6 Tips Not To Forget As Parents When Dealing With Bedwetting.
I am a mother of three and my first daughter is nine. My daughter hit all her milestones just as a normal child. I was very proud of myself for having dry nights by the time she was three. I am Tanzanian and the common method we usually use to help a toddler out of nighttime daipers is to monitor their water intake from evening time and waking them up for a trip to the bathroom a few hours after bedtime. It may not be the best approach but it worked very well for us. After a week or so, we had dry nights.
Fast forward 4 years later, all the progress went out the window and my daughter began wetting the bed. We have no idea what triggered this situation as it happened so spontaneously overnight. We tried to use the same method again, but it did not work. At first we took it lightly, she just had a minor setback and since we successfully helped her before, we could just do it again. We were wrong. Six months down the line, that is when it hit us that it was not going to be as easy as the first time.
After a year of my daughter consistently wetting the bed I was in shambles. I had gone though an array of emotions. I had invested my everything to help my daughter and absolutely nothing had worked. I was frustrated; I was sad; I was angry; I was confused and I was scared for my daughter. Coming from Tanzania, bedwetting is not something you go to the hospital for. People believe in other means. But I chose to go. And was heartbroken when all tests came back negative. I was glad that nothing was wrong healthwise but that also meant we were back to square one. What was the problem?
I did some research online here and there, and all solutions would work for a while, maybe a week or two and then it all came back again. I used to look at her face and just cry. My daughter would not know sleepovers? My daughter would not go on school field trips? My daughter could not stay at her nana’s house over the weekend? It was hard. As much as I would like this post to be about effective ways to curb bedwetting, I do not have any honestly. Instead here are just a few tips that I had to learn in order to cope with the situation.
1. Patience, patience, patience
Patience is key. There is no given timeline or guarantee that your child will stop wetting the bed at a certain age. Sometimes it is a slow process. Be patient and allow your child to adapt at their own pace. It will happen eventually.
2. Be understanding and kind
As frustrating as it might get, harsh words will not solve the problem. Nor will punishing the child change anything. It is out of their control. No child enjoys wetting the bed and it is our place as parents to understand this and help them. Instead of being upset all the time, teach them to deal with the situation. If it is doing their laundry in the morning or reminding them to go to the bathroom before bed. Always be kind to your child.
3. Do not act on every piece of advice
After some time I felt I was at wits’ end and natuarally I started seeking advice from other people. From family, to friends to even work colleagues. I was desperate. But I came to learn not to act on advice given from just every Tom, Dick and Harry. It was better to do my own research and then to choose a method that may work best for my daughter. From my experience, either people just did not undersand or know what they were talking about and some were very discouraging.
4. Words of encouragement
If you are not going to be there for your child and encourage them, then who will? As a parent you need to let your child know that what they are experiencing happens to quite a number of children. Encourage them to keep their head up and not to let their problem affect their happy-go-lucky attitude and personality.
5. Every child is different
Do not compare your child to other children. That will just give you a headache. Every child is different and every child hits their milestones at their own time. Realise that your child is unique and try to pay attention to them especially. Develop a routine that suits your child best.
6. There is always a solution
It might be temporary or it might be permanent. It can be easy or it can be a hard one but there is always something you can do. In my case, I chose to wake up twice everynight for the past 2 years to take my daughter to the bathroom. Sometimes tiredness gets the best of me and we have an accident but at least we had some dry nights. Others may opt for medication while others may opt for bedwetting alarms. As a parent, do not give up, there is always a solution.
Today marks Night 24 of being Dry for us and I am over the moon. I am grateful and hopeful that she has finally grown out of bedwetting. I honestly do not know how it happened. She just woke up one day screaming “I didn’t wet the bed!” We cheered, we encouraged her as usual and up to today, she has not wet the bed. I wish I knew what epiphany she had so I can share with other parents but we do not want to even revisit that topic.
Well, that is all I wanted to share today. Thinking till next time . . .
September 9, 2021 at 11:56 am
I think this is something that requires patience for sure from a parent. I completely agree with these tips.
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September 10, 2021 at 8:18 am
Than you for reading. A whole lot of patience, important to take it one night at a time
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September 10, 2021 at 3:12 am
We dealt with this with both my daughters. They eventually did grow out of it.
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September 10, 2021 at 4:19 pm
I love your compassionate take on bed wetting. I wet the bed until I was maybe 6 or so, and my younger sister did for a lot longer, and I think these tips would have been helpful to my parents.
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September 12, 2021 at 3:40 pm
parents really need to be understanding. thank you for reading
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September 10, 2021 at 4:20 pm
My daughter didn’t wet the bed. My son did but I think it was only occasionally and he would change his own sheets. I think he told his dad more than he told me! Congratulations on 24 days and good luck!
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September 12, 2021 at 3:41 pm
Thank you, still dry today. i am grateful. i love that your son was able to come to you or his dad when never he had a mishap. kudos to baby girl too
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September 10, 2021 at 5:46 pm
I was like that when I was young lol! Kidding aside, that’s normal with kids. They will eventually outgrow it.
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September 12, 2021 at 3:42 pm
i feel like we were all that kid at some point when we were young lol. yes they do, some take longer than others, but they do
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September 11, 2021 at 1:50 am
These are some great tips for bedwetting. So many parents will appreciate this guide on how to cope and handle bedwetting.
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September 11, 2021 at 2:06 am
Great tips, definitely use words of encouragement instead of getting mad and make things worse.
Fransic – https://www.querianson.com/
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September 11, 2021 at 6:04 am
There is a lot to deal with as parents and great that your guide will help to shed some light on who is in need, thanks a lot!
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September 11, 2021 at 10:44 am
I agree, every child is different. What works for one may not work on the other child that is why we need to be EXTRA patient when dealing with them. They’re young and they may not understand what’s going on. Insightful post!
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September 11, 2021 at 1:20 pm
That is all you can do is be patient. I know it can be frustrating, but the little humans don’t understand yet.
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September 12, 2021 at 3:47 pm
poor things really don’t. patience is key
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September 11, 2021 at 1:58 pm
I think when parents get mad at children for bedwetting, it makes it worse. Its really traumatic for a child and something they don’t want to experience, so its really important to treat it in this way. thanks so much for sharing.
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September 11, 2021 at 5:04 pm
Thanks for these tips! Super useful. Bedwetting is no fun for anyone involved.
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September 11, 2021 at 5:41 pm
I love the number 6, there is always a solution. I love how you handle those times.
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September 11, 2021 at 7:01 pm
Thank you for sharing these! My daughter sometimes has these accidents and I agree with you that patience is sooooo important. Happy to know that you’re on Day 24. Good job to you and your little one.
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September 12, 2021 at 10:32 am
Wonderful tips to help parents under bedwetting. It takes time and patience. It seems frustrating, but there is always a way to solve it.
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September 13, 2021 at 1:14 am
Not sure but our teens when they were little? My wife had them potty trained early so we did not experience these at all. It was time for diapers (only when we go out) yet we need to save money so they were given ordinary underwears everyday so it was cool! Hope other parents can potty train them early? I am not sure what to say but these advice here are great!
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September 13, 2021 at 7:10 am
It takes patience for everything in life, I’m sure this will help some parents.
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September 13, 2021 at 11:25 am
very useful and important post for any parent. it is such a sensitive matter for every one (child and parent alike)
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September 13, 2021 at 2:15 pm
We didn’t really experience this stage much as my wife did a lot of potty training. Can’t imagine how it is if they weren’t
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September 15, 2021 at 7:21 am
kudos to you and your wife and also the little one, i definitely takes a toll on both parent and child
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September 13, 2021 at 7:37 pm
Bed wetting is certainly a problem that should be taken seriously since it might be due to other issues. Therefore, it’s important to treat it with love and compassion.
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September 17, 2021 at 7:08 am
Thanks for sharing these helpful tips. I will definitely share this blog with my mommy friends.
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September 20, 2021 at 11:35 am
Thank you for stopping by, I am glad you find the tips helpful. The struggle is real
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September 17, 2021 at 6:28 pm
These are some great tips!
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