It is sad that most children do not outgrow their bedwetting. The reason why this happens is that one could be a deep sleeper or simply because the bladder does not have the ability to hold a larger amount of urine. Usually, it is normal for a child to wet their bed until they reach the age of three. After that they should stop. If they continue to wet their bed beyond this age, then they have some psychological and nutritional triggers.
Causes
- Problems with the kidney
- Bladder infection
- Heavy sleeping
- Stress
- Imbalance of hormones
Symptoms
- Wetness during day time
- Strain to pass urine
- Constipation
- High temperature
- Thirst
- Blood in the urine
- Frequent need to pee
Home Remedies to Treat Bedwetting
Bedwetting is not a very pleasant thing especially when a child reaches the age of seven and yet they are still wetting their bed. It may cause them to withdraw from the others and make them dread sleepovers. However, this condition is treatable and we will look at several home remedies found to treat bedwetting.
1. Honey
You can use honey to get rid of bedwetting. Honey being a natural sweetener does not add fat in the body. Use it instead of sugar in the child’s milk. You can also give them one tablespoon before they go to bed. Do this every day until you get the expected positive results.
2. Use of Cinnamon
Cinnamon lowers sugar levels in the blood, relaxes all muscles and helps keep the body warm from the inside. This eventually helps to keep the child from wetting the bed. Make cinnamon bark powder and mix it with sugar. You can also just add it to the child’s milk during breakfast or just sprinkle the mixture on the child’s bread. If your child is not so choosy, give them the cinnamon bark to chew.
3. Jaggery
This keep the child warm hence does not wet the bed in their sleep. Mix Jaggery with sesame seeds and celery seeds in equal amounts, give one teaspoon to your child, and then give them a cup of milk during breakfast. You can also give them a small piece of Jaggery to eat after meals.
4. Olive Oil Therapy
Massage your child with some warm olive oil on the lower abdomen especially around the navel for several minutes before they go to bed. This massage relaxes the bladder and enables the child to hold urine longer in the bladder. Do this often until they stop wetting their bed.
5. Using Herbal Tea
Add equal amounts of oak bark, horsetail and bear berry in boiling water for several minutes to make the tea and let it cool and steep overnight. Give the child a half cup twice during the day and one cup at least two hours before they go to bed.
6. Indian Gooseberry (Amla)
Amla strengthens the bladder muscles hence a very important remedy for bedwetting toddlers. Crush the Indian gooseberry and remove the seeds, add a pinch of turmeric and a tablespoon of honey and give the child twice a day. You can also give them the Indian gooseberry powder mixed with ground cumin seeds and sugar candy.
7. Cranberry Juice
Cranberry ensures the bladder, kidneys and urinary tract’s health and it prevents passage of urine at night. Give the child cranberry juice one hour before bedtime daily until the condition is treated. Giving the child the juice just before he/she sleeps could worsen the condition.
8. Bananas
Bananas are used as binder in the stomach, which helps to treat bedwetting. Give your child 2-3 bananas a day and with time, the condition will be no more.
9. Apple Cider Vinegar
This helps to regulate and reduce acid levels in the body thereby reducing the frequent urge to urinate. Mix two tablespoons of the apple cider vinegar in water and give your child after every meal.
10. Walnuts and Raisins
Give the child one teaspoon of raisins and two teaspoons of walnut daily before going to bed until the condition has been fully treated.
11. Fennel Seeds
These seeds help retain fluids in the body therefore when taken before bedtime will help one from urinating in bed. Put one teaspoon of dried fennel seeds into one cup of water and give it to the child before they go to bed.
12. Eating Pumpkin seeds
The pumpkin seeds are known to have a slightly diuretic function that helps to increase production of urine while they are sedated. Give the child pumpkin seeds in the morning to help them produce urine that they can handle and learn how to control the bladder muscles.
13. Use of Bedwetting Alarms
These are alarms set to awake the child at a particular time so that they can go to the toilet. Train the child so that when they hear the alarm they will just wake up on their own to urinate. With time the child will adapt and hence train themselves to control their bladder as they are more conscious of the possibility of them wetting the bed.
14. Positive Attitude and Moral Support by the Parent
As a parent, you should avoid scolding your child when they wet the bed, instead be gentle on them and help them understand that the condition is treatable and it is not an abnormality. With this understanding, they will more readily accept the remedies that you may opt to use to help them through the condition.
15. Use of Parent-Awakening Programs
This is where the parent agrees with the child that at a particular time, the parent will call to wake the child and that when the child hears the parent’s voice; they will just wake up and go to the toilet. This strategy is effective but you have to train the child that they go to the toilet on their own therefore they do not even have to see the parent for them to wake up.
16. Appreciation and Reward
Children are very easy to please and will do anything to be appreciated. Promise your child to reward them if they wake up dry. It is always easier to treat bedwetting if the child does it on his/her own. With a reward in mind, they will make all effort to maintain a dry bed of which with time becomes usual. Ensure you keep your promise to avoid demoralizing the child.
These are remedies that have been proven to work and if one does not work on your child, definitely the next will. Do not give up trying to cure your child because natural remedies are always the best but patience with your child is also a very important virtue throughout any of these remedies to get rid of bedwetting.