You can teach an older child who is still unable to stay dry in bed every night to use their head to beat their problem by themselves.

Most children under the age of about three wet themselves while they sleep at night, and wear nappies. Some children suddenly stop wetting much earlier than this, a cause for rejoicing and possibly even pride on the part of the parents.

Obviously an older child (or even a teenager) who has not mastered being dry all night presents a practical problem for parents. A waterproof sheet on the bed is essential, and possibly a continuation of nappy / diaper wearing as well. The problem is, that while wearing absorbent protection the child may be even less aware of urinating, and also less motivated to make the effort to get out of bed and go to the toilet.

The Bedwetting Problem

The parents can get frustrated, the child can become embarrassed, bedwetting has become a problem and emotions can run high.

Some parents get angry, treat the behaviour as naughty and intentional and mete out punishments. Others take a kinder approach and offer rewards, stickers on a chart and maybe a chocolate at the end of a week.

The child is confused and embarrassed. Every morning there that awful moment – did I or didn’t I? Am I wet or just sweaty?

As time passes the parents will suspect that there is a medical problem, and take the child to the doctor.

All in Your Head

There are some people can think before they go to sleep: I want to wake up at six o’clock. And they do it. It’s as if they have an inbuilt alarm clock. We can train our minds and alter our sleep patterns.

When a child wets the bed they have no idea they are doing it. They are not being naughty or disobedient. There are some instances, as many adults are aware, when you can dream that you need the toilet and then dream that you are on the toilet … But with a child who regularly wets the bed, there is no dream.

The Machine

The idea of the Bedwetting Machine is that an alarm wakes the subject as soon as any dampness from urine occurs. (It is designed to not react to other dampness, such as sweat.) The child must then go through a routine of getting up, going to the toilet, changing their sheets, resetting the alarm, and getting back to bed. The parent, also woken by the alarm, must not interfere, or touch the child, although they can speak to them from outside the bedroom.

But what about the child who doesn’t wake up with the alarm, and the rest of the family are awake and not permitted to touch the child, just stand at the door and shout ...

The Routine

Actually, for the machine and alarm to be effective there are routines the child must do before getting into bed. They are supposed to sit on the edge of the bed and talk themselves through the routine several times, complete with actions such as walking to the toilet. It’s very easy to skimp on this part of the treatment and just expect the machine to do all the work.

Do it Without the Machine

The before-bed routine is actually the important part, getting the mind into gear. If the child is motivated and determined they will find this very fulfilling.

Let them decide for themselves how many times they want to walk themselves through it each night. A very determined child might choose a number like twenty.

Go through it with them a few times at first. “I’m going to get up and go to the toilet …” - walk there, do the whole thing. Sit down on the bed and start again, say it out loud.

Keep a Chart

By all means do the chart thing, and the rewards, because it is all about determination, getting the subconscious in tune with the conscious, and when it succeeds it is something to be proud of.

Other Factors

In a few cases there may actually be a medical condition, so if the problem continues and the parents are concerned then obviously a doctor should be consulted.