My son was one of the unfortunate ones who had a problem until he was about 9 to 10 years of age. One thing that I did was to keep a diary on my sons ‘nighttime behavior’.  I did it so that I was able to rule out

 I tried all of the advice that I was given, advice which I have listed here, and some worked, some didn’t. Even though a lot of advice did not work for my son, it may work for your child as each one is different as could the causes be. You can’t rule out anything. Even if you think that there is nothing going on in your home that you consider stressful, don’t rule it out, think like a child when you consider each possible cause.

 Remember, this is your child’s issue, his/her experience. The parent is just the bystander. You might wash the sheets, but that’s the easy part. The child is the one going through it and as parents I believe that is the first step of this process. Its their embarrassment, it’s their unknown issue, their heartbreaker, not the parents….(if that makes any sense at all)

 The following information is lengthy and I apologize for this but it is yet another passionate cause of mine. My son did not have an easy time through his bedwetting. He had his nose rubbed in pools of urine, made to drag his sheets out on the line and hose it down, not as a responsibility but as a punishment, he was yelled at, called stupid, lazy and filthy…not by me or my late husband but by his own father…(a longer story for that one)

 
I think bedwetting is a problem that needs to be addressed in full for some parents to understand completely what it is about, to understand that laziness, although present in some children, is not the cause for most. The information I have listed is from several websites which have been credited throughout this article (blue underlined links) and listed below in the links section.

 
Bedwetting

 The medical term for bedwetting is ‘Nocturnal Enuresis’. It is the most common problem among children and it is extremely embarrassing for them. However, bedwetting in children the age of 6 and under is typical and not normally a cause for concern. 15 percent of children who wet their bed do overcome it without and medical help. If you are still concerned it is best to speak to your GP about it but make sure you go through the typical lists to out rule any of the obvious underlining problems that it may be. This is also help the doctor rule out what it isn’t and help get to the problem sooner.

There are two types of nocturnal enuresis, Primary nocturnal enuresis and Secondary nocturnal enuresis

Primary nocturnal enuresis

Most kids who wet the bed have primary enuresis and it refers to children who have never maintained nighttime control and who have wet their beds at least two times a month.

This is not a psychiatric or emotional problem.

• It can be caused by problems and changes in the muscles of the bladder
• A small bladder
• Producing too much urine
• Sleeping too deeply and not being able to wake when bladder is full
• The brain not signaling to wake up when bladder is full (which is the most common cause and due to immaturity of the part of the brain controlling such signals)

Researches have also discovered a gene associated with bedwetting and state that this can also be inherited.

Secondary nocturnal enuresis

This is the less common of the two and refers to children who were completely night-trained for at approximately 6 months and then reverted back or began wetting the bed again. This normally indicates a change in the child’s life such as:

• Divorce
• Moving homes, rooms, schools
• New additions to the family
• Death

In other cases medical problems such as:

• Urinary tract infections
• Chronic Constipation. This can cause the intestine to fill with waste which takes space away from the bladder and causes urine to leak out during the night
• Hormone imbalance which retards the body’s natural anitiuretic from being produced
• Stress
  
• Diabetes

Bedwetting is not something that a child should be punished for. It will not help and only makes matters worst.  

Suggestions which may help include:

• Be patient and understanding
• If you know anyone who had the same experience ask them to talk to your child about it.  This may help them feel less alone or ashamed.
• Do not talk about this in front of other people. It embarrasses them and it is unfair. Their privacy needs to be respected despite what age.
• Have your child go to the toilet right before bedtime and wake them up once or twice during the night to use the toilet
• Make sure your child is getting enough sleep.
• Restrict fluids after dinner however make sure your child drinks well especially during hot weather.

Bed-wetting alarm  

These can be hired. They work via a sensor which goes connects to the child’s underwear, setting off an alarm if it gets wet.  It is meant to wake the child up so that they are able to stop in time and go to the bathroom.  However, if you child is a heavy sleeps as mine was, will wake you long before your child. It is suggested that this method takes approximately 6 to 8 weeks to before dry nights occur. 

Medication

All else failing, depending on the child’s age, medication can be prescribed. Yahoo Health offers information of medications available for bedwetting with along with a brief description. These include:

• The drug desmopressin acetate (DDAVP) boosts levels of a natural hormone that forces the body to make less urine at night. The medication is available as a pill or nasal spray. DDAVP has few side effects. The most serious is a seizure if the medication is accompanied by too many fluids.
• The antidepressant imipramine (Tofranil) may provide bed-wetting relief by changing a child's sleeping and waking pattern. The medication may also increase the amount of time a child can hold urine or reduce the amount of urine produced. Imipramine has few side effects for bed-wetters. Caution is essential, however. An overdose could be fatal.

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• If your child has a small bladder, an anticholinergic drug such as oxybutynin (Ditropan) or hyoscyamine (Levsinex) may help reduce bladder contractions and increase bladder capacity. Side effects may include dry mouth and facial flushing.

The information provided by Yahoo Health also states that up to 70 percent of bed-wetters are helped by medication and stay dry at night. Dry nights can also be achieved using a combination of medications, however, they continue by stating that  ‘…there are no guarantees… medication doesn't cure the problem…’ and that ‘…bed-wetting typically resumes when the medication is stopped’.

Alternative therapies

There are alternative therapies such as massage, acupuncture and hypnosis which are considered useful in combating bed-wetting. This however Yahoo Health stresses that this is not proven and that research is still needed in this area.

Only with a great deal of reassurance, support and understanding, can your child begin to look forward to the dry nights…..

I hope this is of some help to parents and more importantly children…..

Best of Luck to everyone…