There are millions of kids that experience bedwetting, often lasting until they are teenagers.  However, doctors say that it is often a natural part of development, and in most cases not a sign of more serious medical or emotional issues.

Bedwetting can be extremely stressful on the family.  The child often feels embarrassed and is nervous about spending the night at a friends’ or at sleep-away camp.

As the summer approaches, communicate the issue to camp so a set of guidelines can be established to mitigate stress on the counselors and most importantly, the child.

• Set a time each night that the child will stop drinking.
• Make sure the child goes to the bathroom just before getting in bed.
• Ask the camp to designate at least 2 counselors (rotating schedule) to wake the child once each night.
• In the event of an accident, the child should understand the importance of notifying a counselor. They should establish a secret code at the beginning of camp (i.e. hat on the bed), so the bed will be changed during first activity period when everyone is out of the cabin.

Parents can choose among different behavioral conditioning devices, including a buzzer or sleep pad. Additionally, there are several medication options, including anti-diuretic hormone nasal spray and the anti-depressant, imipramine.

While the ultimate bedwetting plan is going to be family-specific, all parents must establish a solid plan with the camp that will insure the child’s wellbeing and happiness.

http://www.aacap.org/cs/root/facts_for_families/bedwetting

http://kidshealth.org/parent/general/sleep/enuresis.html

http://www.phantomstress.com/index.html

Preparing the Family For Sleep Away Camp Series is contributed by Phillip Romero, MD.  Based in New York City, Dr. Romero is a relationship stress specialist and brain coach. For twenty-five years he has worked in private practice with families, couples and individuals and trained Fellows in Child Psychiatry as Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Cornell Medical School.

In 1988 he created Logosoma Brain Training (LBT) by incorporating recent advances in brain science and Buddhist mindfulness techniques to help people master their relationship stress. As a medical student Dr. Romero studied at the Yoga Institute in Bombay and received training in Buddhism & Tibetan Medicine in Dharamsala, India where he met with the Dalai Lama. He is a life-long practitioner of both Tibetan and Zen meditation techniques, and is currently developing Logosoma Brain Training seminars for the public.  Dr. Romero can be contacted through http://www.phantomstress.com/.