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Shame and guilt are two major feelings that many children have around bedwetting. With early and positive parental intervention, your growing children can overcome this issue without much trouble.
A common childhood problem that children face is bedwetting. Although far from being a serious medical condition, if not dealt with in time, it can lead to self-esteem issues in growing children.
Here’s how bedwetting affects tender mind
Some of the repercussions of bedwetting can range from feeling embarrassment to developing an inferiority complex or even social phobia.
According to article by nobedwetting.com, the University Hospital Ghent in Belgium conducted a research on 30 bedwetting children in an age group of 6 to 16 years and one of their findings says that bedwetting can have a significant psychological impact.
As observed by the Child Development Institute, children who are above five years of age generally understand that they are facing this condition and are ashamed by this. As a result, they choose not to engage in social activities where they are required to sleep in an external location.
Children may also have a feeling of failure or even a fear of being found out, teased and humiliated by their peers.
According to an article by childdevelopmentinfo.com, reactions of parents to a child’s bedwetting problem can deeply impact their little angel.
Mums, don’t let your child’s bedwetting problem get the best of you!
Parents are generally considerate when it comes to their children’s bedwetting problems; however, over time, they might get frustrated and lose patience.
If you are facing this situation now, it would be good to keep a check on your own feelings. Remember that bedwetting is beyond a child’s control and it is essential to allow your child to take his or her time to get over this problem.
According to Dr. Howard Bennett, who is a clinical professor of pediatrics at Geroge Washington University Medical Center and an author of Waking Up Dry: A Guide to Help Children Overcome Bedwetting, parents must keep two important points in mind while addressing their child’s bedwetting problem.
● Bedwetting is common and children should not be punished for that
● Bedwetting takes place as a child’s brain and bladder are not communicating with each other at night
He points out that instead of shying away, parents must take a proactive stand and may even consult their pediatrician.
Here’s how you can help your bedwetting child overcome this issue…
So that children develop a healthy outlook towards this problem, parents should support them emotionally and psychologically from an early age. By giving children the much-needed support, parents can help them overcome feelings of shame and guilt.
Dr. Howard Bennett clarifies some key perceptions and recommends a few strategies to help parents deal with their bedwetting children in an article by healthychildren.org.
Communicate with your child
Explain to the child yourself or enlist the help of an expert to clarify what exactly is happening in the body when he or she is unable to wake up and use the washroom.
Share positive stories of family members or even storybook or film characters who got over bedwetting. When you take your child in confidence, the feelings of shame and guilt tend to reduce.
Provide emotional support to your child
Instead of shaming or even punishing, make them understand that bedwetting is normal and many other children go through this too. Keeping midnight accidents unceremonious and encouraging improvement is essential. Encourage them to engage in social activities such as sleepovers.
Work a bathroom visit into his or her bedtime routine
Set a healthy routine of fluid intake and washroom use throughout the day. Most importantly, get your child to use the washroom just before sleeping – after brushing his teeth and other parts of his bedtime routine. Try to make it the last thing he or she does before going to sleep.
Encourage your child to focus on the solution, not the problem
Mums, educate your child about bedwetting and help him or her take positive actions on it. Encourage them to change their wet sheets and clothes themselves. Help them prepare for midnight accidents by keeping an extra pair of pajamas and a bed-sheet close by.
Visit your pediatrician and work out the right solution if the problem persists.
- Sometimes all efforts you take to help your child may fail and he or she may continue wetting the bed. Find out here when you need professional help. Some of the treatments include-
- Bladder control training- Exercises that help in stretching and conditioning the child’s bladder.
- Using a moisture alarm- The alarm wakes up the child on sensing moisture in the sheets, waking up the child to finish urinating in the washroom.
- Hypnosis- Research has shown that children have responded to such treatment within four to six sessions.
- Help from support groups- These can act as both avenue to vent and ray of hope for parent and child.
Mum, if your child has a bedwetting problem, just take a deep breath, arm yourself with information, and know that all it takes is pushing forward with constructive steps towards helping your child overcome the troubling phase.
