When children are wetting their bed well into the adolescent and even early “tween” years, it can mean added stress on a family and a great deal of embarrassment for the child.
Several local moms are dealing with the issue of inappropriate bed wetting in older children, though they asked to remain anonymous to protect their kids from teasing at school. (A good idea, we agreed.)
Mom “Sophia” has a 12-year-old daughter who continues to have bed-wetting issues. “She is at about four out of seven days waking up wet,” said Sophia. “My 10-year-old is about two days out of seven.”
She has taken the children to the pediatrician and was told it is most likely a hereditary condition, and there’s “no telling when they will grow out of it.”
The doctor offered a “dry pill” for use on special occasions like sleep-overs or trips, which Sophia has not yet had the children use. She does use vinyl mattress protectors under the sheets, and once tried a “hypno-book” that didn’t work. The family tried the “no fluids” after 7 p.m. rule; it didn’t work, either. Neither did the flip-side theory, that making them drink a full glass of water before bed — so it’s enough fluid to wake them up.
“The way we are currently dealing with it is confirming with our kids that we understand it is not their fault, but that they are old enough to wash their sheets and make their beds when it happens,” Sophia said.
Another local mom conquered bed-wetting when it was discovered her son had enlarged tonsils, and the resulting sleep apnea caused the bedwetting. “I had never heard of this cause until my son went through a spell of bed-wetting,” the mom said. “When the tonsil issue was resolved, so was the bed-wetting.”
 

Bed-wetting a common concern

The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry reports that most children begin to stay dry at night around 3 years of age.  
When a child has a problem with bedwetting (called enuresis) after that age, parents may become concerned. Physicians stress that enuresis is not a disease, but a symptom, and a fairly common one.  
Sometimes, bedwetting may be related to a sleep disorder. In most cases, it is because of the development of the child’s bladder control being slower than normal.  
For some reason, kids who wet the bed are not able to feel that their bladders are full and don’t wake up to use the toilet. Many times, a child who wets the bed will have a realistic dream that he or she is in the bathroom peeing, only to wake up later and discover he or she is all wet. A high number of kids who wet the bed are also very deep sleepers.
Bedwetting may also be the result of the child’s tensions and emotions that require attention. There are a variety of emotional reasons for bedwetting. For example, when a young child begins bedwetting after several months or years of dryness during the night, this may reflect new fears or insecurities. This may follow changes or events which make the child feel insecure, such as moving to a new home, parental divorce, losing a family member or loved one, or the arrival of a new baby or child in the home.
Experts with the psychiatry academy also stress that parents should remember their children rarely wet on purpose, and usually feel ashamed about the incident. Rather than make the child feel naughty or ashamed, parents need to encourage the child and express confidence that he or she will soon be able to stay dry at night.
 

Tips to try

Parents may help children who wet the bed by:
Limiting liquids before bedtime;
Encouraging the child to go to the bathroom before bedtime;
Praising the child on dry mornings;
Avoiding punishments;
Waking the child during the night to empty their bladder.
Treatment for bedwetting in children includes behavioral conditioning devices (pad/buzzer) and/or medications. Examples of medications include anti-diuretic hormone nasal spray and the anti-depressant medication imipramine.
Some doctors also believe one of the best treatments for enuresis is a program that retrains a child’s brain to do one of two things: Wake up so they can go to the bathroom, or stay asleep and hold it ’til morning. This program includes doing bladder exercises, such as waiting a little longer to pee during the day, reading about and imagining staying dry, or even using a tiny alarm. The alarm is connected to a pad placed in the underwear at night. If the child starts to urinate, the pad senses the moisture and sets off the alarm. Different alarms buzz, vibrate, or do both, but they’re all easy to use and can help wake even the deepest sleeper.
In rare instances, the problem of bedwetting cannot be resolved by the parents, the family physician or the pediatrician.  
Sometimes the child may also show symptoms of emotional problems — such as persistent sadness or irritability, or a change in eating or sleeping habits. In these cases, parents may want to talk with a child and adolescent psychiatrist, who will evaluate physical and emotional problems that may be causing the bedwetting, and will work with the child and parents to resolve these problems.
(Information from the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and www.kidshealth.com)

It’s so common that …
…there’s even a store online, at www.bedwettingstore.com. Products for potentially helping stop bed-wetting or at least reducing the mess include nighttime bedwetting alarms, vinyl pants and underpants, disposable underpants pads and a variety of waterproof bedding supplies. 

Bedwetting facts
Approximately 15 percent of children wet the bed after the age of 3.
Many more boys than girls wet their beds.
Bedwetting runs in families.
Usually bedwetting stops by puberty.
Most bedwetters do not have emotional problems.
Persistent bedwetting beyond the age of 3 or 4 rarely signals a kidney or bladder problem. 
It’s likely that bedwetting will go away on its own. In fact, 15 out of 100 kids who wet the bed will stop every year without any treatment at all.
Sources: American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, www.kidshealth.com