Children's Health Children's Health Basics

Superhero Rescues Kids from Bedwetting Blues

He's dryer than the Sahara desert, stronger than a super-sized diaper and rescues kids from the terror of waking up with wet sheets. It's Bladderman, a superhero searching for dry beds, rested parents and happier children.

It may sound silly, but for the five million American children over the age of six who suffer from bedwetting, also known as enuresis, Bladderman is a caped crusader out to rescue a child's self-confidence and soggy sheets. The unusual superhero stars in a new book, Waking Up Dry, written by Dr. Howard Bennett, professor of pediatrics at George Washington University Medical Center. Bennett hopes that Bladderman will become a useful resource for parents and kids who want to put an end to bedwetting.

But the superhero needs the full support of parents to make an impact, says Bennett. "Even highly motivated children need their parent's assistance to make the program work."

Getting With the Program
By the age of six, most kids have fairly consistent control of their bladders, but bedwetting can continue through childhood, occasionally into the teenage years.

Typically, a pediatrician first checks that the bedwetting isn't an indication of something more serious, such as urinary tract infection, abnormally small bladder or other physical abnormality. But bedwetting is rarely a sign of something serious. Most kids outgrow bedwetting on their own, and after ruling these conditions out, a doctor would simply send the family home to wait it out.

But even without an underlying medical condition, bedwetting can affect a child's self-confidence and interfere with his maturing social life.

"If you have a six-year-old who wants to go on a sleepover, it can be a big problem," says Bennett.

Before any step is taken, however, it is important to determine how motivated the child is to stop wetting his or her bed. If little Johnny has mentioned to you that all of his friends no longer wear pull-up diapers, he may be ready to start, says Bennett. But if your child is oblivious to the bedwetting problem, it may be worth holding off.

"You shouldn't push it," says Bennett.

But some children, however, are just too embarrassed to talk to their parents about this problem. So, if you sense some hesitation, it is up you to initiate an open talk with your child. Be sure to mention that it is completely normal to wet the bed and many children do it. Best of all, if he or she wants to try to stop, you can work together to put an end to the bedwetting.

Retraining the Body
A behavioral program consists of a series of steps designed to help educate children about bedwetting and motivate them to learn how to stop, using some simple techniques and devices.

First, educate your child about how the bladder works. You can even fill a balloon up with water as a visual tool. Explain that the bladder "talks" to the brain to tell you when it needs to be emptied. Then give your child some homework: have them keep a calendar of when they go to the bathroom. This will teach them to make sure they are visiting the facilities as often as they should throughout the day.

"If you can't control your bladder during the day, you certainly can't at night," explains Bennett.

While there are several medications that can be prescribed to prevent bedwetting, many doctors, including Bennett, try to avoid them. The biggest problem with any anti-bedwetting medication is that they don't teach children how to control their bladder, so once they stop taking the drug, many children begin wetting the bed once again.

Alerting Kids to the Problem
For some families, the best training tool is a bedwetting alarm. This alarm is a small, plastic device that clips onto your child's underpants. The clip is attached to a small, pager-like device that is hooked onto your child's pajamas. The alarm senses when your child begins to get wet and beeps.

The idea is, your child will be woken by the alarm and hurry to the bathroom. Over time, they will get up sooner and sooner after the alarm starts to ring. Eventually, kids can try to "beat the buzzer" and wake up before the alarm can even sound.

"The alarm is the most effective, but not necessarily right for every family," says Bennett, who went on to explain how, in the beginning, a parent may need to sleep in the same room as the child to be sure that he or she wakes up with the alarm.

Parents can also help by limiting drinks close to bedtime and encouraging kids to practice flexing their groin muscles to give them better control.

With encouragement, support, a little help from Bladderman and "sticking with the program," parents and children can typically see improvements within two months, says Bennett.

"Remind kids that they are the boss of their bladder," says Bennett, "Don't let your bladder push you around."