Treating Children with Enuresis and Bed-Wetting Problems

A number of children suffer from bed-wetting during their childhood years and while most get over it during their early years, for a few, the problem persists until the teenage years. It can be a traumatic and troubling time for the child, causing anxiety when faced with sleepovers or camp outings. Parents experience a fair degree of worry too as they try to help their child overcome the condition. Being pediatric specialists, we at Village Pediatrics have worked with a number of families facing the challenge of enuresis (the medical term for bed-wetting). We understand just how troubling and stressful it can be for both the child and the parents. With our advice and guidance, you will be fully equipped to help your child through this condition.

What is Bed-Wetting or Enuresis?
Enuresis is the condition in which young children wet their beds during the night. Such children are usually fully trained to control their bladders during the day but suffer from incontinence at night. It is not at all uncommon – about 13% of 6 year-olds in the United States wet their beds while 5% of all 10 year-olds suffer from enuresis.

Causes of Bed-Wetting
Medical experts are not 100% sure about what causes bed-wetting and more importantly what makes it stop. It is regarded as a natural phase of development in the child’s life and will normally go away with emotional support and reassurance from the parents.

Statistics have shown that children whose parents or close relative suffered from this condition during their childhood years have a tendency of experiencing the same predicament. It has been seen that if both parents suffered from enuresis during their young life, the child will most likely be a bed-wetter as well.

Managing Enuresis in Young Children
While it may be your first instinct to get annoyed or irritated with your child for making these ‘mistakes’, you will find that your child is probably more mortified than you are. The best way to manage the condition is with a great deal of love, emotional support and reassurance.

You may want to control the amount of fluids your child drinks towards the latter part of the night while insisting that he or she goes to the bathroom before bed. Rewarding your child for a successful dry night can work wonders.

Treating Enuresis
In some cases, enuresis can be a symptom for a more serious condition like urinary tract infection, diabetes, kidney problems or emotional stress. At these times it is good to get medical support to help tackle the problem.

Your pediatric specialist will probably recommend some tests and conduct an examination to see if the bed-wetting is the result of a larger problem. If the bedwetting is a sudden occurrence happening after months of bladder control or the child is experiencing pain while urinating, you should contact us.

The key to managing your child’s condition is to remain positive to ensure that your child does not pick up on any frustration or anxiety. Working with the doctors at Village Pediatrics we will work together with you to achieve a successful outcome.