When is Bed-Wetting Cause for Concern?
Information supplied by Waukesha Memorial Hospital

"Mommy, I wet my bed." Most parents have, at some time, been woken up by those words in the middle of the night. So when is bed-wetting cause for concern?

"Many parents are concerned when their child is four or five years old and is wetting at night," says Karin Mulrooney, MD, a pediatrician at Waukesha Medical Centers- Mukwonago. However, she states, bed-wetting continues for 10 percent of children at age 8 and two percent between ages 12 to 14. "Most often, it is a sign of nothing more than physiological development and is not an indication of an emotional problem. Children vary widely in their capacity to hold urine."

To help your child stay dry through the night, Mulrooney suggests the following:

• Limit liquids two hours prior to child's bedtime.
• Make sure your child urinates right before going to bed.
• Later, before you go to bed, take your child to the bathroom and have him or her urinate again.

Parents should not rely on "Pull-ups" or other absorbent nighttime undergarments. "This gives the child the message that it's OK to wet," she says.

If your child does wet the bed, keep in mind that it is an event out of his or her control. "They can't help it," Mulrooney says. "Punishing a child for bed-wetting may contribute to low self-esteem and will not control the symptoms." If bed-wetting is severly upsetting to you or your child, speak with the child's doctor. Parental anger or social ostracism by peers can be a blow to a child's self esteem. The doctor may also want to rule out a urinary tract infection or diabetes. In some cases, medication or behavior modification techniques may help.

Information supplied by Waukesha Memorial Hospital.