5 Year Old Night Time Peeing

Updated on September 17, 2012
M.G. asks from Tucson, AZ
12 answers

Okay, I know that it is still within the developmentally normal range for my 5 year old to be peeing his pants throughout the night despite being daytime trained for 2.5 years. My concern is with the amount that he is peeing, he pees through his pull up every night without fail. I have him in a Good Nite pull up, as well as a cloth diaper made for children his age (Super Undies is the brand), and he is STILL leaking through! He changes himself during the night, but his sheets end up wet every night. I am tired! Any suggestions?

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So What Happened?

I forgot to mention that I do have a call in to his pediatrician to see if he needs a urology consult. Just waiting to hear back.

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V.P.

answers from Columbus on

He will outgrow it eventually -- we used to wake up my son at 11:00 every night to take him to the bathroom. Some nights he wasn't even really awake, and he had no memory of it in the morning. But we would take him to the bathroom and help him pee. We did it until he was about 7. Now he wakes himself up (he's 8) and has no problem.

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S.G.

answers from Norfolk on

I assume you have limited his nighttime fluid intake, etc. Have you spoken to the pediatrician? Having the sheets soaked through every night does sound excessive. Perhaps you could have him checked for diabetes insipidus.

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C.C.

answers from Orlando on

I deal with this with my 9 year old son. He has been tested for diabetes, negative. Doc says we just have to wait for brain to mature to stop producing so much urine at night and he is a deeep sleeper, so he will not wake if he has to go. The pullup sometimes hold it, often times not. I have tried adult male (size small) diapers and they gap and leak even though my son weighs a 100 lbs. I did purchase a pad that goes OVER the fitted sheet from One Step Ahead that works most of the time keeping the fitted sheet from getting wet so I just have to wash the pad. But lately, he has been wrapped up in the sheets and it soaks thru the pad, so i am stripping the entire bed almost everyday! It is tiring, but something I just have to deal with. Hubby and I were both bedwetters.
I don't make a big deal about it and tell him his body is just not ready. He refuses to do sleepovers because of this and it makes me sad.
GoodNights also makes a new disposable pad that has adhesive to attach to the fitted sheet and is not plasticy and crackle-ly. We use these when we travel and they work most of the time.
My Sis-in-laws son wet the bed unil the age of 14. I am hoping mine doesn't go that long, but know it is a possibility.

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J.K.

answers from Phoenix on

.

1 mom found this helpful

D.B.

answers from Boston on

My son did this - I got the normal developmental speech from the doctor. We got him up at night, but no one was getting enough sleep. When he got older, this problem really had an impact on his social life - no camp, no sleepovers, etc. The pediatrician referred us to a pediatric urologist who explain there's a condition called nocturnal enuresis which basically means not waking up at night to pee. He told us about a well-tested medication with no side effects (rare, I know) and that he has teens and even a few college freshmen on it. I'm not a big believer in medication when other things will do, but I wanted my son to have a normal life. He went on the meds, did great, and started going to sleepovers. When he went to another house, I sent 1 pill in a blank container and told the other parents to give it to him at night, that it was for allergies. Worked great. Same thing happened at sleepaway camp. He went off on his own at 11, the problem came back, and he went on again until about 12. No problems.

While your son might not be there yet, I want you to know there is a possible answer for him. I also hope this will help those people who are reading this post who have older kids.

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M.C.

answers from Chicago on

My 6-year-old pees through a Goodnight each night. He never changes himself, so I'm impressed your child does! He just wakes up wet and even soaks through a pad on top of that!

He admits he is afraid to get up at night, so I don't think the issue is sleeping too soundly. Grrr...

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R.R.

answers from Los Angeles on

Good you have a call into his doctor, never hurts to benefit from their expertise and advice. Limit his fluids to no later than 2 hours before bedtime, have him use the bathroom right before getting into bed, use the Good Night or adult incontinence pads over his sheet so only that needs to be changed when he wets.

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S.L.

answers from New York on

When my oldest son was five we had the same problem. We started getting him up at 11:00 to go to the bathroom. Like another poster said, he was barely awake, but would stumble, being led, to the bathroom and pee A LOT. Before bed he was only peeing a little. We stopped doing it around age 6.

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J.C.

answers from Philadelphia on

I am not a doctor but OMG I would be shocked if he had diabetes:) Your son is 5 and his bladder is much bigger than a 2 year olds that is why he is soaking through. Don't worry he will outgrow it.

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D.H.

answers from Phoenix on

I had one son who wet his bed until he was 12 years old. He was concerned and ashamed and embarrassed about it and didn't want to do it. We did all the right things - no water after a certain hour, etc., but it didn't work. I gave him the responsibility of waking up early enough to take his sheets and clothing and washing them & spraying down the bed (I had a plastic sheet cover on the mattress) and remaking it before the other kids got up and we tried to keep down the teasing and cruel things his brothers might say. One day, when he was 12, he came in and said that he knew that he was going to be okay - and he was, from then on. It also happened to Michael Landon - of Little House on the Prairie - and many other kids. It was hard on him, but he did grow out of it. He is a much more understanding father of five now. :)

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N.P.

answers from Phoenix on

Ask pediatrician about adenoids. Sometimes their enlarged and it cause apnea. Does your child snoring? I know several cases when adenoids removal completely solved bed wetting problems. Good luck.

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C.C.

answers from Washington DC on

Ok sounds excessive but we have a potty chair in our DD room for night time use, she goes before bedtime( but we don't limit fluids cause of other issues.) And the potty is there in the middle of the night. ( she doesn't like to leave her room to go to the bathroom) I like the suggestion of waking him up before you go to bed though -good luck

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