Remaining positive is important. A beautiful statement that applies to all aspects of life, but above all we want to emphasize the positive effect it has in solving your child’s bedwetting.
It’s half past 4 at night when you suddenly wake up from a soft voice next to your bed: “Mommy, I peed”. Do you think to yourself, ‘is it that time again…? It’s the umpteenth time that your 5 year old daughter wets the bed and you have to get out of bed to change everything. This week it’s even the 3rd time, you’re really starting to find it annoying.
A while ago she was still completely potty-trained, during the day and at night, and now it seems as if she has forgotten all about it just like that. Would she do it on purpose? She has to let it go now, because it can’t be like this forever. She is already 5 years old! Your daughter is looking with a sad face and starts to cry softly. Below you can read what a positive effect staying positive during the process can be.
Stay positive even if your child still has accidents
As you can read above, it is quite normal to experience negative feelings when it comes to your child’s bedwetting. It is a very unpleasant experience for both child and parent, it interrupts your sleep, and your patience will automatically diminish, and it creates a feeling of failure. Nothing could be further from the truth as soon as you can understand the underlying problems.
For your child it is not pleasant to pee the bed. Many children are ashamed of it. Do not reinforce this feeling by getting angry; staying positive has a stimulating effect on your child. Stay calm and react with understanding and support. It is therefore recommended that you comfort your child when you see that he or she is sad or disappointed. If your child has wet the bed, do not say anything about the bedwetting itself. So don’t say ‘when are you going to grow up’ or ‘why do you pee in bed every time’. This will only cause more shame and a greater sense of inadequacy.
Do not discuss bedwetting at night. Your child’s inner ‘bedwetting alarm’ does not work perfectly yet and you can discuss how you would like to help your child in this, but do so during the day.
Reward your child for their efforts
Regardless of the age at which your child has to deal with bedwetting (again), getting a reward for demonstrated efforts works extremely well. You do this as an extra confirmation and positive motivation for your child. In addition to a reward system, an aid is highly recommended. The most commonly used aid to help your child is the bedwetting alarm method. The bedwetting alarm method uses a transmitter connected to your child’s underwear to determine when the need to pee arises. Within a few seconds the transmitter sends a signal to the receiver and an alarm goes to wake up your child and start the peeing ritual.
There are several providers on the market that all take into account the combination of using an alarm and ways to stimulate your child in the most positive way possible. In the latest developments, one supplier has made the transmitter wireless, while another has integrated the receiver into a stuffed toy that acts as an extra incentive for your child as a buddy in this process. Several providers have chosen to work with an app that can be downloaded from the playstore or the app store. If you want to know more about the different providers, take a look at the bedwetting alarm brands.
Some good ways to motivate your child
Regardless of which solution you are going to choose, we will give you some good ideas to reward your child:
- A dry night means staying up an extra half hour
- Treat your child to a delicious ice cream from the ice cream parlor or a delicious milkshake after a few days of being dry
- After a dry week, do an outdoor activity that you know will make your child happy (eating together / shopping / cinema / train ride).
- After 2 weeks dry, give the ultimate reward. Give your child something he/she loves to do with mom and dad. This can be something small, but also something a bit larger or more expensive. In it you can think of a day of going swimming, heading to an indoor playground, an evening of bowling, going to an amusement park
The most important thing with the rewards is that they suit you. You discuss this in advance with your child and when your child has earned it, you can make something big out of it. After all, it is something special that deserves extra attention. By using this way of “staying positive” you will see that you will achieve a result faster.