Bedwetting, or nocturnal enuresis, is the involuntary or accidental release of pee while sleeping. Most children gradually stop wetting the bed on their own as they grow older. This usually happens
between 4 - 6 years of age. A healthcare provider will see bed-wetting as an issue if your child is over age 12 years of age and continues to wet the bed at least two or more times a week for at least three months in a row.
WHAT ARE THE POSSIBLE CAUSES?
Bed wetters tend to have a small bladder capacity; this makes it difficult for them to go through the night without voiding. They also tend to urinate more frequently during the day.
Here are the frequency statistics: 50% wet by the age of 2; 10-15% by 4; 4% at 12. Boys do it more frequently than girls, but girls can develop urinary tract infections from it.
A primary cause of bed-wetting is allergy. Their parents are more likely to have hives, hay fever, urinary tract infection, food allergies, or drug allergies.
Food allergies in the children are responsible for many cases. The most frequent problem foods were cow's milk (60% of the time), chocolate, eggs, citrus fruits, wheat, grains, corn, chicken, meat, peanuts, and fish. You would need to do pulse tests, to determine the problem food (see "Pulse Test").
Hyperactive children tend to be bed wetters.
Constipation may at times be involved, by pressing on the bladder.
Some children, especially older ones, continue to wet the bed because of tensions they live under in the home or at school.
Removing milk from the diet reduced bed wetting in 50% of a group being studied.
Anemia, pinworms, upper respiratory tract infections, or any toxic condition can be contributing factors.
TREATMENT
• A common method is to have the child stop and start the flow of urine each time he urinates. This causes him to acquire better mental control of the function. This may solve the problem in as little as six weeks.
• Spanking the child is not the solution! Do not praise and do not punish. The child does not do it on purpose, and he is sorry. Just change the bed and do not say a word. —But keep working on possible solutions listed here. No child wants to do it.
• The child should be encouraged to have vigorous outdoor exercise. (It is known that bed wetters wet less during the summer months, and some who have stopped may return to it in the winter.)
• In children over 10, limit the amount of fluid intake after 5 p.m. at night, until several months after bed-wetting ceases.
• Bed-wetting alarms can be purchased. They often wake up everyone at night, but are often supposed to accomplish the task within 60 days.
• Victory is said to come with 21 days of consecutive dry nights.
