More water, not less, will help end bedwetting

Children are notoriously bad at drinking enough liquids. They are so
busy playing they sometimes 'forget' to drink. Sometimes, children
seem like camels - able to go for ages without having a drink.
Obviously, when they are thirsty they will rush indoors for a drink.
But often they look for sugary, caffeine-laden drinks which are great
for quenching thirst, but do little for the body's fluid levels.

That's because the caffeine in many drinks leads to extra urination.
The result is that more liquid goes out of the body than is taken in.
And therein lies a problem. Your child's body has inbuilt
mechanisms to maintain the liquid levels. A lack of liquid intake,
combined with the effects of caffeine in fluid output, means your
child's body requires more liquids to maintain the right balance. In
other words, their body starts to demand more liquid.

That demand for extra liquids usually starts at the worst possible
time - early evening. Your child is home from school or from a day
playing with friends and they suddenly want a drink. They gulp
down whatever you give them and demand more - and more. This is
because their hydration levels are low and their body's self defense
mechanisms have kicked in to ensure that they don't become
dehydrated.

However, the body always takes in more than it actually needs -
just to be on the safe side. So that excess has to go somewhere. It
is taken out by the kidneys, converted into urine and placed in the
bladder for urination. But this can take a few hours to occur. The
result is that your child's bladder has often not completed filling
until after they have gone to bed.

If they have a poorly developed sense of bladder fullness while
asleep, they will simply wet the bed. Many children wet the bed not
because they drink too much, but because they don't drink enough!

If a child drinks plenty of water during the day, they need less
during the evening. Also, because their body has had time during
the day to regulate it's water levels, there is less need for urinating
at night. Hence if a child drinks more during the day, the likelihood
of bed wetting is reduced. Preventing your child from drinking too
much liquid is actually working against you; it makes bed wetting
more likely.

The problem for many parents is encouraging children to drink
enough water during the day. As ever, changing your child's habits
starts with changing your own. Start drinking more water yourself -
it won't do you any harm! Your child will see you doing this and will
not see water drinking as unusual.

Also, make sure you provide your child with water whenever they go
out. Put a bottle of water in their bag and encourage them to drink
it. Equally, raise the issue with school, suggesting that children
should be encouraged to drink more. You don't need to mention
your child's bedwetting - indeed you shouldn't as it will embarrass
your child. However, if you can get your child's school to encourage
more daytime drinking of water you'll be helping the overall health of
the whole school - as well as reducing bedwetting in your own
child.

More information on dealing with bed wetting can be found at www.bed-wetting-info.co.uk

About the Author

Graham Jones is a child psychologist who helps parents cope with the difficulties of bed wetting.
Graham Jones