Clinical Psychologist, Leanne Hall shares insights and tips into bedwetting.
In a new survey, parents of 2-15 year olds have revealed differing attitudes in relation to bedwetting and how they approach this issue in the home. Mothers of younger children are more accepting of bedwetting behaviour whereas mums of older children express feelings of stress, worry and even anger. Really, this is no surprise as the longer bedwetting lasts the more frustrating a problem it can become.
The Survey (commissioned by BabyLove) of 225 parents around Australia revealed some interesting insights into how we feel about this parenting challenge:
- 39% of mothers of 2-3 and 4-7 year olds associated bedwetting with ‘growing up’ compared to 16% of mothers of 8-15 year olds.
- 46% of mothers of 2-3 year olds viewed bedwetting as ‘natural’ compared to just 20 percent of parents of older children.
- 15% of mothers of 2-3 year olds described bedwetting as ‘worrying’ compared to 29% of 4-7 year olds and 47% of 8-15 year olds.
- 15% of mothers of 2-3 year olds viewed bedwetting as ‘stressful’ compared to 31% of mothers of 4-7 year olds and 45% of mothers of 8-15 year olds.
- 3% of mothers of 2-3 year olds and 5% of mothers of 4-7 year olds used the word ‘angry’ to describe bedwetting compared to 14% of mothers of 8-15 year olds.
The survey revealed that younger bedwetters typically wear overnight pants with 66% of 2-3 year olds surveyed wear overnight pants each night.
“Bedwetting is mainly due to a maturational lag (immature bladder) rather than laziness,” says BabyLove spokesperson and Clinical Psychologist, Leanne Hall. “Having a bedtime routine is important in helping the body release natural sleep hormones, such as melatonin. It also helps to reduce anxiety around bedtime which can reduce the risk of bed-wetting “accidents”.
It appears that many mums agree with this as the research demonstrated that 8 out of 10 mums believed in having a bedtime routine for their children as part of their strategy for minimising bed wetting.
The main outcome from the research? As our children get older we react to bedwetting differently. Understanding can turn to frustration, and indifference can become anger.
So, how can parents help bedwetting become less of a stress in the family home? Leanne Hall shares these five tips.
[mc_block_title custom_title=”5 Tips for Removing Anxiety Around Bed Wetting”]
- Establish a calm routine before bed, including going to the toilet right before bedtime.
- Limit liquids an hour before bedtime .
- Make sure there is a soft light so that your child can find their way to the bathroom during the night (especially for younger children.)
- Use an overnight pant that is highly absorbent as this will reduce your child’s stress and fear of wetting the bed. It also minimises the never-ending washing if you’re dealing with this problem constantly.
- Reward dry nights, and don’t make a fuss of night time accidents.
All children will get there eventually – and if you’re not seeing improvement please seek medical advice beginning with your local GP.
BabyLove has an overnight pant to support children throughout their physical development and allay their fears of waking up wet from a night time accident. Featuring a stretchy waistband, they have a highly absorbent core and leg and waist leakage protection.
