Older Child Bedwetting

What kind of medication is he on/ My son wet the bed when he was zyretc and now that he is off we have had the trouble. Talk to you doctor and see.

My son wet the bed until he was 9 or 10. I had a doctor tell me that his bladder just wasn't fully developed yet and in time it would be just fine. Like I said he eventually grew out of it but it was frustrating for both of us. I used the Good Nites pants and they worked great because if he did have an accident he didn't have to sleep in wet sheets or get up and change them. Doing what you are doing is working jsut try the nite pants and he will stop. Hope all goes well.

Everyone I have ever known who had bedwetting issues just grew out of them. I knew a girl who wet the bed until she was 12. Eventually, her bladder just grew into her body and she was fine. A doctor told her mother that little kids' bladders sometimes don't grow at the same rate as their bodies, and then they have this tiny bladder and fill it to the max all the time because they are big kids. Good luck.

From a former bedwetter (until I was about 9)

1. Don't limit water, I know logic says if he's not drinking he won't pee. But in reality you are just concentrating his urine so it irritates the lining of the bladder causing release.

2. DO Limit acidic and sugary drinks like juice, pop, kool-aid Sugar and Caffiene cause frequent urination, and acidic drinks can irritate the bladder causing release.

3. Be patient, just because his older brother stopped wetting at 6 doesn't mean he has to follow suit. Everyone's body is different.

4. Rule out bladder infections, kidney problems, and poor muscle tone. (This was my problem, my bladder sphincter muscles were not strong enough to hold a full bladder)

5. Encourage him to clean his own sheets blankets jammies and deodorize his bedroom (not as punishment but as a new important responsibility for his own personal hygiene)

6. Never ever shame him for wetting, but be sure to praise him for staying dry.

My 7-year old son does the same thing. He has never woken up at night to go to the bathroom, and has wet his bed every night of his life. I have him wear night diapers, which he still overflows at times. We also restrict liquids in the evening, and even get him up to go in the middle of every night. We finally took him to a urologist. The doctor said this is fairly common in young boys. He said most outgrow it by the age of 12. (sometimes younger, like your other son.) He said that in my son's case, he sleeps so deeply that his brain is not triggered to wake when the need to go to the bathrooms comes. He gave us an alarm to put in my son's underwear that goes off at the smallest sign of liquid. The idea behind it is to trigger the brain to start waking up when the bladder releases. We have not done it consistently yet, as we have a newborn we are getting up with througout the night--we are just too tired to get up with 2 kids right now. :) So I can't give personal testimony of how it works longterm, but it may be something you want to look in to.

My son wet the bed till he was 9. I asked about many things to help, I even took him to a urologist to have him put on meds which only worked for the time he was on them. Once we stopped the meds, he would begin wetting the bed a couple weeks later. A friend of mine told me to give my son magnesium pills. I thought that sounded dumb, but after failed attemps with the urologist, I decided to give it a try. I gave my son 2 magnesium pills every night before bed. I even got them at the dollar store, so it cost me $2 for 60 pills. I gave them to him for about 3 - 4 months, and when I took him off them, he didn't wet the bed anymore. I am very pleased with how well they worked. You can try it if you want.
Hope it works,
T.

We found sucess with the Malem Bedwetting Alarm. I have 2 boys who had this problem. The key is consistency with the alarm. It is expensive, but well worth the price for us because the bedwetting was starting to effect my oldest sons self-esteem. Shop around online. I got ours on eBay. Best of luck!

I am in the same boat, my six year old daughter is having a hard time with bedwetting and is consistently wet everynight, we also struggle with reoocurrent yeast infections due to the pull-ups. I don't know which is worse.

When my son was eight my pediatrician suggested I have him see a urologist about his bedwetting. The urologist was very kind and said bedwetting was not unusual for an 8 year old and that the best solution was to allow him to outgrow the problem. He said it is most common in children who are very heavy sleepers and for that reason he had found that the bedwetting sheets with alarms were not very effective. He favored waiting for physiological maturity rather than trying to make behavioral changes. Seeing the urologist gave me peace of mind and I am comfortable that my nine year old is still not dry every night.

When he spends the night with a friend he packs a pullup and a bag to throw it away in. I usually explain the situation to the other Mom.

Last week my son, who does worry about friends finding out was releived to hear that the child he was visiting had an older sibling with the same issue.

About me. I am the 41 year old mother of four sons (7,9,14,and 21), a sustainable farmer, and a soapmaker.

my son did the same thing. We finnally gave in and invested in an alarm. I was a sceptic but it worked. He was done wetting in less than a month. Here is the web site of the device we used.

http://www.nitetrain-r.com

I hope this works.

My daughter turned 9 in July and still wet the bed 4-5 nights out of 7 until about 4 months ago. We tried everything you are doing, short the medication, to no avail. My husband was getting very frustrated, as well was I, with doing laudndry everyday. But we kept up doing what we were as well as praising her when she had a dry night and "overlooked" an accident. The doctors told us that alot of kids have accidents all the way up to 10 years of age and that it should pass. I did not believe them but it did. One day it just stopped! She has not had an accident for so long it is like it was never a problem. Keep your chin up and just remember they are "accidents". He should outgrow it. You are doing all you can (that I am aware of).

WOW! I am having the same issue with my deep sleeping 9 year old! We have not gone the med route yet. We moved to the Des Moines area last year and I did not bring it up with this new doctor because he was doing ok in the summer. It seems worse when he is in school-more tired? Please refer any advice on to me if possible.

Thanks

K. L.

My husband came from a family where many of his siblings, he has 9, had trouble with bed wetting, some into their teen years. Consequently I have had three of my five children had the same trouble. I have a great pediatrician who explained to me what happens with the connection in the "wake up you have to go to the bathroom" part of the mind and the body. Sometimes it doesn't develope a quickly as we think it should. First know that there are a lot of children who have this trouble. But what to do... My doctor laid on the table everything that he could give me and my children from meds to alarms, to help. I chose the alarm. After he had explained to me the need for things in the mind and body to communicate with eachother, I figured this would be the best way. The doctor warned me that this method took alot of effort on my part or it would not work. I was dedicated and told him I would be. The alarm is loud and intrusive for others as well as the child wearing it. You have to be there as soon as it goes off to wake your child up ALL the way and take them to the bathroom and have them clean up if an accident gets things wet. They suggest that you move the child in or close to your room so you can be there. It is like having a new baby in the house as far as sleep goes. But if you are determined to help your child, AND DO IT ALL IN LOVE, PATIENCE AND LONG SUFFERING, It is the BEST method. You are training them to wake up to the sensation of needing to go to the bathroom. The alarm worked for them all!! :) And it usually only took about a week for each. Follow all the directions that come with the alarm and gear yourself up for interupted sleep and kindness. If you have other children let them know what will be going on and talk to them about not sharing this experience with people outside the family. This is a private family thing. Let your child, who has the wetting troubles, know that there are many other kids like him or her who deal with the same thing, that had to learn to wake up and respond to the sensation of needing to go to the bathroom at night. Inform your child all about the alarm and what you will be doing to help him or her learn to wake up at night.
I know this isn't the EASY thing. But I feel it is the best and worked great for us and many other parents who did it.
Good luck. :) I even had requests form cousins to borrow my alarm so they could help their kids because they had tried EVERYTHING else. I shared, and it worked for everyone. (if followed the way instructed).
L.

I'm wondering if your son is getting the right amount of sleep that he needs. Bedwetting causes a bad cycle....interrupted sleep which makes him tired again the next day which can lead to bedwetting again the next night because he's in such a deep sleep from exhaustion. So, it might be worth a try to make sure he gets the needed 10-11 hours of solid sleep a night by adjusting his bedtime. If he is getting enough sleep early in the night then possibly the urge to urinate will wake him up and he can go in the toilet. Since waking up from bedwetting, this may not happen overnight but if you stick to a strict routine (sounds like you are doing everything right) then it should subside in a few days or a week. So check the actual amount he is sleeping and if not enough then adjust it so he does go to bed earlier.

Have you tried chiropractic? Often the 2cd sacral segment is applying nerve pressure. I have had great success with bedwetting and most chiropractors will tell you the same. I am in Manistee but there are a number of pediatric chiropractors. Check www.mcpakids.org for mich ped chiros or www.icpa4kids.com as a resource as well. Please feel free to contact me if you need more or need help finding a chiro in your area. I do not know where shepard is.

My son used to wet the bed during naps and at night. When he started doing it everyday I took him ot the doctor to see if there was anything medically wrong with him. My doctor said physically he was fine but to stop using fabric softer and dryer sheets. I laughted and he said, "No, I'm serious". My son has only wet the bed 2 times after that. (he is 6 now)

A., just remember that although it may be frustrating for you, it is TEN times more frustrating, irritating, frightening, and painful for him. Yes, they do outgrow it, but our son went to age 10 with occasional problems. Be sure and validate your son. He needs to know that you love him, that he is normal, that this is something that will go away. It doesn't define who he is. He needs your love and compassion. We did use "nighttime pants" (disposable underwear) for a while. It gave him a little peace of mind, and helped my sanity.
Give him a "safe place" to fall. Try to create an atmosphere of nonjudgement, of openness, where he feels comfortable talking about ANYTHING. There could be an emotional pain behind this that he doesn't feel safe talking about. The more he can trust that you love him, no matter what he does, or what his body does, the more he will feel like he can open up about his hurts and emotional wounds.

I don't know if this will work with your son, but my husband was a bed wetter and my mother-in-law tried everything. None of it worked. Finally she had a talk with him and told him that he was the only one who could stop the bed wetting. There was nothing she could do to stop it. It worked! Once he realized he was the only one who could fix his problem he did.

I know someone whose child wet the bed until 7. Their father and aunt wet their beds even longer. The doctor told my friend that some childrens' bladders take longer to develop the ability to stay dry all night. But 7 years seemed too long. A friend reccommended a bedwetting alarm. At first my friend thought it would be mean, but decided to try it. She did it in a non-punitive way. When the alarm went off, she entered, she woke him up and had him go to the bathroom. It did not take long and he woke up on his own, or stayed dry all night. I think she left a potty chair in his bedroom , for awhile at night because they did not have a bathroom on the 2nd floor.

My sister, brother, daughter, & nephew all went through this. With my daughter, I'm pretty sure it was a matter of her sleeping too soundly, as she wet her bed less during the summer when she was getting more sleep. We encouraged her to take responsbility for it by changing her own bed whenever it happened. But with all of them, it just seemed to be a matter of waiting it out; they eventually outgrew it. My daughter was 11 or 12 when it stopped (she's 14 now & hasn't had an accident since). My sister still had occasional accidents in her early teens. My nephew is 11 & currently still having trouble. So I guess I'm saying don't stress too much about it; if there is no apparent medical cause for it, it WILL eventually stop!

I can relate to this as my daughter also had this problem. I was never aware of the chiropractor theory...it seems logical and certainly worth trying. My advice it patience...patience...patience...and lots of love. They don't do it on purpose and it makes the child feel bad enough because they are having accidents. I do know that it can become frustrating. I did wonder for a while if my daughter was doing it out of rebellion but that thought only lasted for a minute. Just showing unconditional love and being there to talk to if there is something going on in your childs world is going to be a huge help in getting through this. Best of luck to you all. L.

Chiropractic care is the most natural and effective way to stop bed wetting. Unless it is being caused by emotional trauma of some kind...otherwise it is usually a structural problem that can be corrected.

HTH
C.

My little brother didn't stop until he was 11. He just needs to grow out of it, especially if the medication isn't doing anything. It was a little inconvenient because he couldn't go to sleep overs at his friends' houses, but he was excited when he finally stopped. We celebrated everyday that he didn't go. Not that he can help it...he's asleep. You're doing everything you can...I don't even think he needs the medication. Again, he just needs to grow out of it.

My brother and eldest daughter had bedwetting issues until they were 7-8. My mom and I had good results after taking them to a chiripractor. They are nearly 20 years apart in age and we saw different chiropractors, but the results were excellent both times!
I wish you the best of luck - I know how frustrating this can be for parents and children!

You know, I had a niece who wet her bed until she was 12! I think it's a hard thing to learn to get UP and go to the bathroom. I'd just let him wear those kid pull-ups to bed. my 5 year old JUST quit wearing those. But - only after he'd been dry for like 9 days in a row :-) It's just nightmare to have to get up and clean up after him in the middle of the night. It'll probably pass :-)

check for allergies and other things like stress you may not realize is bothering him...bullying at school, parents fighting, other behaviors in the home, etc.

My son went thru the same thing. Great during the day, but at nite it was another situation. I had a doctor tell me that I need to take two weeks and just set a schedule where I wake him up every two hours to pee. That by the time the two weeks is over, he gets used to the feeling and sensation and will wake up on his own. I was also told to check him for sleep apnea as he may have a hard time getting to sleep and then when he does he sleeps soo hard that he can't wake up to pee. Eventually my son grew out of it when he was between 9 and 10. There is hope, it just tries our patience. Get a good cover for the mattress and buy the large pullups for now.

Have u tried the buzzer system??? Please take him off the drugs--it is so unnatural. The buzzer just attaches to the inside of his underwear and their is a little pocket size buzzer that attaches to his jammies by his ear and if just a little pee comes out it will sense it and buzzes him waking him up so then his body starts re-acting to pee and waking up.

Hello,
My son is now 11. We haven't had many problems with bed wetting lately, but still every once in awhile it happens. It has been an on-going problem we have dealt with for many years. I have heard this happens more with boys. We tried the cutting off drinks thing, etc. Nothing seemed to work. I think his body just had to grow out of it. The thing I did which helped the most (which was difficult to do for the parents) was to wake him up once or twice during the night to use the bathroom. It was the best solution, that worked most the time. Thank God for plastic mattress covers. S.

My first one wet the bed every night until he was twelve. We had done everything previously mentioned except quit using fabric softener and dryer sheets. My second one was day and night time potty trained in two days and never had a single accident day or night. (Oh, for more of those!) The last five are all bed wetters. Goodnights has its own category in our budget. Our urologist gave us meds only for sleep overs. He said the side effects weren't worth it. We just treat it like part of normal life around here. No one has suffered in their self image. I'm going to try eliminating dryer sheets. Hang in there.

I have eight children. Seven of them are boys. I had two of my son's that were bedwetters. I tried everything there was to try. With both of them, it wasn't until they both reached puberty that they quit. Both of them are married. The older son of the two was very outgoing, was Sr. Class President, he was very popular with his peers. The second of the two was a little less out going. I beat myself up wondering what I had done to make them this way. Until I finally realized it wasn't anything I did but keep their sheets clean and not make them feel guilty about it did I finally relax. Even when I had to wash their sheets every day. Get two or three sets so that you are not driving yourself crazy, and teach him to wash them. Some kids bladders just don't mature as soon as others. Good Luck, I know it is frustrating.

Don't rule out sleep apnea. Surprisingly there are more children being diagnosed with it, and one of the symptoms is late bedwetting. If your child seems more tired than you would expect for his age, possibly snores, is overweight, and or difficulty concentrating that could be an underlying cause. There are children as young as 4 on C-PAP machines for apnea. Particularly to look into is family history. Do you or your husband have it? A history of heart problems leading to death before 60.
How do I know this? I had similar problems till I was 11, and was finally diagnosed with sleep apnea at 33 after a difficult life journey including all the things I mentioned above.

A less scary problem could simply be neurological maturation, kids mature at different rates in different areas. You may just have to deal for a couple more years. Cutting all drinks/watery foods after 6 finally did the trick for me. I fully expect my kids to have similar problems, and am already watching for apnea as well. Hope this was helpful.

I think the problem with bed wetting is a lot more common than you think. (I come from a family of bedwetters) Some people just sleep deeper than others. My brother is one of them, he wet the bed until high school, and even now (when he has one too many drinks) he still does it. A few of my cousins had the same problem. My parents tried everything with my brother, they even bought him a device that he hooked onto his underwear, that would shock him awake if it got wet (he was much older than your son at this point) He put the thing on, peed on it while he was sleeping, and the thing started sparking and almost lit the bed on fire - he still didn't wake up. My advice, get a mattress cover, there are nice ones that are plastic on the inside and cloth on the outside so you dont feel like you are sleeping on a rubber sheet, and dont make a big thing out of it. He cant help what he is doing when he is alseep.

Does your son have any issues with constipation? Are you sure that there isn't an underlying problem such as an infection? There is a product called the potty pager that seems to work well on most children. You can look it up online (pottypager.com) or probably find it locally at local home health supply stores. Something else that works well is to set an alarm clock to go off at night so that he begins to get used to waking and going into the bathroom. It's not going to be easy for any of you at first, but it may work. Has your son been evaluated by a urologist to make sure that there isn't anything wrong structurally? I can only imagine how hard that is for all of you to go through, especially him. There are lots of things that could contribute to bedwetting and it may be time to talk to the pediatrician to see if they have any additional ideas. Good luck.

Have you tried a Chiropractor? I've been going to one for a different reason and she has her clients take a 1/2 hour class to understand Chiropractor practice and she did touch on children and adults bedwetting. She has even helped a grown man stop. If interested let me know and I'll give you her name.

Smiles :) B.

Hi,

There is not much you can do...your son is not trying to wet the bed and I'll bet is embarrassed by it. If he isn't yet, he will be. My sister wet until about 8 (the "wee alert" my parents used to get her up woke ME, not her, and I didn't have a problem), my little brother wet until he was about 12, my son wet until about then also (making scout campouts and sleepovers challenging)and I understand that my nephew wet until about 12 or 13 as well. It is a very common problem in boys, moreso than girls (from what I have heard).

What I did was quit stressing...I put my son in "Good Nights" pants, which are designed for exactly this problem. When we went on campouts I had him quietly change them in his sleeping bag and then leave them in there when they went out on Scout activities, when I would sneak in and retrieve them.

But he outgrew it. Check with your doctor of course, rule out any possible medical problems, and then if there is nothing just realize that it is purely developmental. My sister has stayed dry for years now *L*, and so have my brother, son, and nephew.

It is not "putting them in a diaper" (I've heard that) or otherwise "encouraging" them to not wake up as they really do not have a choice in the matter.

Good luck :-).

Dear A.,
I have a son who wet the bet until 13 years old. I took him to doctors who told me he would grow out of it. I had a friend who worked for a chiropractor who said her boss could cure my son. She was right. Come to find out, every time he laid down, he was cutting off the nerve that told his bladder to go to sleep. He peed every night until his 2nd appointment with the Chiropractor. He is 19 now and extremely happy THAT problem is solved

Hi, My daughter is going to be 13 and still has nights that she will wet the bed. I was told not to let them have milk in the evening. I tried the no drinks after 6. I tried waking her up every hour. I was tired in the morning and she never knew that I had woke her up. She would sleep right through me trying to pull her pants down and she would try to pull them up. I had talked to someone who spent a lot of money on a sheet that would set of an alarm when they wet. This person also told me that they because they are sound sleepers. How to tell if they are sound sleepers is if the blankets all twisted and tangled. This person also said that a sound sleeper dose not get the 90 minutes of restful sleep that a normal person gets. After I was told this, I didn't worry and she is out growing the bed wetting. If she is up late or we have a busy weekend I find that she will wet more. I try to have her get extra sleep. I hope this helps. Bed wetting is also hereditary.

I had a daughter with that problem. When she was age six, I read an article in a magazine (this was in the mid to late 1980's) about a nose spray that when used had had success. I can't remember what it was, but the idea was that there was something in the child's chemical makeup that had not started up internally. The nose spray had that chemical in it and would get it started. I used that spray with my daughter for about four to five months and it worked. She would spray inside her nose once or twice a day. It seemed expensive to me, then: about $90 for a three month supply. Sorry I can't be more specific. Maybe your doctor will know what I am referring to. Good luck.

A.,

My daughter is 7 years old and still wets the bed as well. I have spoken to her doctor and he told me. She is not to the point we need to worry. It is when they are 10-11 years old. Boys longer. He just suggested we do what you are doing. Stop drinks at a certain time. We also use and love those goodnights. They are like a pull up but, they look like underwear or boxers for boys. They keep the mess on the kids so they know. My daughters problem is she sleeps to deep. Plus, she has genes against her. Her aunt had the same problem. So my suggestion for you is to get some goodnights. They are a little bit pricy but, well worth it. You can get 17 for 10.00. However, if he has a good night of not wetting the bed then you can reuse them. That is what we do. It has really helped her. Since we started those. She has gone 1 month dry every night. I have taken her off them and she is still dry. So i will promote goodnights until I am blue in the face. Good Luck.

My 8 year old daughter has the same problem. We will go a week without an accident then there will be three ot four nights in a row that she wets. I also limited her drinks. We even woke her up about 11 at night to make her go to the bathroom, I don't recomend that, she was VERY crabby. We tried the chiropractor. That seemed to help. She did not have as many accidents while going to him. It can be expensive but I think it is better than medication, which did not work well for her either. Good luck! J.

HI Hon.......this worked for my sister 25 yers ago...but here goes...my mother bought her a lil fuzzy bug and told her it was a "happy bug"...she would hang it on her bedpost and if she woke up in the morining dry..she would get all excited and share with my lil sister that the bug was SO happy that she woke up dry that my sister would try harder the next nite too...if she had an accident...my mom would tell her the happy bug not so happy...he really likes it when u wake up in a dry bed....he not so happy...she would have her help clean and make up the bed and try again the next nite....making sure at bedtime to tell her the happy bug is with her to help her wake up when she has to go potty..and to keep her bed dry...it took a lil while..but she finally got it and the bug stayed hanging by her bed till she felt it was ok to let it go....let her know its ok to wake u up if she needs to go potty in the beginning...maybe put a nite lite in the hallway and in the bathroom so she can see its lit for her...give the bug a special name..but encourage the "happy bug" feeling and what its for...not to play with...but can give it a hug when its happy.......etc......I hope i was detailed enuf if not plz let me know.........good luck...the day will come...i can promise u that...btw~~~my sister is 38 now...and still remembers the "happy bug"...lol

take care~~~~~~~~~S.

My oldest son is 11, and still wets the bed. He too has been on medication. Actually, we've tried 3 different medications AND one of the expensive alarms. Unfortunately, because he is such a hard sleeper, he just doesn't wake up. The doctor has checked and there is nothing wrong with him physically, we just have to wait for him to out grow it, which is usually supposed to happen between 9-13 yrs. old.

The doctor also said, do not take away drinks after a certian time, but limit what kind of drinks instead. Like after 5, no soda or kool-aid; things with a lot of sugar.

Good luck! I'm right there with you! :)

I've also heard really great things about chiropractic care and bedwetting. It's definitely worth a shot, and from personal stories I have heard, it can truly work.

We have used the bedwettingstore.com alarm that has a vibrator and sound to wake up our sons. Our physician has recommended it. It has really helped.

Have you talked to your pediatrician about this? Your son may not be able to help it. In some cases, especially in boys, the enzyme their body needs to trigger the brain in their sleep doesn't develop until they are older. Because he's dry some nights and not others I would see this as a good sign that his body is developing and this will stop soon.

Hi A., I can totally relate. I have a five year old that wets the bed on occation. I have noticed this happens when he gets alot of sugar or unhealthy food that day. When he doesn't he never wets the bed. I also talk to him and tell him that he has to try to wake up so that he does'nt have an accident. My sister had a daughter that wet the bed for along time and finally took her to a chiropractor. From that day she never wet the bed again. I also just heard about these special underwear for bedwetters at www.onestepahead.com. I have not tried them but heard they work!good luck

I'm 70 years old and my youngest son bed wet occassionally and had allergies, I was so frustrated and so was he and he was so embarassed about it. If you just put a rubber sheet under his sheets so not to distroy the matress don't harp on it, but be understanding and sympathic as I have found boys do this and not because they are mean or deliberate. They cannot help it and get him off the medicine that is not the answer!! if it is for bedwetting. He is getting upset and he is not even aware he is doing this it just leaks out. He will eventually outgrow it. Might even use night diapers and DO NOT LET EVERYONE KNOW THIS SECRET of what he is doing that will give him more confidence. Hope this helps.

Dear A.,

We deal with this at work sometimes. Teenage boys, but the nurse here swears by the program and says she's seen it work with kids from 2-18. A couple of them being her own. It's called Nite Train-r and there is a website. www.nitetrain-r.com. For the boy I have now it works okay, but he is much older (they say the younger the better when working with this). The only problem I run into as night staff is that he won't wake up to the alarm. But then, nothing we've tried wakes this kid up very well. We are also awake all night checking on the boys every 10 minutes and in a place where we can hear the alarm at all times. It'll be different at home but according to the nurse it will work just as well. He is supposed to do kegel exercises several times throughout the day for muscle conrol. Another part of his protocol during the day is to drink 24 oz of water within 5 minutes in the morning (11:00) and then tell someone when he has the need to urinate. Staff then times him to see how long he can hold it before going. This exercise also strengthens the appropriate muscles. He's getting better! The average is about 3 months. (Nothing else tried on this boy has ever worked.) You can message me if you'd like to know any more about the protocol.
Good luck,
A.

I have 2 bedwetters out of my 4 children and thats only because the 4th is not potty trained yet... My oldest is just about 11 and has just recently stopped wetting the bed, I used goodnights to save on laundry, and we went to see a pediatric urologist when he was 9. She put him on Ditropan XL, it worked most of the time but still had break through wetting. I think the only thing that worked was taking the pressure off, we didn't talk about it, he drank as he normally would(especially on Ditropan because it dehyrates them, I just cut out the right-before-bed drink), and we just waited. This process requires a great deal of patience and lots of understanding because its quite embarrassing for the child. The other bed wetter is only 6 right now and we have just concluded that he will stop one day, we have an appointment with the urologist in April and she will probably put him on DPXL as well. I do get them up just before I go to bed, and that seems to help but time and patience so far are the only things that have worked for us. The urologist was very reassuring and told us that our adolescent and adult children would not wet the bed, just be patient. I would recommend and a ped urologist, they specialize in this stuff and can rule out any problems. Good luck and know that there are LOTS of other parents who go through the same thing, we're here for you!

S.

SAHM of 4 boys 10, 9, 6, and 2.

A.,

My son had a problem with this also, up until he was 12 or so..It is soo devistating to them. It was important to let him know it was not his fault. I had him take responsibility of this by having him strip off his bed every morning so that I could wash the sheets etc., that way he felt he was helping me, and not just him being a problem....My doctor at Kaiser at the time finally gave us a hormone (in a nose spray form) that my son took at a certain time, (hr before bed.) and it worked. He never had an accident as long as he took the nose spray. Doc. said that he just had not developed the hormone needed to wake him up during his deep sleep time. It was a God send for him, BUT it also was very expensive. It was worth it though to us and we just used it for a little bit and did not have to stay on it very long. I wish I could help you with the name of this nose spray, but your doctor will know.
I hope this helps.
In Christ your sister
R.

We had the same problem with my DS, although he just up and stopped after his 6th birthday. I also remember wetting the bed when I was younger, so I know I must have done so at least until I was 7 or 8. My brother did too until he was 6 or 7. It is a hereditary 'problem', and I'm not aware of an easy fix - we just got lucky, and DS just stopped. I do remember my parents waking me at night, and later setting an alarm, and I would get up and go on my own. That seemed to be about the time I stopped, and I don't think it was a coincidence. Until I had kids, I used to be a really deep sleeper. I've also read that one's bladder is supposed to supress urine making at night, while one is sleeping, however for some people this doesn't happen.

I would suggest trying the chiro. I'd never heard of it helping bed wetting, but we have used it for other health related issues (ear infections), and for general overall health, with some success.

I know that often times a child sleeps so deeply that they cannot feel the urge to go to the bathroom. I had a friend that even through his mission had to set an alarm clock for about midnight to wake himself up to use the bathroom. I know this isn't the ideal way to control this but it might help. Good luck.