Many parents believe that bedwetting is just a part of growing up. And indeed, bedwetting occurs more frequently in younger kids and decreases the older the child gets. But as a child approaches five, six and seven-years-old or older and continues to wet the bed, concerns naturally arise and most parents start looking for other answers.
With the ready availability of products like GoodNites and UnderJams in grocery and retail stores, many parents simply turn to these disposable underpants as a convenient, easy way of dealing with bedwetting. In fact, many parents today simply think “They make them for older kids, so they must be ok.” Disposable underpants help cope with bedwetting, but they do not cure the problem or address the underlying reasons.
Instead of simply buying your older child a version of “Pull-Ups” in bigger sizes, look into the causes of bedwetting and see if there are any factors you might have missed that can help decrease the chance of your child waking up in a wet bed. Some of these questions include:
- What is your child’s night-time routine? Do they have a glass of water before bed or a soda after 7PM?
- Have you noticed any other food allergies?
- Is your child sleepy during the day?
- Is it hard to wake your child from sleep in the morning?
Asking these and other probing questions can sometimes give some immediate suggestions about what you can do to help your child stay dry at night.
If your child is over 7-years-old, a trip to your doctor is probably in order if they wet frequently.
There is no “magic age” where bedwetting becomes a problem. Just because a bigger diaper is available, doesn’t mean it is right for your child. Taking steps to help your child not wet the bed is always preferable to simply masking the problem with diapers or underpants.
We encourage you to share your thoughts on when bedwetting becomes a problem.