What changes can I make to my child’s behavior or routine to help with bedwetting?

What changes can I make to my child’s behavior or routine to help with bedwetting?

Your healthcare provider may suggest trying behavioral changes to begin. Behavioral techniques are changes you can make to your child’s nighttime routine that don’t involve medication. These techniques can include:

• Limiting fluids before bedtime: Don’t give your child anything to drink at least two hours before bedtime. Make sure your child drinks plenty of fluids during the day.
• Going to the bathroom before bedtime: Make sure your child goes to the bathroom and empties his or her bladder completely before going to bed.
• Enuresis alarm: This is a device that makes a loud noise or vibrates to awaken the child when he or she starts to wet the bed. It has a wetness sensor that triggers the alarm so that the child can wake up and finish urinating in the bathroom. Over time, the child learns to wake up when he or she feels the sensation of a full bladder, and eventually might be able to sleep through the night without having to urinate. This technique may take several months to be successful.
• Bladder therapy: This approach is aimed at gradually increasing the bladder’s functional capacity by making the child wait to go to the bathroom. Increasing the length of time between bathroom visits helps enlarge the bladder to allow it to hold more urine.
• Counseling: Psychological counseling may be effective in cases where the child has had a traumatic event or is suffering from low self-esteem because of the bedwetting.