It is normal for children to wet the bed until they are 5 years old, but it is possible for them to stop wetting the bed completely at the age of 3.
To teach your child not to wet the bed, the steps you can follow are:
- Do not give liquids to children before bed: This way the bladder does not become full during sleep and it is easier to hold pee until morning;
- Take your child to pee before going to bed. Emptying your bladder before bed is essential for better urine control;
- Make a weekly calendar with your child and put a happy face on them when they don’t wet the bed on days: Positive reinforcement is always a good help and this encourages the child to control their urine better;
- Do not put the diaper on at night, especially when the child has stopped using diapers;
- Avoid blaming your child when they wet the bed. Sometimes ‘accidents’ can happen and it is normal during child development that there are less happy days.
Adding a mattress protector that wraps around the entire mattress is a great way to prevent urine from reaching the mattress. Some materials completely absorb urine, preventing diaper rash.
Enuresis is generally related to simple causes, such as changes in temperature, increased water intake during the day or changes in the child’s life and, therefore, when situations like this are present, there is no need to worry.
When to go to the pediatrician
It is recommended to go to the pediatrician when a child who has not wet the bed for a few months starts to wet the bed frequently again. Some situations that can influence this type of behavior are moving house, missing your parents, being uncomfortable and the arrival of a little brother. However, nocturnal enuresis may also indicate health problems such as diabetes, urinary infection and urinary incontinence, for example.
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