I can still remember when I was about probably 3-5 years old when my father whips my butt with a slipper because I wet our floor cover we slept on together with the blankets. I didn’t know how I stopped wetting. What I could remember is I only got awaken whenever I feel the need to urinate.
Only when I got married and observed how my wife trained our children I understood how children bedwetting can be avoided or to minimized to none at all.
In order to save from diapers, my wife had our son urinate before sleeping at night, then at midnight, three in the morning, then again when the baby woke up in the morning.
This practice became a habit that our baby learned to give signals of uncomfortableness each time he felt to empty his bladder. I said, “Wow, even babies don’t want to be dirty!”
The question is how my wife knew the timing that our baby needed to empty his bladder?
For the first two months she observed our baby’s behavior and schedule in addition to his reactions whenever he needs to relieve himself.
That practice was carried on to our next two children - then now to our fourth who is now 2 and ½ years old. In fact we still have the last pack of the diapers I bought when she 1 year old.
The only time the kids ended up wetting their diapers were when we feel lazy to get up at night, we attended a party, during travels, and when we ignore their signals. And that’s only when they can’t shout enough to tell us. By the age of two years old bedwetting is completely gone.
Mothers are amazed to know our kids inform us they need to go to the washroom to clear their bowels or bladders. Well, we are also amazed to know that their 3 years old kid is still wearing diapers 24 hours a day and complain it’s expensive to raise a baby.
What are the signals a baby is about to urinate?
1. Kicking = my wife said our baby starts to thrust his feet removing the covers
2. Crying – not really crying but something closed to it to call attention.
3. Taking note of time cycle - Like adults, babies have their own time schedule for feeding, siesta time, and relieving themselves. Usually two hours to three hours are the gap though for some maybe shorter or longer depending on the established habit. Usually, a baby who just relieved herself/himself will want to be breastfed.
For grown-up kids, I believed the best way to let them stop bedwetting is to remind them about going first to empty their urinary bladder before going to bed at night. And if possible make a deal with them you will wake them up at the middle of the night to again urinate until they establish a routine and will do it by themselves.
Getting upset with them when they have accident will not help but only make them pressured and anxious which will make them lose self-respect.
