Bed Wetting Advice

My son wet the bed untill he was about ten. We didn't make a big deal about it and he just changed the sheets in the morning, we did use water proof cribpads on his mattress. He eventually just stoped. Lots of kids esspecially boys wet the bed. It's a hassle but really no big deal.

Get a child sized sleeping bag. That way you only have to wash the sleeping bag, not the whole bed.
Sorry to tell you, my husband and his brother wet the bed until they were around 9. Actually, that was the magic age for one of the boys that I nanny for as well.
There's not much you can do about it. Hang in there, and don't worry, he won't be doing this when he's an adult ;)

Hi M.

I think it is fine too. My son still occasionally wets the bed and he is 8. When he was 6 and 7 it was more often. I read in a parenting book that it is best not to make a fuss, just simply wash the sheets and blankets, pj's etc. and put them back without saying anything! I use a waterproof cover on his mattress to make the job of cleaning up easier. As he gets older it should get less frequent. Also, I make my son go to the bathroom just before lights out because he does drink a lot of water!

M.

Hi M.,

I have been where you are. We tried the bed wetting device, setting the alarm (which he would sleep through). Nothing helped. We went to see the physcian to see if there was something physically wrong and there was not. He said this is mailnly something that runs in familes (which was true for us, his dad also had this problem as a boy). A small or immature bladder. He said he could give us a perscription that would make him not wet at night when he took it. I never gave it to him because it did just not sound healthy to me. I just kept changing the bedding every day and he grew out of it by about age 10.
When he would go to camp I would have sleeping bags that looked exactly alike and I would just instruct the counselor privately to put the soiled one in the plasitc garbage bag and I would wash it and he would replace it with the clean one I would bring when the children were doing other activities.
We never made a big deal of it.
It is alot of laundry. This was before pull-ups. I think pull-ups should be worn only at the preferance of the child. They may not feel like they are ever going to be out of "diapers". We can call them anything we want but kids are smart and this may make them feel worse about their situation.
I take care of elders and I was trained to call thier bibs shirt protectors and call diapers disposable underwear, and they themselves call them bibs and diapers. I am supposed to be protecting their dignity by calling them something else, but obviously the elders see it otherwise as one says to me, "Once as an adult and twice as a baby".

Hang in there. From one day to the next this will change for him. Just keep him clean so his body odor does not give his secret away and changing his bed will just be the first thing you do for the day to keep your home smelling sweet and his bed not different than anyone elses in the home.

D. B.

He could have allergies! My neice and my youngest sister, BOTH, had that problem.... Turned out the common thread was CHOCOLATE. If your son is eating chocolate, or if you can keep track of what he is eating for awhile and see if there's a common thread, try eliminating that food and see what happens. I've never heard of this, medically, but in the case of my family members, it most definitely was chocolate.... Candy, fudge, cocoa at night, etc.
Hope this helps, nice if it turns out to be this simple.

And the best tip I have for the clean up, for all you who are in this stage of a child's life..... When you make up the bed to begin with put a fitted sheet, then one of those "protectors" the mat with the flannel sides over a rubberized center, then another fitted sheet. When an accident occurs, all you have to do while the child is cleaning up is pull off the wet top sheet and the puddle pad and throw in the laundry....the next fitted sheet is already on the bed! A child seldom will wet the bed twice in one night. Saves your time, saves the child's sleep time and takes away the bed making part of the frustration!

Hi M.!

I am the mother of two boys, now 11 and 5. My 11 yr old seemed to wet the bed forever, and I put so much energy into trying to get him to stop wetting the bed. This frustration made it very difficult for both my son and myself...emotionally.

I learned that it's very normal for boys to have this trouble, just as your Pediatrician told you. And the more "frustrated" I got about changing sheets, the worse it was for my son, and he would continue to wet the bed. It wasn't until I finally relaxed about the whole issue, and he soon stopped wetting the bed. He just needed the chance for his bladder to grow more, and for his mom to stop making him "nervous" about it. As I'm writing this, I look back and feel "terrible" about showing my anger in front of him. Thank Goodness I was able to pull myself together.....for his sake.

The bed wetting WILL stop....when he and his body are ready. He is at an age where he is SOOO aware that this isn't "right", and already feels bad about it happening. He really doesn't need you to make him feel worse about it. Please try to be more patient with the issue. By bringing MORE attention to it, you're are actually making matters worse.

Please know that I say this with a loving heart, and without any sarcasm. I feel your frustration...I really do. But don't let him feel it :o)

N.

Hi M. my son is turning 7 this year and i had a problem with bed wetting. i used to reward him with gift or specal meal or a fun weekend. or i would give him money my son loves money if he woke up with a dry bed it takes some time but he will get it you just have to be patient thank you

Hey M. B,
I am using the alarm now and you are right, it is very loud. However, did you read where they said in the paperwork that if it is too loud, you can tape over the alarm to cut down on the volume? We did that and my son is able to tolerate it better. It can be scary at first but the fact is, if the alarm is not loud enough, they won't wake up. Try taping and see if you can tolerate it better. I am feeling you. We have not made it through 5 days straight yet. He is now on the 3rd go around, and up to 3 days w/o wetting. My 7 year old took himself off after about 4 nights of success. I did not think he was ready but I was trying not to push. Well, it did not last so he is now convinced he has to keep going for the 30 days. D.

It is normal for some children. I hate to tell you this but my son will be 11 in June and still wets the bed, almost every night. Over the years we tried everything from the alarm to restricting his beverages, waking him up in the middle of the night. Everything. I know now that all those things did was bring negative attention to my sons problem and made him feel that something was wrong with him. We moved to the Bay 4 years ago and his new doctor is great. She said that some children's brains do not register the bladder is full and wake them when they are in a deep sleep. She said to relax about it and one day it will stop. So, we wait. He wears overnights and washes his own sheets if they get wet. We do not make him feel guilty or ashamed about it. He does that enough on is own. Since I let go of trying to fix the problem it is easier for all of us. We just deal with it and move on.
Buy a good mattress pad and several changes of bedding.

I did until i was 13. Dont use the BUZZER! Dont make it a big, BIG deal. Its very emotional and i was be-littled and made to feel ashamed as i recall, im 50 now, it happens in dreams of peeing in the toilet. Love and patience, cut back liquids early. Possibly wake him a couple of hours after he falls asleep for a trip to the bathroom. What ever you do, just love him, it will pass. DJ

My son had a terrible time with bed wetting. I tried everything as well. Buzzers, no water after 7, I even took him to a specialist with no resolve. It continued until about 12. At that age we discovered that my son was depressed. (very common among pre-teens.) Took him to another specialist who diagnosed and prescribed well-butrin. He quit wetting the bed immediatly. I'm not saying you should take these steps now at age 7...but something to keep in mind if it continues. They will out grow it. My pediatrician at the time told me not to worry....she had 16 year old patients with bedwetting problems. My son is 15 and if he skips his medicine for too many days he has been known to still wet the bed. Overall my son has become an extremely confident young man. Good luck.

Hello My name is Dymond. Bed wetting does become a problem but
sometimes it just might take the brain and body to caught up with each other. Coaching patients I would wake my child up during the night to use the tollets. I had also notice when she was restless in the middle of the night I would take her to the restroom and turn the water on a bit and wait for her to use it. Until she decided that she did not want me to distrube her sleep. I also made her responsible for cleaning her own linen. I had to rememeber when I was her age to what made me contiune to bed wet either I was scared to wake up our I was dreaming of me using the restroom I had a problem of waiting to long, and to confortable sleeping to move I know this, it takes time and love to revert the situation especially if the doctor says its normal. This will pass.

Hi M.!

Check out www.nobedwetting.com. We have selected this treatment plan for our 10 year old son with great results. When visiting the website, read everything, watch the videos, and be ready to learn a lot about why bed wetting occurs. You will be amazed.

Good luck!
L.

My 6 year old has the same problem. For a while we used "good nights" but it seemed like he was getting lazy. The doctor said to watch it and he could give him some medication but we haven't taken that route yet. I think their bladder is not growing as fast as them and he was more tired after starting first grade so he didn't wake up. I remember having issues around his age too so I'm sure he'll out grow it....I hope.

Good luck

I have a nearly 9 yr old boy with the same situation. We have tried a chiropractor, which can work for some people. I guess there are a variety of reasons that some (mostly boys) develop the ability to stay dry later. For some people a couple adjustments makes a difference--not so for us. For others there is a low grade infection, which we ruled out with a urine test and also measuring daily urine ph. I guess many kids react to a dairy allergy this way too. But for my son it's just that an area of the right brain isn't quite developed enough yet to have that control. I have had lots of reassurance that he'll grow out of it and it's within the range of normal. One thing he can try is kegel exercises to strengthen the muscles--stopping the flow of urine several times each time he pees during the day. Another is doing physically challenging things with the left side of his body, which will stimulate the right brain. Good luck, and be patient!

Hi M.!

Talk to a specialist. I was told by our pediatrician that in some of these cases the child has not developed the hormone that controls the production of urine. So while most of us are sleeping urine production slows and our bladders do not fill. Two physicians in fact told me this information. My son is 5 and I was told that if he needed pills they can be proscribed (for camps, sleep overs etc...) I have not asked for them since there is no need right now.

Mother of four, 12 year relationship

My 14 year old went through this. He wet the bed until he was about 9 years old.
I used to limit his liquid intake about two hours before bed. Then every night, (i know its not easy)I would wake up mid way through the night and get him up to use the bathroom. This almost eliminated the accidents at night. I did not make a big deal about it if he did have an accident. We would just clean up and go back to bed. I know he hated it and I didn't want to make him feel worse. I made it a very non-issue with him and everyone (if they even knew).

I feel that his bladder didn't quite catch up to him as he grew so thats why it was continuing to happen. He doesn't have the issue anymore and I'm sure that your son will grow out of it too.

I hope this helps a little. Good luck to you all

My son had the same problem. He was hard to potty train and finally he stayed dry during the day but wet at night. I tried the alarm too. (It just is a pain to use!) When he was about 9 my pediatrician finally gave him a prescription for Desmopressin. My son took it at bedtime for maybe 6 months. It worked like magic as soon as he started taking it. On his own doing, he decided he didn't need the medicine anymore and stopped taking it. He has been fine since. He is 11 now. My daughter (8) has the same problem. I think it is hereditary.

Hi M.,

We too had that probelm, and as soon as we added vitamins the bed wetting stopped in a couple of weeks. I also have autistic son, and as soon as we added B6 to his vitamin regimin he also stopped wetting his pants. So of our children do not process and get enough vitamins from their food, so they need a little extra. The multi did not do it for the autistic child , but did for the others.

God bless, hope this helps,
D.

M., My older daughter who is now 13 had a similar problem. She grew out of it but when it was occuring we kind of tricked her. We took the generic pull ups and called them "special underware" for bigger kids. She wore them to bed. I also found other parents were very tolerent at sleep overs. Good luck. I really think not making a big deal out of it is b est. My brother also had a similar issue.

M. R.

I have a son the same age and recently went on a search for help and basically there's nothing you can do about it but wait till he grows out of it. It's a certain hormone that helps to control that and I guess our sons don't have it yet. What works for us is putting him to bed right after he has gone and then wake him up 2-3 hours later to go again. After that he usually will stay dry. We've been doing this for about a month now and have only had two accidents. So he goes to bed at 8 and at 10-11 we wake him up on our way to bed to go again.

Hope this helps!

I wanted to let you know that before I had my babies I worked at a Chiropractor and know that this worked for two of our paitents. If you are unsure about a manual spinal adjustment for a child, ask the chiropratcor to use an activator instead. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions! Good luck

My son who is 10 just stopped wetting the bed about 6 months ago. I wouldn't let him drink anything but maybe a sip of water after dinner or no fluids after 7pm. I made sure he went to the bathroom twice that evening, 1 being right before he went to bed. Then I would wake him up before I went to bed to have him go again. It seemed to work and my son wet the bed every night.

M.,
We had the same issue. After talking to quite a few moms of boys we found out this was quite common. What did help is we would not let our son drink fluids after a certain time at night and still don't. This was usually an hour to hour and a half before bed time. We also make sure he goes right before bedtime and got him up before we went to bed and took him into the bathroom. Being half asleep you will have to help him. Also we stopped having him wear pull-ups at night. I think they wick away the moisture so much that the child can't feel when they urinate. It wasn't until 4th grade that he would only have a few accidents. I know where you are at with sleep or lack of. You can teach him to strip his bedding and put it in the tub. Have an extra set of sheets in his room, sure he won't make the bed correctly but this way he doesn't have to wake you when he does have his accidents. We also got a large pad that laid across his mattress. ( the mattress covers that have plastic made too much noise and would make him sweat)This worked for us hope it helps you. By the way our son is 11 and we all are sleeping great now!
C. C.

Hi M.. I didn't look to see if you had any other responses, but I thought I'd share what I know.
My girlfriend has a daughter that had the same issues, she took her to a urologist (sp?) and found that she had an underdeveloped bladder and it really wasn't her fault and it was something she had to literally grow out of. That was after two peditricians said it was "normal", she was fine.
I also have a foster sister who wet her bed well into her teens just because she slept so heavy and my mom simply bought her Goodnights.
There are so many different reasons he's wetting the bed. I know how frustrating it must be. It's frustrating for me when my three year old wakes up in a wet bed. We started making him go potty before he goes to bed and as soon as he gets up.
The Chiropractor could be a place to start. It's amazing the things a spinal adjustment can fix.
Good luck.

I had the same problem with my son. We also tried everything. He wore Goodnights every night when he went to bed. Our pediatrician told us this is a hereditary condition - two of his uncles were bed wetters. Our son eventually outgrew this problem - around age nine. Don't make a big deal out of it. The chiropractor adjustment looks interesting - try to find out a little bit more about it. Just remember there are thousands and thousand of kids (and parents) going through this - you are not alone! Good luck!!
T.

Hi M.,

Maybe you shouldn't let him drink after a certain hour leading up to bedtime. Make him go before he gets in the bed and if you stay up for a couple of hours while his sleeping, wake him up and make him go before you lay down.

Y.

my brother who is now 11 had the same problem, n didnt grow out of it tell he was about 8 or 9 also my other brother had the same problem too it sometimes runs in the family. just give him pull ups during the night, they have special night time ones. he'll get better at controlling it as he gets older. just continue to help him like you are...potty before bed..mabey cut down on drinks before bed, n reashure him, as im shure u have, that it's not his fault & you love him.. your friend Paua..R....

Have you checked to see if his bladder is small? Some children inherit this. Of course you have tried the less liquids before bed time. I have heard that Chiropractic can help if his spine is pinching the nerves to this area. It can effect many functions of the body when the spine is mis aligned. I remember a movie one time with Michael Landon playing in it about a bed wetter ( the loneliest runner). He was a 14 yr old kid and would skip riding the bus to run home to take down the stained sheet his Mom would display to the neighbors every day and ended up being an Olympic long distance runner. He slept one night in a store and slept on a brand new bed and somehow he found he didn't wet the bed. For some reason the pride of the new bed kept him from soiling it. Maybe new clothing, new bedding and/or bed, could give him pride and he would be more careful. I also think we should not demean our children and chide them into conforming. How would you feel if you did find out that he had a terribly small bladder and it was not his fault. Also some children just sleep very hard and cannot wake themselves up. Good luck. elaine mother of 6

M.,
My son is also almost 7 and wets the bed a few nights a week. His wetting seems to be more connected with visitations with his father. His older brother wets the bed also and has been put on medication to stop. I find that on the nights he wets he strips off his wet clothes and washes up real quick in the bathroom, he has a bunk bed so he just crawls into the other bed and goes back to sleep. I got some waterproof mattress pads at Ikea, they are rubberized with a terry cloth like top, they don't make any noise and they don't make you sweat. They work great. I don't yell at him for wetting, but on the other hand the nights he doesn't wet the bed I praise him and give him big hugs. His father wet the bed until he was a teenager and my brother wet the bed for years so I think it's just something he'll have to grow out of.

Does he wet the bed every night? My son just turned 8 and he still wets the bed. Granted its not every night...just occasionally. We've come to the conclusion that it's hereditary and there is medical facts that say it is.

Just don't put a lot of pressure on him...he'll out grow it.

Hi, M.,
I am currently going through this with my son that just turned 7 two weeks ago. He hasn't had a dry night except once, and each of his Good Nites are completely full and wet each morning. I am not making a big deal out of this as he has other "issues" to work on (wearing a patch for his eye, getting braces, etc.), plus he has 3 other brothers who make pick on him. My pediatrician also says he will grow out of this in time. I just keep waiting.
Hang in there. You're not alone.

Call the Enuresis Treatment Center at 248-785-119 or go to nobedwetting.com. They have lots of information. You do use the alarm. They consider this a sleep disorder and the kids get into a deep sleep and their brain is so asleep that it does not wake them so it is up to us to wake them when the horrible alarm goes off and really get them awake. Sometimes they fight, or whatever but you give them a code word after you have asked questions and see if they know it in the morning. Call me if you want at 408- ###-###-####.

Hi M.,

I have had similar problems with my son also. He will be 8 in August. What I have done is limited his consumption of liquids after 6pm (which wasn't easy...ever since he was a baby - he has been a heavy water drinker...I gave him water instead of juice)...anyway - in addition to limiting his liquids - I have him use the restroom approximately 1/2 hour before bedtime...then again right before we say our prayers.

He has only had 2 accidents in the past year. I am never angry with him when this happens eventhough he always feels bad after it happens, I always tell him "accidents will happen" and he helps me clean his mattress and put new sheets on the bed.

If he is overly tired from school or playing sports - I ask him to use the restroom one hour ahead, then 1/2 hour and again at bedtime. This has worked out well for us...

Good Luck!
~G. R.

Birth is definitely an experience that can misalign spines and when the spine is out of alignment other things can happen. Chiropractic is one way, and another that is less invasive is Quantum Touch. It is just amazing how quickly the bones move back into alignment with this technique. My own entire skull readjusted itself and the bones which had been squished at birth for an Extended period of time finally relaxed so that my skull grew by half an inch. (Less pointy I think, hehe)

I could do this technique at a distance for you if you can't find a practitioner in your area.
###-###-####
Love, L.

I tend to think the biggest problem with bedwetting is the laundry and possibly the problem of waking up wet and therefore not getting a good night's sleep. My sister's 7 year old also wets the bed - in his case he literally sleeps so incredibly soundly that he doesn't notice at all. For her it just means changing the sheets every single day. They put a plastic cover on the mattress and roll with it. I believe they have also tried making SURE he pees before bed, and he definitely wears a nighttime pullup, as well. There's no stigma attached (he has two brothers, one older, one younger).

My sister also wet the bed until she was in early elementary (maybe 2nd grade? I don't rememeber exactly). I remember that my paretns were very wroked up about it and that we ahd that buzzer alarm thing for a while. I remember that it didn't help my sister not wet the bed and that it woke the whole family up. I didn't even sleep in the same room with her and it woke me up. My sister and I both hated it.

You didn't mention whether your son is troubled by this or not. I can imagine that it would be an issue if he were looking at sleepovers (embarrassing, socially problematic). But otherwise, it's more of a grown-up problem, in which case you can adjust your thinking and wait it out.

So if you've checked out the physiology and it's not a physical problem, I think you should not make such a big deal that it becomes psychologically problematic.

There are probably other good suggestions out there. These are just my 2 cents worht.

I haven't had any experience with chiropractic and bedwetting, but I have had it cure a diarhea situation. You can always call an office and ask if they have ever cured a bedwetter.

I was a bedwetter, I would either be afraid to get up (the monsters were out there waiting) or I couldn't get fully woke up, and more that a few times I actually dreamed I was sitting on the toilet, only to wake up to the warm wetness of my bed.

You need to let go of the pressure to "fix" him, and realize that your son will outgrow this in his time. I don't wet the bed anymore. My daughter was also a bedwetter and was cured, I believe in her junior high years. Have several sets of sheets, and a waterproof mattress cover, and just let his body set the pace. You don't want to stress him out, or make him feel bad for something he can't help. I know its a pain to have all the extra laundry, but hopefully you have your own washer and dryer and don't have to go to the laundramat. I'm sure you're already limiting drinks after a certain hour. Does he drink sodas or tea? Certain things go through me faster than others.

I hope this is helpful to you.
D.

My nephew, who is ten, still has problems with wetting the bed. His problem is constipation though. He gets so constipated on a regular basis, that it has put pressure on his bladder. Apparently your colon can get very stretched out from frequent constipation. Anyways, on days when he is able to empty his bowels, he doesn't usually have any problems. Days when he hasn't, he is almost guaranteed to have an accident. His doctor said they can give him medication to try to repair the damage (but he will basically be on a laxative for two weeks straight) and his parents don't want to do that to him at this point. They just let him wear good nights when he wants to, and don't make a big deal about it. Now that he is older, he is responsible for changing his sheets etc when he does have an accident. His dad was a bed wetter, and they told them this type of thing often runs in families. I would have your doctor check to make sure there is no medical explanation. If there is not, there really isn't much you can do. I know they still limit is fluid intake after dinner and try to wake him to pee before they go to bed at night, so he has less time in between night and morning. I know it is really hard on his self-esteem, so they have gotten him involved in soccer, which he is really good at, to help boost that back up. The hardest part is he doesn't want to go on any sleepovers or anything because he doesn't want his friends to find out. I know my sister was feeling the same way, but when she realized it wasn't his fault, that there was actually a medical condition, it made it a lot easier for her to accept and not get so upset about it. Good luck and lots of patience to you.

I had a 7yr old!!! with that problem. I didn't allow him ANYTHING to drink after 6:30pm.I had a friend that was complaining about the same thing BUT was letting him have juice and water at any time of the night "Cuz he was thirsty" he is now 8 yrs old and he STILL HAS THAT PROBLEM!!!!
At first nothing to drink after 6:30pm with my husband or I waking up at least once a night so that we could take him to the restroom.Also because my children go to sleep so much earlier then we do making sure that he is well tucked into bed with plenty of covers, so its not so cold has helped also.I assume that if certain kids already have a problem holding there bladder and get cold during the night it must be very easy to wet the bed cuz it is warm and a relief.Now I don't have to check on him during the night and he sometimes will get up to use the restroom at night on his own!!!! I still don't allow him anything to drink after 6:30pm but I don't have to get up at night.Now He doesn't even fight about not being able to drink after 6:30pm he understands his bladder can't handle it! I kept telling him that and he started to notice that if he went over the time he would get up to a wet bed and he "HATED THAT"! My sister once told me "STOP HIM AT 4:00 PM!!!" but He plays sports and it is very hard to keep him from drinking cause I don't want to dehydrate him so I decided 6:30pm was good and if I can sneak it in 6:00 pm that works also :#.LOL
HE IS NOW 8 AND HASN'T DONE IT IN A LONG LONG TIME BUT I know he is not ready to go on a "normal schedule" and he understands that ,...he is quit ashamed of it and doesn't ever want to go back to it.Almost forgot I did tell him he would have to wear diapers at night and that was only for babies .I know that seems mean but sometimes shame helps the situation.... well for him it does.
I hope I helped :)