BEDWETTING
What is it?
Incontinence at night after the age of five or six years.
Causes: Delayed maturity of control over bladder, bedwetting runs in families and is slightly more common in boys. Anxiety, e.g. the arrival of a new baby, separation from the parents, family tensions and urinary infection.
Possible complications: None
Treatment in the home: Do not give the child anything to drink after the evening meal, wake the child in the late evening so that he may use the toilet. Do not scold or punish the child for wet nights: praise him for dry nights.
When to consult a doctor: If bedwetting returns after a long period of dryness, If your child is unnaturally anxious or unhappy. If bedwetting still occurs at the age of six years.
What the doctor may do:Take a urine sample to check for infection, suggest the use of a buzzer alarm system. Prescribe medication which may reduce the frequency of wetting or refer you to a specialist.