Handy tips

Kids who wet the bed may have emotional baggage and feel sad, anxious and different to other kids. It takes a patient and supportive parent to help put these negative feelings to rest.

Here are some tips and ideas to help you help you and your child stay hopeful and confident.

Learn all you can

Start by learning as much as you can about nocturnal enuresis. This way, when your child has questions, you’ll be able to answer them, or know where to get the information your child needs.

Share information with your child

The kid’s section of this web site is a great place to start. Encourage your child to look in the kid’s section to learn more about bedwetting and to read about other kids who wet the bed and their experiences.

Talk openly with your child

Kids who wet the bed can feel like they’ve failed their parents. It’s important to be sensitive to your child’s feelings about bedwetting and encourage open discussion with you. Let them know it’s not their fault and that you do not blame them for wetting the bed. Let them know that you’re both in this together and that you’ll be a supportive partner. You may choose to keep the discussions just between yourselves or the whole family may be part of the conversations.

Working together

There’s nothing like team work to help everyone through a tough stage. Involving Dad in the issues around bed wetting can help to demystify the bedwetting phase. You are all working towards a common goal after all.

Explain what’s happening physically

It helps to explain to your child what is physically happening when they wet the bed so they can have some understanding of what is happening to them while they are asleep. We’ve provided some information that you can use to help explain bedwetting to your child.

Let them know they’re not alone

Knowing you’re not alone with a problem makes anyone feel better. Encourage your child with facts – like ‘two of their classmates probably share the same problem’. If they are hesitant to go to a sleepover, assure them, odds are that someone else at the party probably has night time accidents too. Encourage them to share their own experiences through our anonymous story feature, it may be a good way for them to get things off their chest and help other kids who are going through bedwetting at the same time.

Provide your child with solutions

Try and arm yourself with some practical and relevant tips that your child can use everyday or on those special occasions when they go for a sleepover at a friend’s house. We have provided a range of DryNites tips for you to pass on to your child.