Instead of waiting for your baby to outgrow bedwetting, find out the cause and start treatment as soon as possible. Bedwetting can be caused by disease, hormonal disruptions, and emotions.

Bedwetting(enuresis) is the lack of control over the work of the bladder during sleep. Most parents in Poland believe that the problem arises when a child over 3 years old is wetted. The English are more understanding and say that children can wet the bed even over the age of 5. In the Netherlands, Switzerland and the USA, the border is 6 years. But some kids don't control it even after they turn 10.

Functional disorders as the cause of bedwetting

It happens thatchildhas too smallbladderfor urine produced and therefore wets herself at night. Sleeping soundly, he doesn't feel like he wants to pee. He would have to get up several times a night. Toddlers may also leakurinedue to a disturbed work of the sphincter muscles. Urodynamic examination is helpful in making the diagnosis. Abdominal ultrasound is performed with the assessment of urine retention in the bladder or cystography. Treatment: Your doctor will tell you how to exercise with your baby so that the bladder and sphincters start working properly. For example, when your child peees, you need to encourage them to squeeze a drop more. Or, on the contrary, when he calls "pee", postpone the moment of sitting on the toilet. You have to train for a long time, even several months. Your pediatrician may recommend medication to suppress urine production and regulate your bladder. As a result, the breaks in peeing will lengthen and the bladder capacity will increase.

Bacterial attack causes bedwetting

If your toddler has slept dry nights and suddenly starts soaking the sheets or letting them slip into their panties, it may be caused by inflammation of the urinary tract. The urge to urinate is so strong that your baby will pee frequently, even without realizing it. He may complain of a burning sensation in the urethra, pain in the area of ​​the kidneys and lower abdomen. But not all symptoms are always present. Sometimes the child does not complain about anything and the only sign is urinary incontinence. Then a diagnosis can only be made on the basis of urine tests. A urinary tract infection is confirmed by a positive culture, which also identifies the bacteria and their sensitivity to drugs. Repeated infections often cause urine to flow back into the bladderureters and renal pelvis. It happens when the 'valves' are not working properly, whether it is due to an infection or a birth defect. The outflow is identified on the basis of ultrasound or cystography. Treatment: In the case of a common infection, an antibiotic selected on the basis of the antibiogram is given for 10-14 days. Sometimes you need to use anti-inflammatory drugs for 6-7 weeks. If the infection is accompanied by bladder-urinary outflow, such therapy may last up to six months.

Bedwetting - guilty emotions

If your doctor finds no other reasons for your bedwetting, the problem is probably your emotions. In this way, the child can react to the separation from the mother, illness, going to the nursery or kindergarten, the appearance of siblings. But also positive experiences, such as going on vacation or going to the theater, may end in wetting the sheets or panties. Hyperactive, aggressive and shy children often have these kinds of problems. Treatment: To find a connection between wetting and everyday life, watch your baby. Try to avoid situations that are causing trouble. Explain to the toddler that all children go to kindergarten, that the new lady will be as nice as the previous one, that you love them as much as your little brother. Make sure your little one doesn't feel insecure or stressed. Spend as much time as possible with him: read your favorite books, go for a long walk together. If this does not work, seek the help of a psychologist who will select the appropriate therapy.

Worth knowing

Wetting is not a disease

Parents need to convince themselves and their children that bedwetting is neither a disease nor a mental defect, because there are no illnesses that manifest themselves only between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. There is a medical problem called urinary incontinence. It is caused by irritation of the sphincter muscles or reflux and urine flows out unconsciously around the clock. So, bedwetting must not be confused with urinary incontinence. The first ailment cannot be cured with a miracle pill, herbs or a visit to a shaman. It takes a lot of patience and understanding. The most effective help can be obtained in psychological and pedagogical counseling centers. The specialists employed there help parents and children who get wet at night.

Hormone issue

Occasionally, the pituitary gland does not produce enough vasopressin, the hormone responsible for the specific gravity of urine. During the night in a he althy child, the secretion of this substance increases, which causes the urine produced by the kidneys to be concentrated, so that the bladder can keep it until the morning. In children withUrine is not thickened adequately, so there is more of it. As a result, the bladder has to be emptied more frequently, also at night. To diagnose the condition, you need to do a general urine test and check the level of this hormone in the blood. Treatment: Your doctor may write down pills to thicken the urine. They are served just before going to bed.

Worth knowing

Adult bedwetting

Bedwetting in adults is most often a symptom of an illness, such as diabetes, chronic inflammation of the urinary system or neurological diseases. For example, in men, the cause may be an enlarged prostate gland, and in women, a sudden contraction of the bladder due to a malfunctioning of the detrusor muscle.

Baby bedwetting - treatment

Treatment is arduous. Correct therapy is primarily about developing the habit of controlling urination in the child. Rebuking or punishing does nothing. It's like trying to persuade a hunchbacked man to straighten up. Some psychotherapists believe that using nappies or measures to help manage involuntary night peeing does not solve the underlying problem. Others, on the other hand, recommend night nappies or special devices because they provide a sense of security and strengthen the bond with parents who, instead of scolding, try to help. One such device is a humidity alarm. It works by creating the urinary continence reflex. When your baby starts to pee, he or she will be woken up by a beep. The alarm probe must be placed in a pocket sewn in the crotch of the panties. If a "wet catastrophe" occurs, the child should go to the bathroom, pee and put on dry panties. After some time, a urinary reflex arises and the alarm is unnecessary. Children who use special panties under pajamas naturally grow out of bedwetting. They are very absorbent and almost imperceptible under pajamas, which ensure comfort, discretion and well-being for the youngest. They also allow to minimize the stress caused by wetting the bed and creating extra work for parents. Huggis pajamas (DryNites) for children. for 4 to 10 years old, they can be bought in large pharmacies.

How do you talk to your baby about bedwetting? What is not allowed to say?

Dorota Kalinowska child psychologist and therapist: During the conversation, let's refer to the child's feelings, to the ways of coping with difficulty. We need to assure your little one that the wetting is not their fault. If we do not have an idea for an interview, it is worth reaching for a therapeutic fairy tale, thanks to which the child will understand that he is not alone, and we will findthe right words to talk about. Let us use simple words adapted to the possibilities of our child. Let us be on guard against raising the tone, accusing a child, name-calling, humiliating and embarrassing a child. This will have a very negative impact on emotional development and the formation of self-esteem. In addition, a toddler may lose confidence in us and seek support elsewhere or will definitely withdraw from social contacts. Punishing or hitting a child is also forbidden. We must remember that it is not his fault that the child does not wet himself, to make us angry that it is a temporary state.

Don't do that
  • Don't shout, criticize, or punish yourself physically and mentally. Don't embarrass your baby with strangers. Don't bribe him, but neither do you promise golden mountains. It is not up to the child to make the bed wet at night.
  • Don't force your child to blow them up at night. In this way, you postpone developing the habit of waking up to the signal sent by the overfilled bladder to the waking centers in the brain.
  • Don't limit your baby's fluid intake, especially in the second half of the day. Bladder size has nothing to do with overnight wetting. If that were the case, the baby would also wet himself during the day.
  • Do not seek help from a child psychiatrist. Administering sedatives will not solve the problem of bedwetting. Such treatment will be ineffective at all, and the child will be tired and guilty.
Where to go for help

Uronef Association - Our Children

ul. Sybilli 11 m. 30, Warsaw,

tel. 0605 823 049, 0665 061 390

e-mail: [email protected]

"Zdrowie" monthly

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Child's he alth