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Wetting |
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Wetting |
Wetting is when a child wets themselves (passes urine), although they don't want to. This can be either at night (bedwetting) or during the day.
Wetting can be very distressing for both the child and the parents because often there does not seem to be any good reason. The experts call wetting - enuresis.
Most children are able to stop wetting themselves by about the age
of 5.
About 1 in 10 five year olds, 1 in 20 ten year olds, and 1 in 100 fifteen year olds wet the bed at night.
It is less common for wetting to occur during the day.
Bedwetting is more common in boys, while daytime wetting is more
common in girls.
Wetting can occur as a result of a medical problem. For example, a child may have an infection or a strucural problem in their urinary tract (this is basically the pipe in the body that runs from the bladder where the urine is stored, to where the urine comes out). Other physical problems that can cause wetting include diabetes, epilepsy, or other problems to do with how the brain is wired.
Other causes include:
Some wetting can occur from birth onwards, this is called primary
enuresis. Wetting that occurs after a child has already got control
of their bladder is called secondary enuresis. Obviously, it
is more likely that there is a physical problem if the child has never
gained bladder control, although don't take this as being always the
case.
Yes.
Simple measures such as making sure that the child doesn't drink too much before going to bed should be tried first.
If the simple measures don't work, then a doctor or specialist may recommend some simple techniques that are derived from behavioural therapy. These are things like setting up a chart where the child is rewarded with a gold star for every day/night they go without wetting. In more serious cases this can be used with a buzzer that wakes the child every time they wet the bed.
More serious cases, often these are combined with a set of other problems, may require more intensive forms of therapy such as family therapy, or psychodynamic therapy.
A doctor may well prescribe a small dose of antidepressant medicine (called tricyclic antidepressants) in the short term, as this affects the muscles that control going to the toilet. But this is not enough on its own as there is a risk of side effects, and when the medicine is stopped it is more common than not for the child to go back to wetting themselves.
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*** RECOMMENDED BOOKS ***
If you are interested in going into even more depth, the following book(s), sold by Amazon.co.uk, are recommended by us. Each is followed by a rating for ease of reading (1-3).
1=Simple and
Easy to comprehend.
2=More Complex but still a good read.
3=Very Complex, only for
professionals/those studying to degree level.
Childhood Encopresis & Enuresis: Causes & Therapy (Schaefer)
RATING SCORE = 3 A comprehensive textbook for students and professionals.
Getting To Dry: How To Help Your Child Overcome Bedwetting (Maizels, Rosenbaum & Keating)
RATING SCORE = 2 One of the better self-help books for parents.
Sammy the Elephant & Mr Camel: A Story To Help Children Overcome Bedwetting (Mills, Crowley & Cook)
RATING SCORE = 1 A book for children which can help parents deal with bedwetting in a caring and supportive way. In the story, Sammy the Elephant keeps spilling buckets of water and Mr Camel helps him out.
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