don’t tell anyone
Getting your toddler out of
night-time nappies can be a mission – but it’s more serious when children are
bed-wetter’s at school-going age. The latter can be symptomatic of a learning
problem, bladder problems, weak muscle tone or even the first sign of diabetes
(a grappling problem today).
If
your child is normally dry at night and then starts bedwetting, trouble-shoot by
eliminating some possibilities.
- What’s happening at school? Is your child being bullied, not coping with the school-curriculum or new teacher?
- Is your child constipated?
- Does your child have any symptoms of a bladder or urinary-tract infection?
- Has anything happened at home? A new baby, moving, couple separation or divorce, work issues, financial problems?
Emotional
issues affect children too. Working couples are stretched for family time to listen
to their children. Too often, when children have a problem, they don’t talk to their
parents – or they tell-all at an inconvenient time (usually on the ride to
school – or when its time for bed).
Here are a few suggestions:
- Make an appointment to see your family doctor just to make sure there are no medical or other underlying problems. All being well …
- Make time to talk. You may need to follow this up with an appointment to see the school teacher
- Minimise liquids in the late afternoon and nothing to drink at
bed-time (some people say that this makes no difference)
- Leave a night-light on
- Toilet your child when you go to bed (sometimes they sit fast asleep on the toilet - sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't).
- Invite a friend for a play-date (possibly a sleep-over too)
- When there are no physical, medical or emotional problems, bribery also works
- For sanity sake, cover the mattress with a plastic sheet.
