Bedwetting Prevention Techniques

Bedwetting in toddlers is a natural, yet very worrisome happening. There are many different methods used by parents to make it easier to get through, but are they all really as helpful as they are thought to be?

One method is to use sleep pants. Sleep pants are like underwear, but more absorbent. Using training pants or diapers at night falls under the same method as using sleep pants does. All these are used to minimize wetness. However, is it actually worth it to use them?

In certain ways, sleep pants are good. They absorb the wetness, which minimizes rashes. They are disposable, so they minimize washing. But what about the bad side, there are also some negative results possible. Wearing sleep pants may not be good for progress. For a child who is well trained to use the toilet in the day, but still has trouble at night, using sleep pants can be a step backward.

One thing to remember is that by this age bedwetting is mental. A child’s mind might think that because they are wearing the sleep pants there is no reason to get up and go to the restroom because the sleep diaper will absorb the wetness. Compare it to going to a movie. If you can see a movie at home with no problem, are you going to go to the theater to see the exact same movie? More than likely, your mind is going to tell you there is no point. So why would the child feel they need to wake up and go to the toilet when they can just lie in bed asleep and do the same thing?  Sure, the child might eventually understand through waking up a little wet and fussing from parents that they need to wake up and use the toilet, but it could take longer.

Another method is to let the child wear normal underwear. The bad sides of this are that the child will be more wet, prone to rash, and it makes for more laundry. But is that really enough to argue with the good side of this method?

By this age a parent is used to treating rash, so if one forms it is not anything new to the parent. The child becoming more wet might tell the mind that he needs to go to the toilet in order to prevent this from happening. Due to this, the child will make quicker progress. You may have to wash a few more clothes and sheets and treat another rash or two, but it could definitely be worth the hassle to see your child progress.

Another, slightly newer, method is to let the child sleep with no clothing. The good side of this to a parent is that it allows the child to feel it is easier to go and they do not have to rush to the toilet, which can often cause them to lose bladder control. This method is thought to be good to use once the child has already awoken once to go to the toilet. This method is usually used by parents using trial and error techniques. It is not recommended because it could become consistent to the child’s mind that sleeping with no clothing is perfectly fine, which can create problems in later years. The child might notice that they need to use the toilet sooner to prevent wetness, but not as well as with underwear, and it might not be worth the chance of having problems later in life.

Though there are many new and old techniques this article explains the most used methods. Every child is different and not every child will progress due to the same techniques. When looking into different techniques what you have to remember is that, you know better than anyone how well your child’s mind works. View the pros and cons of each method and decide which one would be more helpful to your child.