You get awakened again. Your child has wet the bed, and now you have to change the sheets . . . again. You sometimes wonder if this will ever end, or will you be stuck in this phase of life forever.
Take heart. Parents have survived this phase of life for centuries, and their children have grown up to be non-bed wetting adults. You can help your child meet this challenge with greater success, sooner, through some simple thing you do. Check out the 6 ways you can help your child stop wetting the bed.
1. Don’t rush. One thing parents need to remember, according to WebMD, is that every child is different. Not every child will sleep through the night without wetting the bed at the exact same age. If your son or daughter isn’t ready yet, don’t rush him or her. Your child will let you know when he or she is ready.
2. Establish a routine. Another important thing to do comes from the National Sleep Foundation. Establish a routine of going to the bathroom before going to bed. Having your child void every two to three hours for the last few hours of the night will help him empty his bladder and get in the routine of emptying the bladder.
3. Limit their liquid. In order to keep them from needing to use the restroom during the night, you can try limiting the amount of liquid they drink after a specific time of night, says the National Sleep Foundation.
4. Give incentives. Parents recommends combining all of these with an incentive chart. When your child has managed to go a set number of nights without wetting the bed, have a reward. Make a chart that he or she can see and keep track of the progress. Keep the goal in the forefront.
5. Use a bed alarm. For a great way to train a child to wake up when he has to void, Cleveland Clinic says to use a bed alarm. When the alarm senses that the child has started to void, it goes off, awaking the child. You can train your child to get up whenever he or she needs to use the restroom. These seem to work extremely well.
6. Motivate. Another technique offered by WebMD is motivation. This goes beyond incentives and hits things like having your child help with changing the sheets and doing the laundry. This can be put out in a positive manner as responsibility.
Patience is the biggest factor in all of this. Your child will eventually stop wetting the bed. Time and patience are really all you need.