What is a bedwetting treatment program?

A bedwetting treatment program is a series of tasks, measurements and tracking of information desired to help a child overcome bedwetting.  Merely wearing a bedwetting alarm is not a bedwetting treatment program, it is part of one.

What Are The Parts of a Bedwetting Treatment Program?

Any bedwetting treatment program usually has three distinct parts:   increasing bladder capacity, helping the child increase awareness that his or her bladder is full, and increasing the ability to use the sphincter muscle to withhold the urine.

The goal of any bedwetting treatment program is to teach the child to respond to their bladder being full whether they are awake or asleep.  This includes training the sphincter muscle to respond accordingly day or night and to recognize when it needs to work a little harder.

Exercises for a bedwetting treatment program

A proper bedwetting treatment program will have its own series of procedures and ways to help parents work with their children.  Some of these activities include:

  • Monitoring the children’s snacks and meals for foods that may increase urine production  or other bladder irritants
  • Bladder stretching exercises such as drinking more water than usual and practicing holding it (not to the point of pain!)
  • Stop/start and pushing exercises to stop and start the flow of urine, including mid-stream interruptions
  • Charting the number of trips to the restroom throughout the day
  • Keeping track of wet/dry nights on a private calendar
  • Measuring the actual capacity of the child’s bladder
  • The use of a bedwetting alarm to associate the feel of a full bladder and contractions
  • a visual rehearsal of lying in bed and starting to wet, including contracting the sphincter muscle then getting out of bed to use the restroom.

A bedwetting treatment program is a program the entire family should be supportive of and active in.  This is not something you can just expect the child to do on their own, parents have to be involved.  Other children in the home should be reminded they need to remain supportive and understanding as to what their brother or sister is going through.

There are many different programs available, including actual clinics that treat bedwetting.  Their programs can usually be done remotely from any location, but visiting one of the centers itself can be a very rewarding experience.

Using a bedwetting treatment program is one of the most effective ways to help your child be dry at night.