Potty Training, Two close friends: The pee pee dance and bedwetting!

The other day I was talking to another health care professional - Her expertise? Kids and pee!

It was an enlightening conversation! Since then I have repeated her advice and education multiple times daily to my parents. Most of my parents say exactly what I said when I heard this: "AHHH! So that’s what’s happening!" Listen up … I’m here to talk about the "pee pee dance and bedwetting!"

I know you’ve seen the pee pee dance! Your child is standing in front of the TV crisscrossing her legs so she can wait until the last possible minute to steal away and go to the bathroom. Or perhaps instead of the dance, they seem perfectly content until they grab themselves and go careening for the bathroom all the while screaming “I HAVE TO GO POTTY!”

They often dribble a little because the bladder is so overfull. Think of the bladder as a balloon and the urethral opening, where they pee through, as the gates. The bladder is a muscle. Normally when it fills up, it spasms and tells the body that a trip to the bathroom is warranted. Children and adults alike learn to suppress this urge and soon the bladder is so full that only when the gates to the bladder are threatening to break open are they aware that they have to go. Up until then, if you ask – "Do you have to go?" They’ll say "no" because they can’t feel it.

When they do finally go, the force is so great that it’s painful! Some don’t fully empty their bladder and within a relatively short period of time have to go again. These are the parents that come to my office complaining of frequent painful urination and are confused when a urine test shows no infection.

This pattern of urinating during the daytime is considered “dysfunctional” and bedwetting can be linked to this dysfunctional voiding pattern. It is still considered normal to wet the bed until six years of age. That’s because for some kids they don’t secrete the hormone that helps them concentrate their urine at night. For other kids however it’s because their bladder is tired and cannot hold the urine. Remember that there can be medical reasons why your child is bedwetting and only your child’s doctor can rule out any medical causes.

What can you do to help your child with Potty Training?

1. Use a timer during the day and have her go every two hours. This keeps her bladder empty and helps her retrain her body to sense a full bladder. A vibrating watch can help empower them.

2. Drink plenty of water because constipation and wetting can be linked together.

3. Two hours before bedtime, stop the fluids including the following bladder irritants: soda, citrus products, caffeine and chocolate.

4. Reward your child for staying dry!

5. Never punish your child! They’re not doing it on purpose!

Chances are excellent that she’ll outgrow it. Only 1% of adults continue to have bedwetting. Regardless of whether your child is under six years old, if the bedwetting is causing her distress, then talk to your doctor about referring her to a urologist where they can do other studies to rule out abnormalities. The most important thing is to be gentle with your child and try to preserve her self esteem. And lastly try not to worry. As with a lot of things your child will pattern their reaction after yours!

Until next time,

Dr. Sheila Cason