Genes play a role in bed wetting

Nov 15, 2013

RESEARCHERS have found that genes play a role. Bed-wetting, called "enuresis," is rarely an emotional or psychological problem

By Esther Namirimu

BEDWETTING does not mean your child is too lazy to get up and go to the bathroom or that she's stubborn or immature. Researchers have found that genes play a role. Bed-wetting, called "enuresis," is rarely an emotional or psychological problem. 

If both parents wet their beds after the age of 6, their child has about a 75 percent chance of doing the same; if only one parent wets the bed, the child has a 44 percent chance. 

Some parents are reluctant about this issue and think that the child will stop wetting the bed by himself. Others even spank or punish the children for wetting the bed only to be disappointed when the child does it again.

Betty Kobusingye says that her 13 year old daughter still wets her bed and it is quite a trying moment when she has to take her mattress out to dry in the sun when her playmates are seeing. 

“My daughter was fully potty trained from the age of five but she kept wetting the bed at night, so now what I have been doing is not letting her drink anything at night,” she adds. 

Before she would take juice at night but not anymore and about an hour after she goes to sleep, I wake her up and make her go potty. But if I happened to forget to wake her, she would have an accident. 

Causes 

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, 20% of 5-year-olds and 10% of 6-year-olds wet the bed, and it is twice as common in boys as it is in girls. 

The actual causes of bed-wetting are physical, which means your child has no control over them: 

She has a developmental lag; there are late walkers, late talkers and late dry-nighters. And all eventually catch up. 

She may sometimes sleep so deeply that she fails to wake up when she needs to use the bathroom. 

She may have a small bladder that's more easily overfilled.

Bed-wetting can be a distasteful situation for both child and parent. But it is a natural part of childhood development. 

How you can help your child stay dry through the night

Josephine Nabwami recommends limiting drinks after dinner; children should take their evening tea before 6:30pm. 

“You can also ask them to go for a short call before going to bed,” she adds.

Nabwami said that “you need to explain to your children that it is ok to wake up in the night to go to the bathroom. You can also leave a nightlight on in there; you know children fear darkness so they might be tempted to do it on the bed instead of walking in darkness.”

“To make it easier for my children, I used an old idea of putting a bucket in their bedroom. But being modern times you can consider stationing a portable potty (and a nightlight) in your child's bedroom.”

Brenda Kwagala a mother of two said that it is a bad idea to punish children for bedwetting; never push him, shame him, or make him sleep in a soggy bed. 

Kwagala notes that it is not good to make him feel bad about something he cannot actually control. Night time dryness is a tricky skill for a child to master, since it depends on his body being able to hold urine for an extended period of time.

“One of my sons was a deep sleeper and the process was even more difficult to help him stop than his sister’s because he had not yet learned to wake himself up and head for the potty when his bladder felt full,”.

Kwagala thinks that punishing a child could have the opposite effect, causing daytime accidents and lowering self-esteem.

She advises that to find out if he is ready for nighttime training, check his diaper every morning to see whether he's managed to stay dry all night long. As soon as he's woken with a dry diaper a few times, start letting him sleep in his underwear.

Joyce Nyakecho says that she would tell her daughter that it is an experiment to see if it works, and give it a week or two. 

“To help matters along, I made sure to limit the amount of liquid he drinks in the evenings, and if he's already asleep, rouse him for one last potty trip before you turn in for the night.”

Nyakecho advises parents to expect accidents; retire the diapers once your child's able to stay dry five nights in a row.

It is fine to bring them back out if his streak doesn't last, but do not take the plastic cover off the mattress for another year or so.

If these potential triggers are ruled out, it's safe to assume that the bed-wetting is a normal immaturity of the bladder-brain communication system. Explain to your child that she's not to blame, and then take steps to help ease her out of this harmless phase. 

When to let the doctor know

It is advisable to talk to your child’s pediatrician after the third or fourth time it happens. 

Many parents are embarrassed to discuss the problem with the pediatrician, but together you can figure out how best to help your child stay dry.

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