Best New Bedwetting Products in 2010

Wetting the bed can cause both shame and stress in a child. Bedwetting is a fairly common occurrence (approximately 15 percent of children wet the bed after age three), but it can still negatively affect a child's emotional, as well as social, growth due to embarrassment and fear that others will find out. Thankfully, there are many new products on the market that may help ease a child's anxiety about wetting the bed.

The best new products are those that work toward allowing a bedwetter to have a childhood that is as normal as possible. New sleep pants look very much like regular underwear or boxer shorts. With different graphics for boys and girls, the underwear is more comfortable and made of fabric that is softer and quieter when the child moves. These pants allow a child who wets the bed to still stay away from home overnight without worrying about, bedwetting, leaks or being embarrassed by a diaper.

New products on the market also include bed alarms to detect wetness from a child's underwear. These alarms work on both sound and vibration to help deep sleepers wake up when they are beginning to wet the bed. The new alarms are wireless, so there is no uncomfortable wire under the child's shirt and they don't have to wear the alarm on the body.

There are also several new medications for children that wet the bed due to physiological problems. Most young children will not need medication, but if your child is age six or older and is still wetting the bed, you may want to talk to your pediatrician to see what your medicinal options are.

Aside from these products, there are things that you as a parent can do to help your child through his or her bedwetting stage. First, limit your child's liquids before bedtime. Cut off drinks two hours before your child is to go to bed, offering a sip of water if necessary at bedtime. Always encourage your child to use the bathroom just before bed, and wake him or her up during the night to empty the bladder. In the morning, if your child is dry, praise him or her. Let your child know how proud you are of and what a good job the child has done. If the child is wet, don't punish him or her. Instead, help build confidence by having a positive attitude about staying dry the next night. Remember that children rarely wet the bed on purpose.

New products on the market, combined with positive support and encouragement from you as a parent, will help see your child through this difficult stage. Before you know it, every night will be a dry night!

Sources:

"Bedwetting," American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.