Success Stories of Conquering the Bedwetting Stages

When a child is going through the stages of bedwetting, it can become very frustrating for a parent as well as the child. Most children wet the bed until they are five years old, and many even older. Having the privilege to go through the bedwetting stages with my children, I have had success using several different tools for each of my children. Every child is different, and the keys to my success during the bedwetting stages for my children were patience and talking to my children, using real underwear and not diapers, changing my child's diet, giving my child some responsibility for their bedwetting and even taking one child to the pediatrician after my tools didn't work for that particular child, and subsequently having success within six months.

The first key to my success during the bedwetting stages for my children was patience. Bedwetting can be very frustrating not only for you, but for the child as well. Talking to your child is very important, so you should let them know that you are there for them, that it's not their fault if they make a mistake, and that they will conquer bedwetting in no time.

There could be many reasons why your child is still bedwetting, including a genetic factor, a smaller bladder or what they are eating and drinking before their bedtime. Having a talk with your child will ease the tension for both the parents and the child, and it will help the child become patient in knowing that one day he or she will be waking up to a dry bed every day.

The second key to my success during the bedwetting stages was to get rid of the diapers at night and use real underwear. The reason that I did this was so the children could feel the wetness when they did wet the bed. If the wetness is absorbed into a diaper, and they don't feel it, they may not care and could possibly continue to wet during the night because they know they will stay dry. I also purchased a plastic cover for the mattress to save the mattress from absorbing any unwanted urine.

One key exception to the above rule is if the child is at a slumber party or a summer camp. In these cases, always supply the child with bedwetting pants that are quiet and inconspicuous. That way, if the child has an accident, he or she won't be humiliated.

The third key to my success during the bedwetting stages was to change my children's diet prior to bedtime by eliminating fluids or any drinks or food that contained caffeine, sugar or diary products. These seemed to help the children to stay dry during the night.

Another factor in my success during the bedwetting stages was to give my children responsibility to wash their sheets in the morning if they did wet the bed. This just gives them the responsibility to clean up after themselves. If your child wakes up during the night and is too lazy to get out of the bed to go to the bathroom, he or she may think twice if it is the child's responsibility to wash the sheets in the morning.

These were the four keys to my success with my children, except one child who had a little trouble. Sometimes a child can make more urine than the small bladder can control, so it may be necessary to see your pediatrician for some help. Pediatricians can prescribe medications that can reduce the urine in the bladder when given to your child at night. With my bedwetting child, I conquered the bedwetting stages withing six months, and we were able to stop the medication.

Every child is different, and your methods during the bedwetting stages may have to be altered for each individual child, but these tools have led to success with my children during the bedwetting stages.