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Sheets, Stars and Sodas

Which Techniques Are Right for Your Bedwetting Child?

By Lyn Mettler

Should you have your child help wash and change her sheets, or is that cruel since she can't control it? That's a decision you and your family must make.

The AAP does recommend letting your child help with clean-up, saying that it teaches responsibility and may keep others in your family from knowing every time she wets the bed. They do warn, however, that if other siblings do not have similar chores that your child may perceive it as a punishment.

That's why Alyson chose not to have her son wash his sheets. "I don't make anyone else wash their sheets," she says. "I kind of felt that was a punishment for something he can't control."

Dr. Nagaraju thinks that having children older than 5 wash their own sheets is a good idea. He says that children should be given responsibility, and he thinks that it helps them try harder to become aware.

And if sheet washing is a big issue in your house simply because of the frequency, consider using absorbent underpants, which keep sheets dry and laundry to a minimum. "We went through months of sheet washing and then found real comfort in the GoodNites®," says C.J., a mother in Utah whose teenage stepson wet the bed. "It was easier for all of us."

But no matter how you choose to handle the situation, remember the most important thing is to help your child handle bedwetting with dignity, so be sure not to do anything that might negatively affect his self-esteem. Also, be sure to check with your doctor first and go with your gut – if it doesn't feel right, don't do it.

*Last name excluded to protect privacy.