It's No Accident by Steve Hodges & Suzanne Schlosberg

Author:Steve Hodges & Suzanne Schlosberg [HODGES, STEVE J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780762784264
Publisher: Lyons Press

When Your Child Sleeps through Pee Signals

Pretty much any kid is hard to wake up in the middle of the night, but some kids sleep so deeply that they probably wouldn’t flinch if AC/DC were having a concert in their bedroom. One theory of bedwetting is that some of these kids sleep through signals that their bladders are full and, instead of waking up and walking to the bathroom, wet the bed. But this theory is not well supported by research. I think this notion comes from parents who have trouble waking up their kids who wet the bed but who don’t have any experience trying to wake up their other children. Their siblings who don’t wet the bed may very well sleep just as deeply.

Nonetheless, bedwetting alarms can work well by training your child to wake up before he wets the bed. If your child is a deep sleeper, he may be a good candidate for this therapy. Just keep in mind that the alarm is not a substitute for addressing the constipation and bladder-capacity issues that are likely preventing your child from being able to last all night without having to pee. The alarm is a tool to use in addition to the strategies discussed in this chapter.

A bedwetting alarm rings after the child has wet herself. Though it seems counterintuitive to wake the child after she pees, eventually this process teaches her to wake up when she needs to go. A bedwetting alarm can be bought without a prescription and, unlike medication, has no risks or side effects—well, other than parental grouchiness from having your sleep interrupted every night for weeks.

A bedwetting alarm includes a urine-sensor patch that can either be placed in the child’s underwear or on the sheet underneath him. The sensor is attached to an alarm that clips to his shirt and rings when the sensor gets wet. (You can buy fancy wireless alarms with remote sensors for parents, but the extra expense isn’t necessary; unless you and your child live on opposite sides of a mansion, you’ll hear the alarm.) Often, the child does not wake up when the alarm sounds, which means Mom and Dad have to wake him up and turn off the alarm, take the child to the bathroom and have him try to pee, help him change clothes, place the alarm back on, and go back to bed. Yes, I know what you’re thinking: That’s too exhausting! I have a job! I have other kids! But it works. When the alarm is used properly, more than 80 percent of kids get dry within three months.

BE POSITIVE, DON’T PUNISH

I believe that most cases of bedwetting are related to constipation and bladder overactivity, but no doubt there’s also a psychological component to bedwetting. I know kids who are dry every time they sleep at Grandma and Grandpa’s house yet wet at home, and kids who went from dry overnight to drenched once school started. Clearly, major life changes can trigger bedwetting.

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