Help with bedwetting
Bed wetting is a common problem and it can run in families Most children will grow out of bed wetting and become dry during the night. However for some children it can take longer for them to grow out of it and they may need some additional help. Wetting the bed can be upsetting for the child and for their parents. Some children miss out on activities such as sleep overs with friends because they are embarrassed about the bed wetting. The good new is that there are treatments and interventions that can help most children become dry. The School Nurse is on hand to help.
What is bed wetting?
Bed wetting (known medically as nocturnal enuresis) is a common condition that affects many children and young people.
- 1 in 5 children aged 5 years old wet the bed
- 1 in 10 children aged 7 years old wet the bed.
Bed wetting often runs in families. If one parent wet the bed, their child has a 40% chance of doing the same; if both parents wet the bed, there’s a 70% chance.
It is important to remember that bed wetting is not the child’s fault and they should not be punished for wetting the bed. It is a medical condition and it can be treated. You can find out more information about bed wetting then click here.
How can a School Nurse help?
Health professionals can help children and young people who wet the bed. School Nurses work with GP’s and paediatricians to provide assessment and treatment for bed wetting.
Contacting a School Nurse
If your child wets the bed then you can contact the School Nursing service who can offer advice and support. You can call us on 01922 423349 or text on 07520 634 909. We can talk to you and offer advice and support.
We will recommend that you attend our workshop if your child has not previously had any support for bed wetting. Or if you prefer you can watch one of our School Nursing team talk about bedwetting and how to help you child become dry at night.
During the workshop or on line webinar you will hear information about bed wetting and be given some tips and things to try at home. We will ask you to keep a record about your child’s bed wetting and information such as what your child drinks, how much and when they have a drink. If you attend a workshop we will give you some charts to keep a record of your child’s progress. If you watched our webinar then please text or call the number above and we will send you some charts. You will need this information if your child is offered an appointment at our bedwetting clinic.
More Information about bed wetting
What causes bed wetting?
The causes of bed wetting are not fully understood. However there are three main reasons why children wet the bed:
- Their bladders don’t stretch enough to hold all the wee they make at night.
- They produce too much wee at night.
- They don’t wake up when their bladder sends a signal that it’s full.
Sometimes there can be an underlying medical problem that causes the bed wetting. These include:
- Constipation is when a child pass hard , infrequent poo’s. It is important to get constipation treated before bed wetting treatment starts.
- Type 1 diabetes
- Urinary Tract Infection
Occasionally a child might have a problem with their bladder. This can mean the child or young person needs to empty their bladder frequently (even when it contains only a small amount of urine) or urgently before it is full. Children and young people with bladder problems may also have problems with wetting during the day.
How is bed wetting treated?
First Steps
You can try some simple adjustments to your child’s drinking habits, toileting routine and bed time routine. Your child will need lots of encouragement and praise for the effort they make and the improvements that are achieved. School Nurses run workshops which give further help and guidance on making these changes and monitoring improvements.
Here are some helpful do’s and don’t’s
Things to try. Do
- give your child enough water to drink during the day
- make sure your child goes to the toilet regularly, around 4 to 7 times a day, including just before bedtime
- agree with your child on rewards for positive actions, such as a sticker for every time they use the toilet before bed
- use waterproof covers on their mattress and duvet
- make sure they have easy access to a toilet at night
Things that should not be done. Do not
- punish your child – it is not their fault and can make bed wetting worse
- give your child drinks containing caffeine, such as cola, tea and coffee – this can make them pee more
- regularly wake or carry your child in the night to use the toilet – this will not help in the long term
Next steps
The small changes are often enough to help your achieve to become dry at night. However, some children need a little more support. The School Nursing can offer further support. Your child might benefit from an alarm which they use at night and this helps to train their brain to respond to the signals to wake up and use the toilet.
Most children have good outcomes when they use a bed alarm and they become dry at night. A small number of children might need further treatment. They might need a medicine called desmopression which is a hormone that tells the brain to produce less wee at night. This can be used alongside an alarm and is usually prescribed by your child’s GP. More rarely, a child might be referred to a paediatrician who will carry out an assessments and perhaps some tests if your child continues to wet the bed. This is more likely to be advised if your child also has problems with wetting in the daytime.
Useful Sources of Information
- Bladder and Bowel UK provides advice for parents/carers and has easy read information for children and young people.
- ERIC is a charity with over 30 years experience of providing help and advice to parents/carers and children and young people.