Before I get too into this subject, I need to apologize to
my son, who I am sure at some point in his life will see this and be embarrassed
that I am sharing this experience with the public.
I had a dream once that I was playing and splashing around
in warm water, and then suddenly a storm came in and dumped cold rain, leaving
me feeling chilled and damp. When I awoke, I was indeed damp and chilled. My
four year old son had come into my room for cuddles and wet the bed.
He’s been day-time potty trained for some time now, but is
still adjusting to waking up and going to the bathroom. Since he wakes up
knowing something isn’t right, he comes and seeks comfort. Many times he is so
sneaky coming into my room that I have no idea he is there until I awake, which
sometimes is too late to avoid his bedwetting accident.
I have found though that there are preventative tips can
help a child who is struggling with bed wetting.
First and foremost, do not embarrass or shame your child.
The experience is uncomfortable enough with having to change pajamas and
sheets, that pointing it out more with anger will just add to the discomfort.
Simply acknowledge with empathy that accidents happen. If you as a child
struggled with bedwetting, be brave and share.
Limit, not eliminate, fluids after dinner. Eliminating
fluids is trying to avoid the problem; as with all things, avoiding the problem
does not fix the problem. Limiting fluid intake is risk reduction.
Take your child to the bathroom at the beginning of their
bedtime routine and at the end of it, just before hopping into bed.
When you go to bed, if you haven’t already fallen asleep
putting your child to sleep, take your child to the bathroom.
If there seems to be a consistent time when your child is
waking up after wetting the bed, take them to the bathroom prior to that time.
For example say there is a theme of a 3 a.m. bedwetting, wake them up at 2 a.m.
to go to the bathroom.
These are all preventative measures. If these problems
persist with your child for a prolonged period of time, consider taking them to
the doctor to rule out anything medical.
As for me in my house, it has been about two weeks since I
have had a cold dump of rain alter my dreams.
