By Elizabeth Namazzi

It is one of the commonest and most embarrassing problems for children. Parents make it worse by punishing them for wetting their beds or calling them names. 

This, according to child psychologists, aggravates the problem. Research shows that most children wet their beds until they clock six, so no amount of punishing or name calling can change this. You, however, can take some measures to reduce bedwetting episodes for your children. 

Child psychologists advise that ignoring bedwetting accidents is the best place to start. Be patient with your child since most children do not deliberately wet their beds and avoid embarrassing him or her before siblings and friends. 

Minimise drinks and watery foods such as yoghurt and fruits, right before bed. Research has also shown that giving children drinks with caffeine is not good, especially if they are  taken an hour or less before bed.

Caffeinated foods like chocolate, cocoa and chocolate ice cream are equally as bad because they stimulate the bladder to produce more urine. If your child must have any of these, they should take it at least three hours before bed.  

If you can get soursop seeds, (ekitafeeri in luganda) ask your children to chew them because, according to 80-year-old Matilda Nandawula, they help reduce bedwetting accidents. 

It also helps to wake up children during the night before they wet their beds. Start training your child to urinate right before bed and wake them up at a particular time during the night. This will train the child’s brain to ‘wake up’ at that time every night. With time, the child will learn to wake up before you tap them awake. 

If waking up during the night is a challenge for you, buy an alarm clock. An older child can have the alarm clock by his or her bedside, especially if he or she is old enough to find his or her way to the toilet.