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Home › Articles › Bedwetting › A Girl's Guide to Bedwetting

A Girl's Guide to Bedwetting

Understanding Bedwetting from a Girl's Perspective

By Kelly Burgess

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There are also irritation issues to the skin for extremely sound sleepers, but Dr. Danuloff says there are a lot of good creams on the market to protect the skin. Be sure to check first with your child's pediatrician to be sure whatever cream or ointment you choose is safe.

Growing Up

Remember Hope? She worried that her daughter would be scarred for life by her extreme distress from a very young age about her bedwetting. Now, she says, "The psychological effects of the bedwetting drama, thankfully, haven't lasted. In fact, she's 12 now and we were reminded of her bedwetting experience a few days ago. She said, 'Oh, I almost forgot about that.' That was a relief, because we were definitely concerned that it would stick with her."

Dr. Friman assures all parents that it won't.

"These are kids," Dr. Friman says. "Accidents happen in class and at night and there's no way to have that not happen, but if a kid is otherwise pretty well established and has love and stability at home the repercussions won't be long lasting. By the time she's been dry a month the child will be so absorbed by the day-to-day unfolding of her life that the bedwetting won't mean a thing."

* Last name withheld to protect privacy.

Bedwetting Tips for Parents of Girls

Below are some tips for handling bedwetting in girls

  • Pay attention to your daughter's feelings. If she's distressed about bedwetting and your physician doesn't take it seriously, consider consulting a psychologist or another physician who will.
  • Don't disclose her bedwetting with her peers. Girls can be mean, especially as they move toward adolescence. Bedwetting should be between you and your child.
  • Don't keep your daughter from social situations. Rather, help her make a plan for sleepovers so she can discreetly change into a Pull-Up to manage her bedwetting while still enjoying the party. For younger children, it may be necessary to enlist the other child's parent.
  • Be aware of your daughter's urinary health. Talk to her about UTIs and the importance of letting you know if it hurts when she tries to urinate.
  • Do not allow siblings to tease one another about bedwetting, but make sure the siblings are equally rewarded for "positive" behavior if you're also rewarding one child for "positive" bedwetting progress.


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