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Strategies to Maintain Bedwetters' Self-Esteem

Four Helpful Tips for Parents

By Lyn Mettler

Bedwetting in children can be a sensitive issue, especially as the child grows older. Handling the situation appropriately, therefore, is so important in maintaining your child's self-esteem, avoiding embarrassment and truly helping him on the path to dryness.

The techniques often recommended to deal with bedwetting, also called enuresis, vary from doctor to doctor and from parent to parent. They range from doing nothing to the most extreme – administering medications. Different methods work for different families, so it's very important that parents discuss their individual situation with their pediatrician to determine the best treatment options.

While the techniques vary, there are several strategies you can use when dealing with enuresis that promote positive interaction with your child.

This is by far the most important thing to remember when your child wets the bed. "Parents should not scold children or make it a form of punishment," says Dr. Pradeep Nagaraju, interim chief of urology at Mount Sinai Hospital in Chicago.

Scolding often arises from a misunderstanding of what actually causes bedwetting. "The misconception about primary nocturnal enuresis is that there's something wrong with the kid, and there's not. The child cannot sense the urge while asleep and is not lazy or spiteful," says Dr. Frederick Kaskel, professor of pediatrics at the Children's Hospital at Montefiore in the Bronx, N.Y. "The family unit must work together and not take out frustrations on the child. Abuse does happen this way, both physically and emotionally."

In fact, says Dr. Cynthia Ferrell, assistant professor of pediatrics at Doernbecher Children's Hospital in Portland, Ore., by taking out your frustrations on your child, you may propagate negative self-esteem. Remember, wetting the bed is embarrassing enough without being reprimanded.

Want to see more?

• Daytime Wetting – Helping Your Child Stay Dry
• Good Mornings: Bedwetting and Your Child
• Wet, but Dry
• The Effects of Divorce on Children – A Potential Cause for Bedwetting
• Oh Brother, I Wet the Bed
• Childhood Baby Blues: The Effects of a New Baby on Bedwetting
• Summer Camp or Bust: Your Bedwetting Child Can Do It!