CHILD BED WETTING TREATMENT

Children don't wet the bed on purpose — and that's important to remember, especially on those mornings when you're faced with sopping sheets, again. One thing is certain: the problem can't be 'solved' through punishment. It does help to keep a sense of humour about the situation, which will undoubtedly pass. And try these techniques in the meantime.

Keep those 'wee hours' drier 

• Restrict your child's fluid intake for an hour before bedtime. In particular, cut out cola drinks or hot chocolate that may contain caffeine, which irritates the bladder. 

• If your child usually drinks a mug of milk at bedtime, try to stop the practice for a week or two and see if it helps. A few children are allergic to the proteins in milk, primarily casein and whey, and the allergy can cause bedwetting. 

• Make sure your child goes to the toilet before he or she goes to bed. It won't stop the bedwetting, but there will be less stored urine, which means less urine to wet the bed. 

• Make the pre-bedtime routine calm and quiet. Rough, active play or even an exciting television programme increases the risk of bedwetting. Read a story or leave the child to read alone in bed. 

• If the child is seven or older, consider buying a bedwetting alarm.This is a battery operated sensor that emits a buzzing or ringing sound when it detects moisture. It conditions children to recognize the need to urinate and wake up before they have to go. Don't give up if the alarm hasn't solved the problem after a week or two; most children respond within two months. 

    Limit the damage 

• Put a waterproof mattress protector on your child's bed (supermarkets sell packets of padded disposable ones). Not only will this protect the mattress, it will also ensure that you can treat the accident as just that — an accident, not a disaster. Both you and your child will sleep better knowing that there isn't a major clean-up job to worry about.

    Enlist your child's help 

• Get your child to assist you with the tasks that go along with bedwetting, like laundering the sheets, making the bed or putting out a fresh nightie or pair of pyjamas. Make it clear that participation isn't a punishment, just a responsibility.