Bed wetting can be stressful to deal with as a parent. It’s a challenge because of the fact it’s something neither you or the kids can fully control. But you can succeed in managing or ending this situation. Here are 6 bed wetting solutions for kids that actually help.

As a parent who has experienced this too, I’ve compiled this list of things that can help other parents to successfully handle this as well. (Depending on your specific circumstances, some of these may or may not apply.)

QUICK DISCLAIMER/DISCLOSURE: I am not a medical professional. Articles on this website are for informational purposes only. This post contains affiliate links for a few products that can greatly help with bed-wetting, along with some other great tips. We may receive a small commission if you make a purchase through these links at no additional charge to you. See our full disclaimer/disclosure on our Terms of Use page.

1.) Make sure there is no underlying medical issue contributing to the problem.

If you have a child wetting the bed, especially if it starts out of the blue, it’s wise to let their pediatrician know, just to rule out any chance that there is a medical problem causing the accidents.

Sometimes even a simple bladder infection could be causing this. And while that may not be the case for your kids, it’s good just to have them checked out as a precaution.

2.) Make sure there are waterproof mattress covers on the kids’ beds.

When it comes to any possible bed wetting solutions for kids, this is one of the most important things you can do. I cannot stress this enough. Seriously, this prevents an already frustrating situation from getting worse.

There are basically 2 types of waterproof mattress covers you can use-

1. There are cheaper mattress covers (usually vinyl) that can be easily sprayed and wiped off (or wiped with disinfectant wipes.) I have purchased these for between $1-$5 at dollar stores when they have them in stock. These won’t last as long as the second type I mention, but they cost less and are easier to clean, because you don’t need to (and can’t) put them in the washer.

2. There are more durable, washable mattress covers that have a fabric layer on top, with a waterproof layer within or underneath. The upside is they are more durable; the downside is they should be washed (you can’t just wipe it off) after each bed-wedding incident, because of the fabric layer, and they do cost a little more.

I  suggest having one or two backup mattress covers, in the event one is dirty or gets worn out. The ones I’ve had with the fabric layer, I did notice wore out eventually too, but they last A LOT longer than the cheaper ones you just wipe off.

Either way, they are a great alternative to a dirty mattress- just make sure the mattress covers are WATERPROOF – an absolute must!

You may want to consider getting waterproof pillow covers as well.

3.) When there’s an accident, get it cleaned up asap.

If your kids are old enough, you can have them help with clean up.

Note- I don’t mean at all for this to be done in a shameful way. This should simply be done in the context of cleaning up, just as kids have other chores to do. (In our house these chores contribute to their allowance.)

This is what I have done for the older kids:

First, I have them take a shower or bath. (You don’t want to leave them in pee clothes any longer than necessary.) I give them a bag to bring into the bathroom to put their dirty clothes in.

Second, after they wash up, they bring their dirty clothes/sheets to a designated spot in the laundry room. (I use a large plastic storage bin I keep open for the kids to put them in, so the dirty clothes don’t soil anything else.) Then, I wash the clothes/sheets as soon as possible.

Third, the kids wipe off their mattress cover (if it’s the one that can be wiped- as we discussed above- if not, it would’ve gotten changed with the sheets) and then they wash their hands really good.

Finally, they make up their bed with clean linens- (I have at least 2-3 sheet sets per child and some extra blankets.)

Out of all those things, for the older kids, the only thing I really do is monitor them cleaning up and I then wash the clothes (I don’t make them do that.)

The kids know to check their mattress cover for any holes, and they know to make sure a mattress cover is on their bed all the way before putting on new sheets. You want the mattress cover completely snug over the mattress corners.

For kids that are too young to clean up: I suggest the same order (except you have to do it all;) give them a bath, (after which you need to keep them AWAY from the soiled bedding/area until removing the sheets/clothes yourself and washing them asap,) and wiping off or washing the mattress cover. Then remake their bed. This keeps them and their rooms/beds clean and smelling clean.

There really is no short-cut with cleaning, but having a set routine, having older kids do their part, and not putting it off will help.

You don’t want piled up pee clothes in the laundry room. And try not to stress too much about the cleaning. You have to wash linens and clothes anyways, just sometimes a little more often when there’s bed wedding involved.

Washing Tips:

If you notice the clothes still smell of pee after washing: Pre-soak the clothes, and/or add an extra rinse. A lot of washers have these options.

Personally I like to wash clothes with pee on them right away, versus waiting and the odor soaking in more. If after all that an item still has a mild urine smell and needs rewashing, I rewash it with the next load of clothes I do.

If you use washable waterproof mattress covers: Make sure you follow the wash/drying instructions, so they last as long as possible.

Even though it can be a bit of a hassle, you can get things cleaned up relatively fast. You can have the load in the washer, beds remade, and your kids washed up at the start of the day. Once you dry the clothes, this problem is done for the day.

In the case of a flawed mattress cover, or an incident where it didn’t fully ‘cover’ the mattress: This is a great article by Yellow Bliss Road on how to clean/deodorize the mattress. (You’ll most likely have the needed supplies on hand too!) And this works, so please, whatever you do, don’t throw out the mattress!

I’ve done this many times and it works. Of course, it’s best to prevent the mattress from getting urine on it to begin with.

Bed Wetting Solutions for Kids to Keep Their Rooms Smelling Clean After an Accident

Some things you can do to keep the room smelling fresh:

*open a window

*use air freshener such as this natural air freshener spray

*light a scented candle– (But make sure your child is old enough for this to be safely in their room, put this in a safe location and monitor this while it’s lit.)

4.) Allow for extra time in your morning routine to compensate for accidents.

It will stress you out real fast if you’re short on time in the morning and dealing with an accident. Wake up early enough, and get your kids up early enough so that there’s time for them to wash up. And then you can take care of any needed bed-wetting clean-up from the night before.

Even if it’s been a bit between accidents, I still always allow time in the morning for the kids to bathe, because I know there’s a possibility they will need to. We are actually in the habit of having them bathe in the morning, versus at night, because of this.

5.) Keep things off and away from the bed that will get damaged if they get wet.

We have a rule that no books or toys should be on the bed when the kids go to sleep. If your child has a stuffed animal that can get thrown in the washer too, no problem. But you don’t want things on the bed that’ll get ruined or be difficult to clean if they get urine on them.

We also try to keep sensitive items at a distance from the bed, just in case wet sheets/blankets make their way off of the bed and onto the floor/nearby objects.

6.) Consider some practical ways to prevent bed wetting.

There are a number of methods you can try to help your kids stop wetting the bed. Sometimes you may have to just be patient, while other times you may be able to at least limit the occurrences. Here are 6 bed wetting solutions for kids to help prevent accidents to begin with.

1. Have drinking time end an hour or 2 before bedtime. Just make sure they get enough fluids throughout the day, of course.

2. Make sure your child uses the bathroom right before bed. In our house, if they went 30 minutes ago, that’s great, but I still have them ‘try’ to go again, right before bed (and usually they do.)

3. You can try waking your child and have them use the bathroom during the night. You can set an alarm in their room to wake them up to go (if they’re older and will actually get up.) Or you could set an alarm for yourself to wake them up to go.

If your child goes to bed before you, try waking them up to go right before you go to bed; then it will not interrupt your sleep, at least.

Parents/doctors seem to have mixed emotions about waking up kids to go, so again, these are just ideas; the decisions are ultimately up to you.

4. You can use a bed wetting alarm that wakes them up when they start to go. I have never used one personally, but some parents have had great success with this.

5. Be consistent with bedtime, and make sure your kids get enough rest. When someone is overtired, this can affect their awareness during sleep, which could interfere with your child’s ability to wake themselves up to use the bathroom.

6. Consider creating a reward system for when your child doesn’t wet the bed. I would never punish a child for having an accident at night. However, I don’t think there’s any harm in giving them an achievable goal and reward to look forward to.

Although kids are limited in their control over bed-wetting, this can encourage them to use the bathroom if they wake up during the night.

So those are 6 bed wetting solutions for kids. You can effectively manage this by being prepared and handling it the right way.

Thanks for reading!

P.S. If you want to encourage your kids to have healthy habits in a fun way: Grab our free printable Healthy Lifestyle Memory Match Game here.