This archive report was first published on 10 September 2019.
Breaking the Cycle of Bedwetting ¶
Bedwetting can be a frustrating and embarrassing issue for both children and parents. However, with the right approach and techniques, it is possible to stop bedwetting in your child. Alicia Eaton, a Clinical Hypnotherapist, has been helping families overcome this issue since 2004 and has published her first book on the subject in 2009.
According to Eaton, the key to stopping bedwetting lies in understanding the underlying causes and addressing them through a combination of psychological and physical techniques. In her book, 'Stop Bedwetting In Seven Days', Eaton shares her 19 golden rules to help parents stop their child's bedwetting.
1. Choose the Right Time
It's essential to choose the right time to start the process of stopping bedwetting. Eaton advises parents to pick a week when their child is not too busy or stressed, and to avoid starting the process during school holidays or exam periods.
2. Keep a Diary
Keeping a diary is an essential part of understanding your child's behavior patterns. Eaton recommends recording information such as the number of times your child wets the bed, the time of day, and any factors that may contribute to the bedwetting, such as diet or stress levels.
3. Clear the Clutter
Confidence is a crucial factor in overcoming bedwetting. Eaton advises parents to clear the clutter in their child's room and to make sure the route to the bathroom is clear and easy to navigate.
4. Review the Lighting
Lighting can play a significant role in helping your child to wake up during the night to use the bathroom. Eaton recommends keeping the route to the bathroom well-lit, but not so bright that it disturbs their sleep.
5. Create a Child-Friendly Bathroom
Make sure the bathroom is child-friendly and accessible. Eaton recommends placing items at child level and making sure the space belongs to your child as much as it does to you.
6. Encourage Two Loo Trips Before Bed
Encourage your child to go to the toilet twice before going to bed to fully empty the bladder.
7. Program Their Brains to Wake Up
Eaton advises parents to program their child's brains to wake up early in the morning, which can help them to wake up during the night to use the bathroom.
8. It's Not Necessarily a Family Trait
While there may be a genetic link to bedwetting, Eaton has found that there are many children who wet the bed without a family history. She warns against the self-fulfilling prophecy of expecting your child to wet the bed because of a family history.
9. Don't Restrict Fluids
Eaton advises against restricting fluids in young children, as this can lead to dehydration and other health problems. Instead, encourage your child to drink plenty of water and to sip their drinks in the evening.
10. Diet May Have an Effect
What your child eats can affect their bladder. Eaton recommends avoiding foods that have a diuretic effect, such as watermelon and strawberries, and monitoring their diet for a couple of weeks.
11. Constipation
Constipation can contribute to bedwetting, so it's essential to monitor your child's bowel movements and to encourage them to drink plenty of water.
12. Reduce Screen Time
Experts agree that sleeping in an electromagnetic field can disrupt sleep patterns, so it's essential to reduce screen time before bed.
13. Be Positive and Supportive
Praise your child regularly and be supportive when they have an accident. Encourage them to keep trying and to work through the issue.
14. Bin the Night Nappies
Night nappies can block signals that travel from the bladder to the brain, so it's essential to ditch them around age six.
15. Let Them Sleep
Trying to wake your child up during the night to use the bathroom can make the problem worse, so it's essential to let them sleep and to encourage them to wake up during the night to use the bathroom.
16. Be Prepared with Protection
Have plenty of spare sheets and bedding as well as a protective cover for the mattress to minimize disruption to sleep.
17. Don't Punish or Reward
Punishments won't work, and rewards can actually make the problem worse. Instead, encourage your child to keep trying and to work through the issue.
18. Be Careful with Praise
When praising your child, be careful not to use strong words that can lose their meaning over time. Instead, focus on praising their effort and intention.
19. Share the Load
Enlist someone else to help share the load with you, such as a teacher or another caregiver, to help your child overcome bedwetting.
