that bed wetting is a problem that has its root in some behavioural disorder of the child. May be, the child feels insecure or not loved by his parents; it may also come from some traumatic experience that has been deeply embedded in his mind.
Bed-wetting and parental attitude
When a six or seven year old boy or girl wets the bed in the night, he or she normally faces abuse from the parents and maid servant. Yelling on the child is a common reaction from the mothers. However this does not solve the problem; rather the problem tends to aggravate, as the child feels all the more insecure and upset.
The parents should change their attitude to their child when he or she suffers from this problem. They should try to understand the shame and pain their child has to go through, due to this problem. He might feel abandoned and at a loss, not knowing what to do for his fault committed without his knowing. Sometimes, the parents overreact to wake up in the night or even wake up the child to check if he needs to go to the bathroom. Sometimes parents seem to forget that the child’s sleep should not be disturbed. Parents should be patient in dealing with this problem of their child. A good parental attitude often has been seen to be the ultimate remedy for bed wetting.
The common causes of the problem of bed wetting
The growth of controlling faculty in children usually takes time. The control of bladder function and production of urine in the night is not very well developed in the children. Until the age of three years, it does not develop at all. It takes time to develop this controlling faculty, and for some children this development process is particularly late. Hence, bed-wetting is a common pediatric problem until your child reaches seven or eight years of age. There is also delay in developing the usual tracks in the brain that controls the bladder function.
Another cause of bed wetting is a bladder that is not fully developed in the children. Hence the bladder being not adequately large, it cannot contain the urine that is produced in the nighttime.
Bedwetting also happens if the child sleeps very deep and so unaware that he can not know when his bladder is full.
Stress in the school or playground and also fear may cause bed wetting in the night. It can happen when the child is exposed to a new environment where she may feel inadequate or upset.
Sometimes, sibling rivalry also gives rise to the problem of bed wetting. In that case parents should try to assuage the emotional stress of the child.
Hormonal imbalance in the child can also be the cause for bed wetting. This happens if an anti-diuretic hormone is not produced in the body of your child.
Apart from these more familiar causes, an infection in the urinary tract can also lead to the bed wetting problem. Sometimes bed wetting is a symptom of diabetes in the child. Apart from this, there may be some genetic factor that is responsible for bed wetting by the child.
Bed wetting affects most of the children
Even though parents start worrying when their child wets the bed in the night, it is a common pediatric problem in all countries. It is a more widespread problem than people usually think. According to a statistics, about 15 percent of the seven year old children and 20 percent of ten year old children suffer from this problem of bed wetting in the night.
Coping with bed wetting
Parents should not punish or blame the child for bed wetting. They can place a rubber-cloth, or some waterproof material below the bed sheet of the child. They should give emotional support and consolation to help the child feel secure. Assurance from the parents will help the child to cope with the problem, until it leaves him. For most of the children, bed wetting normally leaves on its own. However, until it stops, it may be a source of stress and discomfort for both the child and the parents.
Parents should assure the child with a positive gesture. The child needs to know that it is part and parcel of the process of growing up. It will leave him as he grows up. You can help your child by reminding him of going to the bathroom immediately before he goes to the bed. Make the child drink more water in the daytime than in the night.
The treatment of bed wetting
As bed wetting is a common pediatric issue and may be caused due to delayed development of the controlling faculty in the child, the parents should not worry much till the child reaches seven years of age. Doctors usually do not start treatment before your child reaches seven years of age. Moreover, most of the available medical treatments do not cure bed-wetting. They only provide a temporary relief and sometimes the problem recurs after a certain period of time, if the root cause is more mental than physical.
However, in most of the instances, bed-wetting is seen to be cured without treatment. If the problem persists after your child is seven or eight years of age, then you may visit a doctor. Also, if bed wetting is started abruptly you must seek medical guidance. If you notice some other unusual symptoms in your child, like a burning sensation while urinating or frequent urge to urinate, take your child to a doctor who may check for any infection. You may also consider taking your child for counseling, if bed wetting is a persistent problem.