Have you ever wondered why your child refused to go to their friend’s sleepover or go on a school trip that requires them to stop over? It’s probably because their bedwetting problem is embarrassing and leaves them feeling anxious.
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This can hold your child back and they will miss important opportunities to socialise and miss out on fun experiences with their friends. Underjams and the charity ERIC (Education & Resources for Improving Childhood Continence) researched into the amount of children missing out on sleepovers and other trips and the results are that a third of children admitted to missing out because of their bedwetting problem.
Jenny Perez, the Director of ERIC, says: ‘To mark the first ever Bedwetting Awareness Week, ERIC has partnered with Pampers Underjams to highlight how many children are missing out unnecessarily on sleepovers and other trips away. There are few other medical conditions that prevent children from taking part in these types of social activities – which form an important part of growing up, and help to build children’s confidence and independence.’
The survey also revealed that children should feel that sleepovers are exciting and fun but 74% of those experiencing bedwetting feel a mixture of fear, nervousness and anxiety. Furthermore 42% of the parents cited that their child’s sleep is also disrupted by bedwetting thus increasing the impact that the problem has on their lives.
Parents are trying to find a solution to their children missing sleepovers because of bedwetting and 26% of parents feel relaxed knowing that they have pre-agreed some tips with their child, if they had to deal with any accidents. Also, 40% of the parents that polled found it comforting to talk to other parents about their child’s bedwetting problem and 37% felt reassured once they had talked about it.
Bedwetting is an extremely common and there are a few techniques to deal with the problem, parents just need to feel reassured that there is a solution and their child can get through the night without any accidents. Jenny Perez also says that they are ‘encouraging parents to seek help as early as possible, so they are empowered to manage bedwetting effectively, and ensure their child doesn’t miss out unnecessarily on sleepovers and other trips away.’
There are many reasons why bedwetting occurs, it could be a delay in a child not developing the right level of hormone vasopressin, which helps concentrate urine overnight or they might not be receiving the signal from the bladder to the brain which alerts a child to wake to use the toilet, it could also be the muscles of an overactive bladder contracting when the child is sleeping. Children are not aware of the situation and have no conscious control over the bedwetting problem so you need to reassure your child that it isn’t their fault and there is ways to help them.
TV GP Dr Chris Steele MBE, who is backing the campaign, says that ‘Fortunately there are a range of approaches and tips to help families deal with and in many cases resolve childhood bedwetting. Children really shouldn’t need to miss out on any normal activities like sleepovers – just speak to your GP or contact ERIC for further information and support.’
Underjams have pyjama pants that provide children with the privacy and protection they need if they tend to frequently wet the bed. They are designed with an absorbent core to help protect from leaks and the pants are made from quiet materials to reduce any ‘rustling’ sound. For more information visit the Underjams and ERIC websites for tips, advice and useful information on bedwetting.
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