How do you explain to your child why he wets the bed?

/ / / How do you explain to your child why he wets the bed?

We all experience skin problems every now and then, but parents of kids who wet the bed may deal with them more often. Do you have any tips on how you prevent rashes or keep your child's skin healthy?

How do you explain to your child why he wets the bed?

"We have always told our son (now 8 years old) that his body just isn't ready to stay dry at night yet. We explained how the body has to hold the urine in until we wake up to go to the bathroom to let it out. Since he is such a deep sleeper, it's hard for his body to signal him that it needs to go, so sometimes he wets the bed.

It has also helped to share my childhood experiences with bedwetting (I didn't stop until well into the second grade) and our families' history with the issue. He seems to feel better knowing he's not the only one. He does what he can to keep himself dry, like not drinking too much in the evenings; going to the bathroom a few different times before bed (not just once); and trying to go to the bathroom if he does wake at night. He knows he will be dry when his body is ready, and until then the GoodNites® [Underpants] help him stay comfortable in his bed even if he wets so he doesn't have to worry."

- Fern

"I am a grandparent who has my grandchildren over nearly every weekend to spend the night. My young grandson is 5 and feels some shame about still wetting at night. I explained to him that even I have that problem (incontinence) and that we both need to train our muscles to be stronger and that we need to get up if we wake up and need to go instead of just going back to sleep. Now he is much more confident and willing to talk about it when it happens. He's also very proud on the nights that he doesn't have an "accident." I think it was good for him to know that this can happen to anyone, not just 'babies.'"

- Pat

"I simply told my 5-year-old son that some parts of his body grow at different rates and his bladder just needs a chance to catch up with the rest of his body. I also told him that because he is a very deep sleeper, his body's not getting the message that his bladder is full and he needs to wake up."

- Jackie

"We haven't ever made a big deal about it. However, my son is now 8 years old and is starting to be invited for sleepovers, and he doesn't show any signs that the bedwetting is coming to an end. Anybody have any suggestions or recommendations? We've tried medications, waking in the middle of the night, no liquids before bedtime, cutting out sugars, you name it."

- Jennifer

"I have a 15-year-old girl who still suffers from bedwetting. I am very concerned for her so I took her to a urologist when she was 13. She put up a big fight about going because she was very embarrassed. I told her, “If you go they can help you and you can actually go to a slumber party.” That finally convinced her to go.

They asked her many questions like "How many nights a week do you wet the bed?" and "Do you stop drinking before bedtime?" The doctor recommended we try a moisture alarm. It is starting to work. In just three months, she has gone from waking up wet nearly every morning to just about four times a week."

- Shannon

"I simply tell my daughter that some people's bodies grow faster than others'. Some talk late, as she did, and some stop wetting the bed earlier than others. Then I add, "For kids like you who don't stop wetting the bed by kindergarten, a kind person was nice enough to make Pull-Ups® and GoodNites® [Underpants] so that kids who still need help won't be embarrassed when they wet themselves." My husband and I always make sure she understands that wetting the bed doesn't make her a baby or a bad person and that we love her no matter what."

- Adrianne

"I have a 7-year-old daughter that wets her bed and a 5-year-old daughter that doesn't. When my oldest girl asks me about the difference between them I tell her that each body is unique and that some bodies have bigger "bags" to hold the urine and others have little "bags" inside the body and that it is like hair – you will learn to manage it."

- Cecilia

"My mother-in-law tells me that her six brothers wet the bed until they were 12 years of age. So I just tell my son his bedwetting is hereditary and it will pass."

- Joanne

"My thought on wearing GoodNites® [Underpants] is that only you know that you're wearing them. Even though you think everyone knows you have a pull-up on and they ask what it is you're wearing, just tell them it's a new kind of underwear!"

- Tim

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