New website speaks to children in their language

m e d i a r e l e a s e

New website speaks to children in their language,
reassuring them that bed-wetting is NOT their
fault and that time is often all it takes

‘Your bladder is like a balloon, which stretches when you drink and ‘holds on’ to your wee,’ explains a new child-friendly website designed to demystify bed-wetting for children and give parents direct dialogue with a doctor via the privacy of their own home computer.

A new website www.drynites.co.nz addresses important issues of self-esteem for kids who wet the bed at night, speaking directly to them: ‘When ever you’re feeling a bit down about wetting the bed at night, say this to yourself: “It’s not my fault, it’s not my fault.” It really isn’t. There isn’t a child anywhere that says “I like wetting the bed and I do it on purpose”. In fact it’s the complete opposite. If you could stop you would, so don’t be hard on yourself.’
One of many articles posted on the website lists the ways some children who wet the bed describe themselves:

• Stupid
• Broken
• Weak
• Not good enough
• Weird
• Pathetic
• A disappointment
• A failure
• A baby
Kids also report that one of their biggest concerns is that they are letting their parents down.

From the children’s section of the website, a paragraph on the mechanics of bedwetting explains: ’For some kids, their bladders haven’t yet learnt to really stretch enough to hold big wees during the day. So at night their bladder can’t stretch enough to hold all the wee it needs to, to stay dry. In other kids, their kidneys make too much wee at night, as their brain hasn’t learnt to slow down.’

The website puts the numbers in perspective for children: ‘If you’re going on a school camp, there will definitely be other children there who feel just the same as you. You would never guess that 3 other kids in your class probably suffer from bedwetting or that there are over 150,000 children in Australia and New Zealand with the same problem. If you put them all together they would make up over 13,000 soccer teams!’

The website speaks gently to kids: “Often the best cure for bedwetting is simply time. Hang in there, we know how frustrating that can be, so this website will help you to learn some tips on how to cope with bedwetting until your body and brain are ready to respond.”

The reasons they are given that it’s not their fault are:
• ‘Your brain and body are not communicating properly.
• It happens in your sleep and you are not awake to control it.

• Your Mum or Dad may also have wet the bed and this means that you are more likely to wet the bed.’

New Zealand mother Jacqueline Brown is Nurse Co-ordinator for K.E.E.A. (New Zealand’s Kiwi Enuresis Encopresis Association) and welcomes the new website which links to the association’s own website and bed-wetting alarm database at www.keea.org.nz.

Jacqueline says “There is often a lot of stress for both children and parents around bed-wetting. Often it can be useful to take the pressure off, and put the child in DryNites until the reason for the wetting can be assessed and treated appropriately. Relieving the pressure and empowering parents with relevant information and advice is an important part of helping children to become dry.”

Simon Williams, spokesman for Huggies DryNites, says they responded to research showing that parents of children with bed-wetting problems are most comfortable dealing with the issue in private via a website, in an anonymous on-line forum with other parents, and with the website’s own doctor.

“We are pleased this website brings normality to the subject for parents and for the children who suffer from bed-wetting. Bed-wetting is not a behavioural problem, and we’re pleased this website brings children’s feelings into the centre of the discussion,” he says.

ends

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