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Home › Articles › Bedwetting › Childhood Baby Blues

Childhood Baby Blues

The Effects of a New Baby on Bedwetting

By Carma Haley Shoemaker

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According to Coleman, one of the most important things regarding bedwetting after the arrival of a new sibling is to refrain from shame. "Scolding won't help and it will definitely hurt," Coleman says. "Your child feels bad enough as it is. If you find yourself scolding him, apologize soon. The critical tone is inappropriate. You are only adding to your child's sense of shame."

Rose, a mom from Atlanta, Ga., found herself tired, irritable and frustrated with her older child's wetting the bed after her baby was born. "When he had wet the bed again after numerous other incidences, I found myself yelling," she says. "All of the sudden, a little voice in my head said, 'What are you doing?' So I grabbed him, hugged him and explained to him that I was not angry or upset with him or the fact that he wet the bed, but that I was really just tired from having so much to do. He said he understood, and we changed the sheets together."

What You Can Do

As frustrating as it may be, there are things you can do to manage the situation. While you are working through the stress of the new baby with your older child, you can have your child wear disposable absorbent underpants like GoodNites. These absorbent garments will keep your child warm and dry at night, preventing the shame of waking to cold, wet pajamas and sheets. Healthy self-esteem is one of the most important things growing kids need.

Additionally, using a simple "Teach, Empathy, Reassure, Help" method is effective in dealing with bedwetting, according to Coleman.

"Following the steps will assure all areas of concern are addressed," he says. "Teach your child that they are not the only one with this problem and that they are not strange, weird or abnormal. Let your child know that you understand how upset they are about their bedwetting and that you are there to help. Also let him or her know that you undersand how a new baby needing all your time could look as if you don't have time for him anymore. Reassure your child that there are things you can do and products you can buy that will help him deal with and overcome their bedwetting and let your child know that there is enough love in you for him and a new baby. Help your child by offering to work together to change wet sheets, wash wet clothes, listening when they express their concern and allowing them to take care of 'accidents' on their own if they wish to. In addition, allowing your child to help you with the new baby will help him feel included, not left out."


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