These stories are based on information gathered from health
professionals and consumers. They may be helpful as you make important health
decisions.
Jorge, age 36: My two daughters stopped
wetting the bed when they were 4 or 5, but my son, who's 7, still does it about
twice a week. Neither my wife nor I wet the bed as children, so we don't really
have any experience with it, and it's just a little concerning to us. We've
arranged to talk to our pediatrician about it just to set our minds at
ease.
Lynn, age 29: I wet the bed until I was at
least 10 or 11, so I wasn't too surprised when my own daughter continued doing
it even after she was 7 years old. My husband was a little more concerned, but
I told him that it's perfectly normal for some kids and that she's very
healthy. My own parents were not so laid back, and I remember having all sorts
of scary tests and being at the doctor's office all the time—and there was
nothing wrong with me. I don't want to put my daughter through that because I
really don't think there is any need.
Marga, age 38: No one in my family or my
husband's family ever wet the bed, so we don't have any experience in dealing
with it. Frankly, we are a little concerned about our 8-year-old, who regularly
wets several times a week. It doesn't seem to bother him much, so we are going
to talk to the doctor first and see if she thinks there is anything to worry
about. We don't want to draw attention to it if there's no need to, but we need
some advice.
Tyrell, age 45: One good thing about being the
youngest in the family is that you get to learn from all your siblings as they
raise their kids. I started to get worried when my son was still wetting the
bed at age 9, but my sisters told me that their sons all did the same thing and
that it really was pretty normal. That eased my mind a lot. I was all set to
take him to the doctor for a full workup, but they assured me that it probably
would just go away on its own.
John, age 40: We have tried a lot of home
methods to manage our daughter's bed-wetting, but it still happens. She seems
to be very upset by it and says she feels like a "baby." We try to reassure her
that she isn't the only one and that she is perfectly normal, but it doesn't
seem to help. We decided that because she is so concerned, we will talk with
our doctor about it and see if there is anything we can do to help ease her
mind.