Bedwetting... it's not just babies.

Bedwetting.  There.  I said it.  It's really a taboo subject, and no one really wants to talk about it.  It's embarrassing.  How do you really have a conversation about it?
Oh... yeah.  My kid is in middle school, and still wets the bed.

Parents feel like they've done something wrong... they can't get their kid to use the toilet at night.   But what I've learned in my journey, is that it is NOT the child's fault.

There are a number of things that can cause bedwetting, although the exact cause of a specific child's enuresis will likely ALWAYS remain unknown.

My child is 12, and still wets the bed.  Around age 8 he nearly had it  BEAT, but his father had a bladder infection that ended up getting into his blood stream, (Sepsis) and it nearly killed him.  The week after we came home from the hospital (we stayed in the hospital with him... neither of us wanted to leave his side) he started wetting nightly.  And it never stopped.

Many doctors will suggest MANY ways to help this...


Positive reinforcement of the child.  Using sticker charts to mark dry nights.  It is widely known that any sort of negative response is only detrimental to the child's emotional wellbeing and future success with nighttime wetting.

No drinks at least 1 hour prior to bedtime.  If this doesn't help at all, then it's not really necessary.  If a child needs a drink for comfort, then it's important not to deny them.
NO caffeine drinks before bed.  This is important either way.  The effects that caffeine has on a child's system are multiple and harmful.  Its wise to not allow young children to consume caffeinated beverages ANY time.

 Bladder training is another go to.  It can help increase the bladder size, and the child's ability to identify when they have to urinate.  There are conflicting ways to accomplish this...  One way suggests you have your child urinate EVERY 2 hours while they're awake.  Even if they feel like they can't go, even just a few drops.  This get's the brain trained to know to expect urination every 2 hours.  While they're sleep, after a while, it is meant to help them wake to complete this training.
The other way is meant to help increase the actual size and capacity of the bladder.  Similar to how a competitive eater would increase their stomach size, it is done by having the child wait as long as they can to urinate, to allow the bladder to get full.  Continuing to do this regularly would increase the size.

Next is medications (prescribed by urologist)

Finally, and so far, the only real option that has helped at all so far, use of a night time alarm.
Alarms usually attach by Velcro around the arm (similar to the way you would have an mp3 while running) with a waterproof tube and sensor at the end of the tube.  The sensor is put inside the underwear or diaper, and at the FIRST sense of wetness, the alarm goes off.  Once the child wakes, they can then go to the bathroom and finish urinating.  Eventually, through constant use, the child will recognize when they have to use the bathroom and wake up.  The same way the rest of us do.

I tried EVERYTHING to help my child not wet.  We used to wake him up multiple times every night, to have him go pee. It worked... sort of.   But its not realistic to expect us to be up every night to wake him up.  And as he's gotten older, we no longer sleep in the same room, so it is harder still.
He also has gotten 10x harder to wake!  But the alarm is loud enough that it does.
It wakes him up as soon as he gets a slight bit wet.  It helps him to get up and finish urinating, and he can go straight back to sleep.

There is still some medical things we need to look at.. He doesn't seem to empty his bladder 100%, which can also contribute to enuresis.  I love our alarm, and highly suggest this one,  but if your child is continuing to wet the bed well into elementary school and middle school, your child should be seen by a urologist.  You can easily get a referral for one.

To end, here are a few statistics...

15% of five-year-olds, or around 3-4 children in a first grade class, are not dry every night.
85% of children eventually outgrow bedwetting without treatment.
In the teenage years, only 2%-5% of children continue to wet their bed.
Bedwetting boys outnumber girls by a ratio of 4 to 1.