How to deal with nighttime potty problems.

Ah, motherhood. You can file bed wetting under the not-so-glam side of having kids. Rest assured that your kid is not alone: Typically 7 million children between the ages of 6 and 16 experience this problem. But the upside is that it's entirely manageable. All it takes is the proverbial ounce of prevention and a change of bedtime routines and voila -- your kiddo sleeps in dry sheets (and you get a good night's sleep!).

Don't assign blame. Reassure your child that this is normal at their age, that it isn't their fault and that you understand they're not doing it on purpose. Also, do not punish or tease your child for wetting the bed -- and make sure other family members do the same.

Cut down on drinks. Seems like a no-brainer, but it's true. The first step is to avoid letting the little one drink large amounts of fluid two hours before bedtime. Then have your child use the toilet just before going to bed.

The sheet situation. A plastic cover between the sheets and mattress will help to protect the bed. And when accidents do happen, let your child help change the wet sheets.

Work it out. Consider practicing bladder-stretching exercises in which your child will try to increase the time between potty trips during the daytime. This way the bladder can learn to stretch and hold more urine at night. And you can also practice an awakening routine -- one in which you become a human alarm clock of sorts. This way, you can wake your child up to go potty two to three hours after he or she hits the hay. Before long, it should become a routine they adopt themselves. And you can rest easy!