These 4 bedwetting tips help during potty training when you have kids who wet the bed at night.

If your child was potty trained before the age of 2, I am not the mom to talk to. It was a sore spot for me for a while. Some of us have kids who wet the bed. Potty training at night was not my mom strength. If you have kids who wet the bed, these bedwetting tips can help you navigate this challenging time.

I had to learn to be patient. Each mom has their “tough” thing when it comes to parenting.

No mom is perfect at everything. Helping my children navigate through this tough stage was a challenge. I learned a lot of humility and some tips I want to share about bedwetting.

There is some research out there to suggest why kids who wet the bed need more time with potty training. In fact, according to the Mayo Clinic:

“Generally, bed-wetting before age 7 isn’t a concern. At this age, your child may still be developing nighttime bladder control.

If bed-wetting continues, treat the problem with patience and understanding. Lifestyle changes, bladder training, moisture alarms and sometimes medication may help reduce bed-wetting.”

Potty training is such a sensitive topic. There is a rush to potty train kids early.

Children are not robots. We know that from studying child development ranges of preschoolers and development of toddlers it is very common to have children still wetting the bed up to age 7.

I will push my kids to learn new things, but I take their abilities into consideration.

Nighttime bed wetting is an indicator that the child needs time. All of my children did eventually stop bedwetting. They grew out of it. We used the bedwetting tips I will share with you.

Kids who wet the bed can be a challenge, but every child develops and grows at their own pace. Use these 4 tips to navigate bedwetting.

Tips for Potty Training Kids: Kids Who Wet the Bed

When I was in the midst of potty training, I did not think I could give potty training advice. Now that we are done with potty training, I do have some tips. These focus on helping your kids who wet the bed stay dry at night.

Not all Children Develop at the Same Time

This is the truth. We do not need to diagnose all kids who do not do all the things at the same age as their peers.

Patience in parenting is the key. Read this article and this article to understand why some kids potty train at different ages. Many just need more time and not a diagnosis.

Use a Bedwetting Alarm

When each of my kids were getting near age 4, we relied on some bedwetting support. The kids were starting to get embarrassed by the fact that they were kids who wet the bed at night. We have to support them through this as parents!

We used the Malem bedwetting alarm.

One of my children hated the buzzer. The sound bothered her. She eventually just stopped wetting the bed at night around age 7. One day she was wetting the bed, the next she wasn’t. I wished I had just not stressed it!

The bedwetting alarm is handy for kids who can tolerate it. It hooks onto the child’s underwear. There are even undergarments that kids can wear with a built-in alarm.

The bedwetting alarm senses the slightest moisture. It buzzes to wake the child up…or more likely waking you up so you can wake them.

Our children who used this only needed to use it for about 2 weeks. After that they were each staying dry all night!

The bedwetting alarm was a lifesaver!

Support Your Child and Don’t Shame Them

Bottom line with kids who wet the bed: be patient. Making them feel bad about it is not helpful.

We were honest with our kids. We told them that they did need to learn to stay dry at night. But, we also told them that every person’s body is different.

Use Logical Incentives to Help Kids Work to Stop Bedwetting

We kept our kids home from any sleepovers to minimize their shame. We did however use sleepovers, and even going to preschool, as incentive for the kids to learn to stay dry at night.

Incentive #1: My oldest kept asking to go to preschool when he was 3. I told him when he stopped using pull ups and stayed dry all night, he could go. He went to preschool 2 days a week at age 4.

The incentive worked because I did not set a timeline. I just encouraged my child to reach their goal.

Incentive #2: One of my children really wanted to have a sleepover. She had to stay dry at night to do so. For her 7th birthday, she had her first sleepover with a few close friends.

Bedwetting tips for parents who are potty training a child that wets the bed.

Kids Who Wet the Bed: Wrap Up

There are a lot of skills we teach our kids. Some kids learn them faster than others. When it comes to kids who wet the bed, keep these bedwetting tips in mind.

  • Focus on your child’s needs and development.
  • Don’t compare your child to your friends’ kids.
  • Be supportive of your child and be patient.
  • Use a bedwetting alarm and logical incentives to make the whole experience positive.

With these bedwetting tips, kids who wet the bed can learn to grow out of this stage. I saw it work with my children.  

Hang in there!

Was your child easy or difficult to potty train? What worked for them? Share your experience and tips in the comments.

Four bedwetting tips for potty training kids who wet the bed.