Bedwetting Solutions
How to Not Wet the Bed at More Than One Place
2 Nov, 2022
2.5 min. Read
One mom is concerned because her 8-year-old son wets the bed at home but not during his extended stays with his grandmother who lives out of state. Another wonders why her 10-year-old stepson wets the bed when he stays at her house but not at his mother’s house. Is there a reason a kid wakes up realizing “I peed in my bed” in one home but not another?
According to Dr. David Fay, a family physician and associate director of the Waukesha Family Practice Residency Program in Waukesha, WI, bedwetting (or nighttime wetting) in one home but not another is fairly common. And managing the issue requires communication and cooperation among all parties.
In the first case, Dr. Fay says that, for some reason, the child’s perception of the household where they wet the bed is different from their perception of the other home. It may be that in one household the parent is diligent about monitoring fluids in the hours before bedtime. In that home, they generally stick to whatever routine they have established to help the child keep from wetting the bed. On the other hand, this routine may not be adhered to in the home where the child wets. The way to solve this problem is for the adult parties in the two homes to compare their routines and make sure they are as alike as possible.
In the second scenario, Dr. Fay says the reasons could be emotionally driven. That means the child is so upset by whatever is going on in their life that one manifestation of the upset is nighttime wetting.
Quality of sleep may also play a role in the situation. Shelly Morris, director of the Enuresis Clinic of America, says that in a household where a child doesn’t sleep as well or as soundly they may not wet the bed.
“It’s the same situation as when an adult is in a strange bed, such as a hotel room,” says Morris. “When you’re in a different place, you just don’t sleep as well. If a child doesn’t get into that deep sleep, he may wake more easily to go to the bathroom.”
Morris explains that this is often the reason a kid pees pants — pajamas pants, that is — during the night at home but not at a sleepover or during the first few days of camp. It can also apply, however, to a child who visits a relative for overnight stays or who splits their time between divorced or separated parents.
The keys to solving the problem are cooperation, communication and consistency between the two households. When the two parties can communicate and are willing to work together, there are a number of strategies for managing nighttime wetting. And be sure to include your child in conversations about bedwetting too. Whether they ask “Why do I wet the bed?” or simply state “I peed my bed,” they are likely to have questions – and they may be feeling emotions like confusion, shame or embarrassment.
Potential Reasons
There is no single “cause” that has been identified as being responsible for nighttime wetting. Genetics are a major factor as is bladder capacity. Dr. Fay believes the combination of bladder capacity and emotional stress can trigger nighttime wetting in kids who live at more than one address — or who spend extended periods of time visiting someone like a grandparent. Children who wet the bed in one home but not another can be divided into two basic categories:- Children who have wet the bed all along and have already been evaluated, undergone treatment, shown some improvement and begun wetting again.
- Children who have never wet the bed and have started to do so in one home or another.
