What You Need to Know About Bedwetting
By Wilma Ann Anderson

Getting your child to stay in bed may be high on your list of nighttime anxieties. Getting your child to stay in a dry bed could very well top the list. Nighttime bedwetting since toddlerhood, "primary" nocturnal enuresis, affects up to 40% of 3-year-olds. Enuresis runs in families, so it may sooth your child to hear that "Uncle Billy" had a similar experience. "Parents need to be low key," suggests Dr. Deborah Borchers, a primary care pediatrician at Southern Ohio Health Service Network. "Try to preserve the child's self-esteem. A child should never be shamed for wetting the bed."

Having your child help clean up soiled sheets and keeping the episodes confidential may lessen existing anxieties. If you are concerned about the situation, your pediatrician may suggest a bedwetting alarm. Leaking urine triggers the alarm and wakes the child, training his brain to react to the urge.

Medications such as DDAVP, a pharmacological copy of the hormone vasopressin that slows the child's production of urine, are also being used with success. Still, some parents choose timed nighttime potty trips or overnight undies. Whatever treatment is chosen, Dr. Borchers suggests looking out for three key signs that professional help is necessary:

1) A dry child suddenly starts wetting the bed again (this could signal diabetes, bladder infection or even abuse)
2) Your child becomes extremely upset by the episodes
3) Bedwetting continues through 7-8 years old

Almost no one wets the bed on purpose and two-thirds of bedwetters cure on their own. Successful treatment includes patience, family support and positive reinforcement. Be encouraged; dryer days are ahead.

Wilma Ann Anderson is the Editor-in-Chief and Cofounder of Mahogany Baby. She's also an accomplished singer, and works as a model and film executive. This mother of four has freelanced for ESSENCE and Working Mother magazines, enjoys crafting, and is based in New Jersey.