Wetting the Bed, Help!

They make goodnights which are basically diapers for really big children. Talk to her about them and tell her that the overnight pads can be a secret between you 2 girls so she does not feel like a baby or ashamed. do not assume that your daughter wets the bed due to the tragic event there may be another issue. Many children sleep very deeply and their mind does not wake them to go to the bathroom. If you spoke to a doctor I think you would be surprised how "normal" it is for a child that age especially a girl to wet the bed. So what do you do...well reduce her caffeine...that has been linked to bed wetting. Talk to her about reducing the fluids she consumes 2 hours before she goes to sleep. If she is really thirsty during that time, suggest milk (it is a solid and produces less urine than water or soda). Going to the bathroom before bed is a good idea but remember it takes the body time to process the fluid she consumes so it is not going to all "come out" before bed. Go to walmart or target and purchase bed pads...these are plastic lined incontinence pads like you sat on in the hospital when you had a baby. They make them for elderly people and will collect the urine if you do not want to use the overnights. They go under the fitted sheet (part of this is plastic so you never want anything plastic near a deeply sleeping child). Most of all remember she is 10...still very much a child and this is humiliating for her. The bigger deal you make of it, the worse it will get. Treat this as no big deal by talking to her and offering suggestions and allowing her to be part of the solution.

Hey L.! My name is C. and I am also in the New Orleans area (French Quarter). I really don't have bed wetting advice! Just wanted to reach out to another mother/stepmother in my area...I am the mother of an incredible 2 year old and have two step kids (16 yr old girl and 10 yr old boy). My 10 yr old stepson has been having problems in the hygiene arena also. Good luck and if you'd like to chat in the future...hit me up!

It sounds like it's psychological and not physical, and therefore you should should try to totally ignore it - just change the sheets - make no comment - not a peep - if she remains dry either - just try to be as neutral as possible - it may be due to a change of scene, or to get attention. This technique is called extinguishing behavior. Children often behave in undesirable ways to get attention. If you stop giving her attention when she does something you don't like, then she'll stop the behavior herself. It's very difficult not to respond to something that bothers you, but make a solid pact with your husband to try it for a week and see what results you get. Sounds like her father gives her a lot of attention when she wets herself. Tell him to totally ignore it and spend time with her instead. Maybe a walk or a trip to the zoo just the two of them. Good luck!
M.

My son who is now in his thirties had a similiar problem with no medical issues. It took a lot of observing to finally notice that being cold at night caused him to loose control. He never had accidents at any other time except when he would get cold during the night. Once we were sure this was the reason, we bought an inexpensive heated blanket and as long as he stayed warm no more bed wetting. This worked for us, hope it helps you.