When to Treat
Are you ready for the next step?
By: Renee Mercer, MSN, CPNP
Deciding when your family and your child are both ready to work on achieving nighttime dryness is very individual. Since there is no absolute time for this to occur, the following are things you might consider:
- Your child's temperament. Some children naturally worry more than others. They worry that there is something wrong with them or that they are different from their peers. Other children are more easygoing
and easily make accommodations for sleepovers. As a parent, you know your child's temperament better than anyone. Early intervention
and much reassurance is helpful for the "worrier."
- Family stressors. Taking these steps to dryness requires effort from both parents and child, so it's helpful to choose a low-stress time to begin. (As parents, you may laugh and ask, What is that?) High-stress times may be: immediately before holidays or family vacations; at the beginning of the school year; when your child is starting a new sport; following a sibling's birth; following a close family member's death; during or following a divorce; and while or following moving.
- Your child's goals or obligations. Your child might mention to you that she would really like to sleep at her friend's house without disposable
pants or go to a week of camp with her friends next summer. These are often very realistic goals and indicate her level of motivation.
- Your child's age. Each child develops at a different rate, but the average child is dry at night by age 6. Some 5-year-olds are very motivated
to become dry, whereas some 7-year-olds are not.
- Whether they have had any dry nights. In a 5- or 6-year-old who is having dry nights about half the time, supportive treatment may be all that is necessary as she continues to develop. However, a 6-year-old who has never had a dry night is less likely to get to dryness without intervention. In an older child, for example age 10 or 11, wetting even a few nights a week is too much. Intervention to get to complete dryness is warranted. Remind your child that there is help for bedwetting and a number of treatment options are available to make things better for her.
Although 97% of bedwetting children who are dry during the day have no medical reason for their bedwetting, a thorough medical history and examination is recommended before starting treatment. Some medical conditions that make achieving dryness more difficult include urinary tract infections, diabetes, constipation, and sleep apnea. These can be ruled out by your health care provider.
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