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The End of Bedwetting
How to Tell If Your Child Is Ready to Stop
By Melinda Copp
. "But these days it's easier to manage with protective underpants and bedding."
If a parent or an aunt or uncle wet the bed as a kid, then chances are your child's bedwetting is hereditary. And family history may offer some insight into when your child will overcome wetting.
"Genetics play a big part in bedwetting," Dr. Shubin says. "So look at how old family members were when they became dry." For example, if a parent or other family member grew out of bedwetting by age 7, then your child will likely grow out of it around the same age.
Even if your child has been dry for a few weeks, relapses are a possibility. Some kids will wet occasionally, even after long periods of dryness. And many kids will gradually outgrow bedwetting.
"My children didn't grow out of bedwetting all of a sudden; it was less frequently and then stopped," says Cynthia Sheldon, a mom from Elmwood, Neb. But that doesn't mean that relapses will last for long.
"Thirty days dry is considered cured," Dr. Bennett says. "If they relapse after that, it's usually a periodic thing." Periodic relapses may be caused by disruptions in usual sleep patterns or other changes in routine.
Kids may become frustrated when they wet the bed and they may not understand that relapses are normal, especially after a long period of dryness has built up their confidence. If your child wets after a dry period, he may be discouraged and upset. The key is to helping your child deal with these feelings is to be supportive and realistic.
