My 3 Year Old Wets The Bed Every Night

Nothing can be more annoying and making the day start on the wrong note than waking up in the morning to discover your toddler just wet the bed, especially if it is your marital bed, because not only is it off-putting. It can also cause some worries for a parent who believes his child has been properly potty trained and old enough to be without diapers, for example, at the age of three. I remembered how annoying it was for me and embarrassing for my child.

So having encountered this kind of situation before, I can safely say there isn’t much cause for alarm; let’s see things that can cause toddlers to wet the bed, experts’ views, and some simple remedies or steps to take in the situation.

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What causes a child to bed wet?

The reasons for the baby’s bedwetting could be Physical, Pathological, and Psychological

The Child Body Biology (Physical Reasons)

The physical reasons that may cause a child to be wet could be simply a deep sleeper or that their brain has not fully developed to deal with overnight bladder control. Most get it at three years, some five, some in their late teens, and some may never get it at all!

It can also be due to the child’s night activities, if your child is active in the night and stays up quiet, takes a lot of fluid in the night around 7 pm and upwards, it may cause bedwetting because the body would produce a lot of urine which would be stored in his small bladder.

Another physical cause is simply that your child has not been properly Potty trained! Over-reliance on diapers may cause this.

An underlying malady? (pathological factors)

Pathological reasons are numerous as to why children bed wet, classified as enuresis (bedwetting). A common one may be constipation in the rectum, which has already been stuffed with poop and all, putting pressure on the bladder during the night, and causing bedwetting.

It can also be due to a lack of the hormone ADH (Antidiuretic hormone), which regulates urine secretion in the kidney. Other pathological factors are urinary tract infections, brain malfunction, problems with the kidney and bladder, and Hypercalciuria.

Genetic factors could also be at play; maybe you or your partner had frequent bedwetting when they were a child.

It May Be More In Detail (Physiological Factors)

Psychological factors may be the most troublesome ones to deal with because it requires a lot of observations. For example, has your child ever done this? Or did he suddenly start wetting the bed, or has it been a regular thing? Most experts believe a child wetting the bed can be a trauma response to rape or beatings, or nightmares.

Another factor is the scolding you give him as a parent, maybe because of him being naughty, or it could even be because of the peeing. Reference to the American Academy of Pediatrics, about 20% of 5-year-olds, 10% of 7-year-olds, and 5% of 10-year-olds still have bedwetting. In other words, one in five five-year-old children may have bedwetting problems, so in my case, my three-year-old baby is not so “special.”

Parents should not overreact and increase the psychological burden of the child. Instead, be patient and find out why the child is wetting the bed. Or maybe he has problems in school or with his babysitter; if he has one, that is why it is important to be vigilant as a parent! This is a very sensitive topic that requires a lot of attention because it would be best to resolve the child’s mental health issue while in his early years.

What are the steps to be taken?

There are a few steps that can be taken to deal with an issue like this; let me put it this way, what you can do, what a medical personnel/therapist can do. And what modern technology can do.

Related Read:

6 year old still not potty trained

How to potty train for nighttime

My 3 year old wets the bed every night – Here is what you can do yourself at home?

The bulk of the work remains with you as a parent; here are some simple techniques to put into action.

1. Give the child some time to grow over it

As said earlier, some children might not have grasped overnight bladder control at an early age. Simply giving the child some time and wearing his diapers would not hurt one bit.

Also, do not scold! Three years of age is too early to be that worried. Show patience and gentility when dealing with him. Let the baby out of the nervous mood. Tell him that many children of the same age will also wet the bed, and when you grow up, you will naturally no longer wet the bed.

Maybe there is no pressure, but they can get out of the dilemma of bedwetting faster. It is not completely abnormal for a three-year-old not to be nighttime potty-trained. Your child has not developed the ability to control or be aware of their bladder at night when sleeping. Some children take longer than others to develop this ability.

Finally, never punish or shame a child for wetting the bed at night. Wetting the bed at night is not a behavior or a conscious choice.

2. Get a waterproof plastic sheet

To put under the regular fitted sheet and a plastic pillowcase to put under the regular pillowcase.

3. Wear him diapers for the time being

4. Wake up and urinate in advance

Record your baby’s bedwetting time every day and wake up the baby to get up and urinate half-hour or 1 hour before their bedwetting time. After a training period, the child will gradually establish a conditioning reflex that the stimulation of bladder filling can awaken.

5. Also, you can put her in pull-ups, not diapers

Let her know that you accept her as a “big girl” and let her pull them down and back up herself.

6. Keep bedding extremely simple

I would use no more than a fitted sheet and a top sheet or single blanket. I would make sure that I have plenty of these on hand to change out each morning.

7. Regular drinking time

During the day, you can let your baby drink more water. Please don’t drink it after five o’clock in the evening. It is best to eat less soup and water for dinner. On a diet, you can eat less diuretic food, such as watermelon, white radish, winter melon, and so on.

8. Training bladder

When the baby has urine during the day, let the child wait for 5 minutes and do not urinate for a while. Then slowly extend the time to 10 minutes, until the last 3 to 4 hours without going to the toilet, gradually expanding the bladder capacity. Children are encouraged to intentionally interrupt urination during urination to improve the control of the bladder sphincter.

9. Set a timer so that you wake up once in the middle of the night and take your child to the toilet.

I was not a fan of using special underwear for big kids’ diapers as a regular thing. These things tend to prolong how long it takes a child to become potty-trained by making them too comfortable.

Also, I wouldn’t say I like the environmental impact of throwing away a bunch of diapers. However, if that’s the method most suitable for you and your family, go ahead!

What Can I Do As A Parent Or Guardian

• You can visit your doctor with the child and ask for advice or some necessary tests to be taken to make sure his body system is functioning properly.
• Visiting a child therapist could also prove helpful if you suspect any foul play.
• Also, ask the doctor to recommend good healthy food that doesn’t have too much water content, to prepare them for dinner to reduce the child’s night water intake.

What can modern technology do?

There are devices you can get in the market to help check bedwetting. They include

1. Use a bedwetting alarm

The bedwetting siren is usually worn near the child’s shoulder. The principle is to monitor the change in humidity using a sensor attached to the panty, alert the bell in advance, and him up to the toilet before the child comes out. After a period of use, most children will gradually feel and adapt to the signals from the bladder to improve the condition of the bedwetting.

In conclusion,

when my three-year-old was wetting the bed, I nearly panicked and was close to scolding him; however, after doing some research and talking to experts and family members, I realized there isn’t much cause for alarm. I shouldn’t be too worried; I should take some simple steps, some of which I have shared, which I did, and after barely a month, the bedwetting stopped! Some parents still wear diapers for their kids until they are five, so stay calm, show love and patience, and you will get through it!