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| Toddler Bed Wetting | October 11, 2009, 12:22 pm | visits: 53 | wordcount: 758
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By Debbie Morgan
Toddler bed wetting can be a very unwelcome problem in the middle of the night but it is a very common problem. Here we have a look at how you can make it easier for you and your toddler.
The key theme for toddler bed wetting is to stay relaxed and calm and don't panic or scold your child. Gaining bladder control at night time is usually a gradual process, it takes time and can come in fits and starts. Kids wetting pants or pyjamas is a nuisance at any age but you need to try and respond always with patience and reassurance.
Toddler bed wetting at some point during your child's toddler years is almost inevitable. Sometimes a child is dry for months and then returns to bed wetting - possibly triggered by changes in his sleep habits or stress, such as a new sibling, moving house or family changes. The best thing you can do to support your child and make the process of coping with a wet bed as easy as possible for yourself is to follow some top tips:
1. Remain calm if your toddler has an accident at night time - do not scold him. He hasn't meant to wet the bed and simply could not avoid it.
2. Always have a spare set of bedding and bed clothes to hand in his bedroom or have a regular sheet, followed by a mattress protector, followed by a regular sheet already on the bed so that you can very easily and quickly have a dry, clean bed.
3. Do not make a big deal of any accident - your toddler may become anxious about what he has done and this could make the problem worse
4. When he does do a wee on the potty or toilet during the day or night always praise him.
5. Use nappies or training pants at night time until your child dry for at least a week, ideally longer. There's is no point rushing it.
Learning to stay dry during the night usually takes longer than staying dry during the day because your toddler needs to tackle being asleep! So firstly do not attempt to put your toddler in bed without a nappy on until he is totally secure in being dry during the day.
Causes of bedwetting vary and differ to a child's age. For your child to stay dry his body has to be able to recognise the feeling of a full bladder and be able to wake up and make his way to the toilet, or for his body to be able to hold on until it is morning time. Being able to go to the toilet at night time requires a number of different bodily functions to work. The kidneys produce urine which is then stored in the bladder. When the bladder is full nerves in the wall of the bladder send a message to the brain telling it that it needs to be emptied. The brain "hears" the message and arouses your child from their sleep.
If something in this process does not happen then your child will wet the bed. However, usually toddler bed wetting usually means that he simply is not yet developmentally able to stay dry during the night.
Bedwetting punishment simply won't help the bed wetting problem and will only dent your child's confidence and lower his self-esteem. Even though a wet bed during the night or morning is a nuisance for you to deal with children don't wet the bed while they are asleep because they want to. Your child has a wet bed because their bladder was full and waking and getting up to go to the toilet is currently beyond their control - they have not yet reached that developmental milestone.
It might be helpful to know that by the age of 5 or 6, 85-90% of children have stopped bedwetting on their own. After the age of 6 to 8 a health professional may recommend a enuresis alarm which wakes the child up when the bed is wet and so eventually conditions them to wake up when he needs to go.
Know that you are not alone in wanting to know how to stop bedwetting and finding ways to deal with this tricky issue as other parents also have the same problem with their child. If you are worried or want more help always consult your medical professional.
And meanwhile you need to deal with it in the best way you can. For more tips and advice about toddler bed wetting and more toddler sleep issues go to http://www.toddlerbedtimetips.com.
Debbie Morgan writes for Toddler Bedtime Tips.
Source:www.isnare.com | |
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