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Home › Articles › Bedwetting › Like Brother, Like Sister

Like Brother, Like Sister

Help for Families with Multiple Bedwetters

By Melissa Granberry

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One of the toughest challenges Glynda faces is getting support from others. "When the subject comes up with my friends, they look at me with disbelief," she says. "It is as if they think I am doing something wrong to have two bedwetters." Which, of course, is not true. It's important to seek support from people who understand that bedwetting is not anyone's fault, such as other parents with kids who wet the bed. The GoodNites Web site, as well as the GoodNites® Good Mornings Club™, offer several ways to connect with other parents who are going through the same thing.

When you have three kids, laundry is always going to be a challenge, and with more than one waking up to a wet bed, it can become overwhelming. "On the occasion that both my son and daughter have accidents on the same night, it becomes a large amount of laundry to get the beds remade," Glynda says.

To help lighten the laundry load, children can wear absorbent undergarments, such as GoodNites® Underpants, to keep the sheets dry. "Our kids wear disposable undergarments at night," says Amy Devries, mother of two children who wet the bed. She notes that GoodNites® Underpants probably cost the same as doing laundry each day. "It is also less stress for everyone," she says.

* Last name withheld to protect privacy.

Tips of the Trade

The following are suggestions from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) and moms with more than one child who wet the bed to help your children get through the bedwetting blues and on to drier days:

  • Put a stop to teasing. The AAP suggests enforcing a "no-teasing" rule for family members who do not wet the bed.
  • Focus on each child's achievements in other areas. The NKF recommends talking about accomplishments in sports or at school in front of others, so each child can receive positive feedback.
  • Let the children know that wetting the bed is a private matter – they do not have to discuss the problem in front of other children. "We sat my middle son down and gently told him that his older brother's bedwetting was a family matter," says Glynda*, who has two out of three children who wet the bed. "It was not to be discussed with others."
  • Handle each child with enuresis separately. "My son can become really frustrated about the condition," Glynda says. "But, so far, my daughter does not seem too self conscious about the issue."
  • Keep the challenge of changing wet sheets to a minimum. Hayes suggests layering the bed with multiple sheets and plastic protectors. If an accident occurs in the middle of the night, you can simply remove the first layer of sheet and plastic, and the bed will be ready to go. "I have waterproof mattress pads on every bed in the house – even Mom and Dad's bed!" says Ann*, the mother of two children who wet the bed.
  • Use absorbent products. Many moms cite the benefits of reduced laundry, and thus less stress, as well increased self-esteem in children who wear such products.


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