Bed Wetting - Ozark, AL

My daughter had a brief time where this happened to her. It was explained that she was just sleeping really hard from being too tired.

Usually an issue that will resolve itself.

Out of my 4 children, 2 were bedwetters. One thing that you have to know is that it isn't her fault. Bedwetting is actually caused from a sleep disorder, similar to sleep walking, talking in their sleep, etc., and some children exhibit several of these symptoms. With our oldest son, we used a company called "Pacific International" to help. They are expensive though. With our daughter, we relaxed a little more, and decided that if we couldn't help her stop by waking her at night, etc. by the time she was 10, we would call them again. She quit when she was 8. Punishing her for wetting is not a good idea, since it really isn't her fault.

If it was me, I wouldn't worry about it too much until she gets about 6 or 7 or closer to 7 then I would talk to the dr. It sounds like she is a really sound sleeper. Maybe when you wake her up in the middle of the night she doesn't realize that you are actually waking her up. I would just make her wear pull ups everynight so it didn't mess the mattress up. If she doesn't like wearing them, tell her tough, when she can get up and go to the potty and quit wetting the bed she can wear her other underware. I wouldn't make a big deal out of it anymore. Sometimes trying to fix it will make it worse so if she is trying too hard to NOT wet the bed, she may be doing just for that reason unconsciously. If it were me, I wouldn't stress about it and I wouldn't let her know it bothered me or that I was concerned. I would just put the pull ups on her and live life like nothing was out of the ordinary. Then see what happens. If she goes on till she was about 6 or closer to 7 I would consult the dr. Every child is different. My oldest son NEVER wet the bed or his diapers. He was trained at about 6 months old. My middle was kind of in the middle and my youngest son was about 5 or 6 before he was completely trained. They are all different. And sometimes making a big deal about it makes them try harder which really makes it worse. Example.... I had to pee in a cup the other day for a drug test for work. It caught me off guard and I couldn't pee for nothing.... and I felt like I had to go. Just knowing that I had to do it, was keeping me from doing it. I took a deep breath and relaxed and then I could pee. (And I am an adult). Can you imagine how that affects the little ones? My husband on the other hand, laughed.. he has no problem doing that on the spot or even being caught off guard. People are just different. I think knowing that she isn't supposed to do it, may be making it worse. Don't stress yourself out. Just put the pull ups on her and relax and let her relax. It will stop when it is supposed to stop.
Good luck.

R.,
Please do not punish your daughter for wetting the bed. she could just be a very deep sleeper with a weak bladder muscle. She could have a urinary tract infection (very common in little girls), her urethra could be narrow and causing urinary retention. There are many fixable reasons to cause bed wetting. Stop punishing and start investigating. See your doctor. If she still wets the bed put her in pull-ups until her bladder strenghtens and get a good nights sleep. She will out grow it. She is not her sister. She is herself.

I definately would not punish the poor child!! I would cut off all liquids 2 hours before bed and make sure she pottys before going to bed. Have her wear a pull up until you are more confident that she will not have accidents. This is not at all uncommon for a 5 yr old, and remember all kids are different. My 5 yr old has a lot more accidents than my 3 yr old, so to keep from her getting upset and waking up in the middle of the night (waking us up as well), pull ups are great.

It is entirely possible your child has an allergy. My younger sister and brother both had allergies to citric acid and milk and it numbed their bladders to where they could not tell they had to use the bathroom. Hope this helps!

It is never a good idea to punish or reward a child for something which she obviously cannot control.

If she cannot wake herself up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, she could have a sleep disorder.

If, even after you waking her up several times in a night, she is still wetting the bed, she may have a bladder or kidney disorder. You need to take her to see the pediatrician, and make sure that you tell him or her that you have your child go several times each night and she still wets the bed.

Punishing her for wetting the bed is absolutely unnecessary and may end up making her worse...plus, she will fear having to go to bed. Trust me, I wet the bed myself long past her age. It is bad enough to know that you have wet yourself, but to be punished for it when you had no control over it, is just not fair.

If she could wake herself up to go to the bathroom, chances are very good that she would do that, and avoid being punished.

Self-esteem is very important to children, even at that age, and to be told you can't do this or that simply because you have a bladder control problem is going to really hurt her self-esteem. If they make adult Depends for grown people who cannot control their bladders, why do we expect that a 5 year old who may or may not have a bladder or kidney problem, or sleep disorder, should be more able to control themselves while they are deeply asleep?

Not only would I not punish her for wetting herself, but I wouldn't reward her for keeping dry. Don't make it about winning or losing. This is a natural body function that everyone learns at their own pace.

My eight year old daughter had an accident the other night. I simply got up, gave her a shower, changed her sheets and said goodnight. We cannot expect children to be perfect. While my children rarely ever wet the bed these days, when they do, I am not going to over-react and make them feel even worse about it than they already do..

A good idea is to also stop letting her take baths. Little girls get water in their vagina's and it can lead to urinary tract infections, not to mention some of the water may drain out later in the night. Do not let her have bubbles or sit in a tub of soapy water for long.

Give her showers most of the time, and very rarely let her take a bath. Sure, baths are more fun, but her urinary tract health is more important, and there are lots of other things she could do to have fun.

Good luck.

Bed wetting can be caused by your daughter being a very heavy sleeper. We had this problem with our son. When he was very very tired before bed he was alot more likely to wet the bed because he would sleep so heavily. Waking her up several times during the night probably doesn't help just because she is probably still half asleep and really doesn't pee very much even if you do take her to the bathroom. We started cutting liquids after dinner (he's a very heavy apple juice drinker) and he can have a few sips of water after he brushes his teeth. He goes potty before he crawls in the bed. That really helped. Some kids just crash when they hit the bed and do not know they have to go until they are wet.

Robyn, I am not sure I can be so much help but my younger sister had this problem, She slept so sound that she had no idea she was going. My parents woke her up as you do and went thru the same problems. and they finally bought a mattress alarm for detecting bed wetting,, It goes off at the slightest detection of moisture. after a few nights she never wet again, they also with held liquids after a certain time in the evenings.
Hang in there
D.

Please do not punish your daughter. Some children--both boys and girls--have this problem. It is not something the child is able to 'not do'. Remember that this daughter, although a twin, is not the same as her twin sister.

My son had this problem. I tried all manner of things, punishment, getting up with him, no liquids after a certain time, etc. None of these helped, and I made him more ashamed than he was because of the situation. Years later, I apologized, and he responded, "Even girls have this problem."

There are mechanical things which can help. Check out the internet to find them. Remember, although these probably are expensive, not all will be successful--keep trying until you find the right item.

Hug your daughter, and each time it happens tell her you know she didn't mean for it to happen--because she doesn't mean for it to happen.

Hi R.,

My daughter wet the bed everynight until she was five years old, and would have continued, but she had started hurting when she wet, so I took her to a doctor, and he sent her to a urologist. She had a bladder infection and it had backed up to her kidneys. He said that the bed wetting was caused, from her pituitary gland, not telling her kidneys, while she was sleeping, to stop making urine. The gland hadn't matured as fast as the rest of her body. He gave her some nose drops, called DDAVP drops. She would have two drops in each nostril, at bedtime, and never wet the bed again.....unless we forgot the drops....then she would wet the bed automatically.

She stayed on the nose drops until she was 11....the age she would be, when her pituitary gland would be changing and she would be getting her periods. When she came off of the drops, she didn't ever wet the bed again. She didn't start her period until she was 13, but no more bed wetting.

You may want to check out a urologist and the DDAVP drops. They are the hormone that the pituitary secreates when it tells your kidneys not to make urine while you sleep.

Hope this helps,

K. A.

This is a common problem, and the most difficult part is that when they do stay dry, it makes it seem like they really do control it. Actually, staying dry is more of an accident. She really can't help the wetting, so don't reward or punish for it.
Talk to your doctor, and have him refer you to a urologist. The urologist will make sure there are no medical causes that need treatment, and he may likely prescribe DDAVP -- a pill that solves the problem for many children (he can explain all about that). My daughter had this problem until about age 10, and she was a "partial responder" to DDAVP, which means that even though it did not stop the bedwetting, it stopped her from completely flooding the bed. Prior to DDAVP, she would wear a pull-up with extra padding (sanitary napkin) and still wet so much that the bed was soaked every night. After DDAVP, she still wet, but a pull-up was sufficient to contain it. Most children, however, respond better to DDAVP and quit wetting. Once dryness is established for a few months, they can be weaned off of it.
Also, as mentioned below, an alarm can help, and eventually helped my daughter (in combination with DDAVP -- though ususually one does not use both).
Also, it is important (as already mentioned) to have her drink a lot during the day, then cut it out at night.
Talk to your doctor & let us know how it goes.

R.,
I have a 5 year old girl that still wets the bed most nights. She is a triplet, so I wonder if it is a multiple thing...her brother is doing much better. The best week we had was when I went to the Dollar TRee and bought a handful of cheap junk and made a grab bag for her. She was dry the whole week but one day. The toys ran out however and I just have not replaced them. We used candy too, but I don't like to use food as a reward so I quit that. She does much better when there is a reward so I wonder if it is a willful thing. It does help her when I put her to bed early. What time do yours go to bed? IF they are up too late, it seems like mine are too tired to wake themselves up to go to the bathroom. They both get embarrassed when they mess up...Hope you can find something useful in all this!
T. H.

I am a 36yr old mom of 3. My children are 10, 8, and 6. I totally understand what you are going through. Have you ever thought of trying a bedwetting alarm?????? They work wonders. Bedwetting is many times not the childs fault at all. My 8 year old daughter has had trouble with bedwetting. She has had times when she was dry at night for months then start wetting again. I found myself very frustrated and beginning to get angry. I have realized that she is just a really deep sleeper. I have tried everything....limiting her fluid intake, waking her up at night, taking away privledges. Then one day I did a internet search for bedwetting solutions. I found the Bedwetting Store (bedwettingstore.com). I purchased an alarm. The alarm is wireless, and fits like a pair of panties. The alarm sounds at the first bit of wettness therefore waking the child when her bladder is full. They also have mats for the bed that are wonderful and will cut down on the laundry. This has been a God send for us. It also helped our daughter feel better because we understood she wanted to stop the wetting as bad as we wanted her to. This way we are working on it together. Within a few days we saw great improvement, and within two weeks the accidents were only occasional. It takes a few months to totally stop the wetting but this has been a great tool for us. There are MANY kids with this problem. Check out the website and they also have a Nurse Practitioner on staff to talk to if you have questions. The alarms are abit pricey at about $150 (alarm, panties, and matts) but, in my opinion, very worth it!!!! Good luck to you and your baby. Please remember it is not her fault.

I have 3 1/2 year old little boy who could stay dry when he was first potty trained about 8 months ago, but then we had his little brother. Now he can't even stay dry through a 2 hour nap consistently. Is it due to his regression or is he a very heavy sleeper? I don't know. We've tried everything and it doesn't seem to work. He just doesn't get it, so I put him in pull-ups at night and cut the naps down to 1 1/2 hours so that he will be successful during the day. I'm still very frustrated, but I'm trying to be cool about it. I think some kids just take alot longer.
Good luck.

try getting her to drink twice as much water during the day to help stretch her blatter, and that helps her wait longer between wettings. I have 4 children and had the same problem with my middle girl. Also a doctor may help with medicines as well. Some children just develope quicker than others so you can not just compare her to her siblings. No two of them will ever be the same. In His Care Rhonda Garrison

R.,

Try cutting off her intake of liquids at a certain time before she goes to bed. You will eliminate liquid in your daughters urinary tract. Continue to wake your daughter up at night but limit it to once a night and keep it the same time every night.

I have a 5 year old son who has that problem. Did you or your husband have this problem as a child??? My husband did and we have talked to a doctor. There is something about genetics...it's not happening on purpose, it's something he can't control. We wake him up and he can't go, and sometimes he does sometimes he doesn't. More recently he has been diagnosed ADHD. There is also another link to children with add/adhd and bed wetting. Our doctor told us if we wanted to use pull ups or whatever, it was our choice. My son would be embarrased if he knew I told this but, he wears diapers at night. I don't care if I have to buy them if it saves his self confidence. You may want to try and talk to your family doctor about it if you haven't already. We did and it helped a lot!

Hello

The problem with your 5 year old is that her brain connection regarding her need to urinate at night during deep REM has not been made. For instantance, if she is in stage 1 or 2 or so of sleep, her brain will wake her up with the need to go potty. But when she drops into 3 or 4 stage the connection has not been probably been made.

If this does not make sense email me or better yet ask your peds person.

The answer is in an alarm system that will wake her, and you unfortunately, if there has been an accident. You are then suppose to wash their face with a damp cold washcloth, let them finish peeing if necessary and then remake the bed immediately. It sounds like a lot but from my 2 experiences it took 2 nights for one and 3 for the other.

Here is the web site that I just pulled up on these ideas. I am not endorsing the site just googled it.http://www.bedwettingstore.com/category_alarms.htm?gclid=...

I understand your frustration. My brother was 10 before he was trained and I was 8. We were also train using the mat unit. (I was trained in one day and my brother in 4.)

Good luck!!

About me: 42 with 2 girls 20 and 22

All children develop and mature differently. Some children may wet the bed until teens -- I have 4 children , one of which has still not outgrown bedwetting. This child has no control over it. Think about it if you could choose would you go to the bathroom, or wet the bed knowing you will be punished? My child also has times that one or more consecutive nights are dry -- we celebrate these. In my opinion, punishment is not the answer... this child needs to know that she is loved unconditionally -- not just when she is able to have a dry night. I used pull ups for nights until they were outgrown. Now I draw a bath every morning, and purpose not to make a big deal of it..
Think about it this way.... people who have epilepsy never choose to have seizures -- these are beyond their control. You would never consider administering punishment for one of these episodes. It is the same with bedwetting. Don't you think if your child could choose-- she would wake up dry every night. Urologist can also be very helpful ---
there are medications you could try with the help of a physician-- ask your ped. Punishment is not the answer....
Please, that baby needs to know that she is loved just as she is-- try not to make a big deal of it negatively, and know this is a season, she will eventually outgrow it. I have a friend whose son did not outgrow it until he was about 15. This is not a choice for them -- it's just a life situation to be worked through.
Hope this helps!!! Be encouraged, this too shall pass. :)

By the bed wetting alarm .. It worked for me.. So tiny it cause no problems and problem was solved in a week. Also cut off liquids 2 hours before bedtime

I am a 56 yr old mother of 3, almost grown children. Our middle child, who is now 20, wet the bed up until she was about 10 yrs old. She didn't want to wet the bed and we tried everything - but I never punished her. She felt bad enough about it. I suggest you get a plastic mattress cover. Brag on her when she makes it thru the night & try not to make a big deal out of it when she doesn't. We tried everything - those alarms, setting the clock in the middle of the night, etc. She finally outgrew it. I understand the annoyance of this problem. But your child just needs to know you love her not matter what & that you are supporting her in her efforts to stay dry & that she will eventually out grow this. She is probably frightened she may always wet the bed-of course she want, but she needs to know you believe that too.

Hi R.,
Please make sure she is not drinking anything after 6:00PM. I started this with my daughter at age 3 and her consistant bedtime is 8:00PM. She is 8 years old now and this has been successful for 5 years. Try it I hope it works.

Mother of 2
Memphis, TN

I am going through the same thing.ask your doctor about a bed alarm also their is an anti diaretic that is good.

You should check with your daughter's pediatrician. Some kids' bladders don't grow as quickly as their body and they tend to be bed wetters. This is something they'll outgrow. Also, be careful of how you react when your daughter is wet. The mental stress can cause problems too, even in young kids.

If you fear that she will still be wetting the bed at 25, then see a doctor. Otherwise, just relax, because I was there with you with my son, who's now 26 and no longer wets his bed! This stuff gets blown up out of proportion because of our parental fears, but really, it's small stuff we don't need to sweat. I don't think punishing her is the answer. I don't think she is doing this deliberately, and that's what your punishing her implies. Rewarding her when she has a dry night would be better than punishing her, but how about just having her remove the covers from her bed and take them to the laundry room, if she wakes up and the bed is wet.
I'm sending you much love and

My daughter was at the same place when she was five. Then we realized there were other issues there. She wet the bed on nights she had to much sugar in the evening. Sprite at a party or dinner out and she would wet the bed. Since we don't have soft drinks at home this was easy to start ruling out... other sugary things would effect her as well. Also the nights we went out to dinner or to a party/ family get together she was more likely to be really tired. She completely grew out of this slowly. We started to have less and less problems and by the time she turned seven she didn't wet the bed anymore. I would watch what your daughter's diet is like on those dry nights versus the wet nights. Also see how tired she is. It is not that uncommon and just because her siblings did it doesn't mean she is not trying too. Her bladder may just be different. I have three kids and Katherine is the only one we had this problem with.