Health Tip: Prevent Bedwetting

(HealthDay News) -- Because accidents happen, every young child will probably occasionally soil the sheets. But there are things parents can do to help their children stay dry through the night. Experts offer these suggestions:

• Make sure your child doesn''t drink too much in the evening. Start monitoring and limiting his fluid consumption several hours before he goes to bed. Since caffeine tends to spur urine production, be sure to avoid caffeinated beverages.
• Have your child use the bathroom right before bed every night.
• If bedwetting is consistent, consult your pediatrician to be sure that there''s no infection or some other physical cause.
• Reassure your child, and don''t be angry with him or punish him. Bedwetting is not typically an act of defiance or laziness that should be reprimanded.

-- Diana Kohnle

Last Updated: July 1, 2006