My 6 year old still wets the bed every single night. He is a big boy for his age - tall and approx. 65 lbs - and many nights he leaks right through his nighttime underpants. We have been using Goodnites or Underjams for a few years, ever since he grew out of regular diapers. He wears the larger size which says it goes up to 100lbs or so. My question is simply - has anyone found a nighttime underpants solution that actually works without leaking? He leaks 75% of the time, so we are constantly washing sheets & blankets, and pretty much everything smells like pee.
I am not overly worried about the wetting itself, I am really just looking for advice for containing the pee! I have found Underjams seem to run smaller in general, so they are harder for him to get on and off by himself. Goodnites is a better fit for him, but both options leak like crazy. Has anyone tried anything else that has worked well for their older, bedwetting child?
Thank you!!!
How about smallest size Depends?
I noticed they have different products in all sizes. My husbands grandfather used them and he had shrunk and lost so much weight he was under 100 lbs.
Bridgett is right. GoodNights makes a disposable pad that sticks to the bed. We used that when night training our daughter, but it would also work in your case so you won't have to wash sheets all the time.
We had good luck with GoodNights when our kids hadn't mastered nighttime training, but you might consider moving up to the smallest size of adult diapers to see if those work.
Goodnights or Underjams (can't remember which) makes an absorbant pad that adheres to the bed. They are sold in packs of ten or so and you can stick them under the sheet. It doesn't help with the leaks, but might work to keep things smelling better til you figure something else out.
Are you doing anything other than giving him diapers? Does he need to own part of this? Do you have him strip his bed and wash his sheets and make his bed? Don't just off the cuff say "he can't" help with his bed. He CAN. And he should. Have you talked to the ped about getting him an alarm to help him wake up when he begins to wet his diaper? Those can be very effective.
It sets up laziness for a child to just "wear a diaper" without trying to help them own the issue.
If you have done all this, great, but you didn't make any mention of it, so this is what I suggest, lacking more info in your post.
We're kind of in a grey area with my 4 year old son where the Goodnites are too big, and the regular diapers are mostly too small--so I feel your pain!
One thing that was suggested to me in the past that seems to be working thus far are 'diaper doublers' which are basically a small absorbent pad that you insert into a pull up/diaper. They've worked wonders for us, Ive found them at a nearby Babies-R-Us (which is also the only store I've found that reliably stocks the Huggies overnights in size 6). However, I imagine they can be found in other big-box stores.
One other culprit that I've noticed with my son is the simple issue of 'positioning'. Especially with pull ups that he's putting on by himself, I'd make for sure that he's always 'pointing down' before going to bed. When we were still using pull ups, there'd be many nights where my son would wake up with wet sheets and pjs, and a pull up that was almost entirely dry!
I dealt with this also. We were lucky that for the most part good nights worked for us. The next step is actually adult diapers. But there are some things we did that helped. Nothing to drink after 6pm. took our son to the bathroom right before we went to sleep. didn't wake him up so much as just sleepwalked him to the bathroom and pulled his pants down. then took him again in the middle of the night and again when hubby got up for work at 4. we gradually dropped the middle of the night one and then the early morning one. his body started waking him when he needed to go. but the huge key was no more liquid after 6pm. good luck
Put down a waterproof pad so st least you do not have to wash everything. I would keep trying different brands until u find one that works. Maybe wake him up before you go to bed.
I feel for you. I go between underjams and regular pull ups, but my DD is smaller than your son. Just last night it leaked up the back and she woke me for a bed change. It's not every night. Something I am considering is waking her for a potty break before I go to bed, if she'll go back to sleep. She can only take a water bottle to bed if she is sick (like right now). Otherwise we limit drinks after dinner. I don't stop them altogether, because I don't want her to be thirsty all night, but small cups vs big ones. I also like the idea of the waterproof pads if you need more help at night. I also look for pull ups that can be adjusted on the sides for a better fit.
(I talked to our pediatrician, who is NOT worried about my DD (also 6) so for those who say it's "laziness", nighttime dryness is different. My DD is fully and well potty trained during the day. She just isn't consistently dry at night and this is common. She does not want to wear a pull up or underjam and she is not just lazy. But better to use what we can than have her need to be rebathed every morning, IMO.)
Agent M:
Check the web for the "Bedwetting Store."
Check out the "Therapee."
Good luck.
D.
Can you buy a few diaper doublers and use in the GoodNites?
Our kiddos are 10 and 7 and we don't have any issues with leaks.
We have a bigger bedwetter than yours....but he uses the smallest size adult underwear (whatever generic brand) and those work a lot better. I would try those possible. Not the womens, buy the mens as they have extra absorbency in the right spot. Otherwise, making sure he is 'pointing' in the right direction helps.
