It happened again: Your son or daughter wet the bed. Night after night, parents just like you cope with their children's bedwetting. Because it can be an embarrassing situation, many children feel ashamed of waking up wet. That's why it's important that parents help their child to understand they've done nothing wrong and that it's a natural part of growing up for many kids.

To help reduce any feelings of shame, it's important to help your child understand why they are wetting the bed and assure them there are many kids just like them. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, one in five 5-year-olds and one in 10 6-year-olds wet the bed.

While the reasons for bedwetting can vary from child to child, most often it is simply a matter of waiting for their body to fully mature. "Some just have effectively small bladders; those kids are especially likely to grow out of the problem eventually, since their bladders will grow with the rest of their bodies," says Dr. Vinay N. Reddy, assistant professor of pediatrics and human development at Michigan State University.

Often, children who wet the bed sleep so deeply that they don't wake up when they have the urge to go to the bathroom. "I would always ask my daughter why she didn't get up and go to the bathroom, and she would tell me that she just didn't feel that she had to go," says Michelle, of Bethalto, Ill., about her 9-year-old daughter. After trying several possible "cures," Michelle found that her daughter didn't wet the bed as often when she wasn't overly tired.

If you're a parent like Michelle, who has dealt with bedwetting off and on since her daughter was 6, it might seem like this phase in your child's life will go on forever. But it won't. Most kids stop wetting the bed as they grow older. In fact, according to the Michigan Urology Center at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, just 5 percent of 10-year-olds continue to wet the bed. And according to the National Kidney Foundation, only one or two kids out of every 100 are still wetting the bed when they turn 15.

Until that day arrives, though, your reaction to your child's "accidents" can have a big impact on his own feelings about wetting the bed. Yelling at your child, spanking him or otherwise making him feel badly about himself won't speed his progress and will only hurt his self-esteem.

"It is important for parents to know that children who wet their beds are generally asleep when they wet and so it is not under conscious, voluntary control," says Dr. Warren Silberstein, a pediatrician practicing in Lynbrook, N.Y. "Not only is it useless to punish children for wetting their beds, but punishment and ridicule may even aggravate the condition."

Dr. Silberstein suggests you start addressing the problem by making an appointment with your child's doctor. "If your child is older than 6 and still wets his bed, you should consider having him evaluated by his pediatrician…," he says.

Once your doctor is in the loop, he or she can keep an eye on your child's condition and make sure he's developing appropriately for his age.

After talking to the pediatrician, it is important that parents continue to reassure their child that bedwetting is a common problem and one they do not have to cope with alone, says Molly Haig, information and helpline manager of Education and Resources for Improving Childhood Continence (ERIC).

To help manage the issue until it clears up, try disposable absorbent underpants. They can help your child's bed stay dry, which means he won't be up in the middle of the night changing sheets or moving his blankets and pillow to the floor. In addition, if your child is staying overnight with friends or camping out, he can put the disposable underpants on discreetly when he changes into his pajamas, ensuring that he'll sleep without worry.

While some parents may be concerned that disposable absorbent underpants will delay their child's movement toward staying dry at night, according to the National Kidney Foundation, there is no evidence to indicate these products will stall your child's progress toward a completely dry night. If anything, these products can help your child feel more in control of his condition and give him confidence to handle difficult situations like sleepovers on his own.

No matter how challenging childhood bedwetting can be, give your child a few extra hugs and frequently remind your child that he's not alone. You're both doing the best you can – keep it up and soon there will be drier nights ahead.