What Can You Do to Help Your Child Sleep Soundly and Dryly at Night?

The topic of kids wetting the bed at night isn't something you're going to bring up at a dinner party. However, as a parent, you'll be glad to know that you're far from being the only person who's dealing with this issue. Not only can it present a major challenge for parents of children under 3, but research has found that at least fifteen percent of older children also have to battle this problem.

The most important thing to remember is that in all but the rarest cases, kids are not wetting their beds by choice. As a result, they're probably going to feel even worse about it than you do. While it can be frustrating to have to get up at 2:30 in the morning to deal with a wet bed, it's important for you to find a way to keep your cool. Getting mad at your child or belittling them isn't going to do anything to curtail this problem in the future.

While getting upset isn't the answer, the good news is there are some steps you can take to reduce the frequency of this problem:

Make It a Routine:

 Your child already goes into the bathroom at night to brush their teeth before getting in bed. Since they've already established that routine, all you need to do is make sure they add actually going to the bathroom to it. Even though this is a very simple step, it can be quite effective.

Keep an Eye on Daytime Drinking:

 You obviously don't want to deprive your child of water when they need it during the day. However, for a child who has a problem with keeping their bed dry at night, it's important to make sure that they aren't drinking more liquid than they need during the day. Additionally, try to focus on them getting the majority of their liquid intake for the day prior to three in the afternoon. This will allow them to stay fully hydrated while still having an opportunity to empty out their system by bedtime. It's also worth noting that some parents get great results from cutting caffeine and sugary drinks out of their kids' diets.
Probably Not Going to Sleep Through the Night:

 Eventually, you can set a goal of your child sleeping through the entire night without an accident. But when you first start addressing this problem, it's almost always better to encourage your child to get up and go to the bathroom at least once a night.

You can actually help them get used to this by "practicing" during the day. Even though it sounds a little silly, research has found that practicing nighttime activities during the day like waking up to an alarm or getting out of bed to go to the bathroom actually is effective.


John Wisenheimer blogs for www.nanny.net which is a site that helps parents hire a nanny.