Treatments for Bed-wetting

Bed-wetting is normal and very common among preschoolers, affecting 40 percent of children at age 3, occurring in 20 percent of 5-year-olds, 10 percent of 6-year-olds, and 3 percent of 12-year-olds.
It is a complex neurodevelopmental process for the bladder to send the signal, for the brain to receive it and for the child to respond by awakening and using the toilet. For the child who wets the bed, parents need to remain supportive and encouraging. They should be sensitive to the child's embarrassment or discomfort over this problem. A child who sleep-wets is likely to stop eventually. The purpose of a treatment program is to make this happen sooner. There are different approaches, both medical and behavioral, to bedwetting. Behavioral approach stresses changes in behavior, such as having the children take responsibility by helping with the wet sheets, and having them read a picture book about bed-wetting each night to reinforce staying dry. Medical approach uses medicine(s) to reduce the number of wet nights, but there was some evidence that this was not sustained after treatment stopped.