Bed-Wetting Myths Exposed!

Conflicting messages and half-truths such as these have done much to transform bed-wetting into a frustrating, taboo issue. So what should you believe? We separate fact from fallacy:

Children wet the bed to get attention.

Absolutely false. “The last thing [children who wet the bed] want is attention,” says Amy Dunlop, a pediatric nurse practitioner at the Christie Clinic in Champagne, Ill. “They’re ashamed and embarrassed by it. They would certainly stop it if they could.”

Instead, bed-wetting is a medical condition where children, usually at night, are unable to control their bladders from releasing urine. Fortunately, several effective treatments are available.

Too much water before bedtime causes bed-wetting.