My 5 Year Old Is Still Wetting the Bed

Updated on June 23, 2010
B.J. asks from Hialeah, FL
23 answers

this is ridiculous i have to buy diapers for her and my 1 year old and let alone i dont work, ugh, i try getting her up every hour but by the time i go to her shes wet, also i dont let her have any fluids after 6 and i make her go to the bathroom right before bed, she even has a night light on, i just dont get it, could something be wrong with her or is this completely normal?

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W.C.

answers from Miami on

although it is normal, it could also be a food sensitivity. Is there something in her diet that is constant---anything from food, drinks, vitamins? If so, try removing that from her diet for a few weeks and see if that works. If it does then you have an answer/solution. i've heard of several children who when they removed a certain type of food, stopped wetting the bed.

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S.S.

answers from Daytona Beach on

my son is about to be 4, and he's been potty trained since he was 2. he went for a few months w/o wetting the bed this year. and then he started again a few months ago. my nephew was about 5 before he stopped wearing a diaper at nite, and my niece who is 6 still wears a pullup. I know that my niece has bladder spasms. they have medication for it but it made her swell so they took her off of it. my son is a deep sleeper and my nephew was too lazy to get up and go. once my nephew was told that to stop wearing a diaper at nite he'd have to stop peeing in it, he stopped.

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V.W.

answers from Jacksonville on

normal. She just doesn't feel the urge when she is sleeping. She may be a very heavy sleeper... the night light can help if she isn't getting up b/c of being afraid of the dark... but if she doesn't wake up to start with it has no value.

My son was like that. VERY heavy sleeper. The last time I recall him wetting the bed he was 10. Some of it can be related to how quickly their body matures and how much their bladder can hold. Then you have the whole "bladder sending signals to the brain to wake up" thing that can take some time to kick in also. And for very heavy sleepers, it often takes longer than "regular" sleepers. My daughter basically NEVER wet the bed, from age 2.5 she was out of night time pull-ups. Our son was still wearing them at 3 yrs, even though he was fully daytime trained for almost a year. And when he finally stopped the nighttime pull-ups, I had to wake him up 2 or 3 hours into his nighttime sleep and carry him to the bathroom. Sometimes even that wasn't enough.... but often it was. Just hang in there. This is completely normal.

oh, one other thing you might try: Try to push liquids on her all day during the day. Then cut her liquids off in the 2 hours before bedtime. If she stays really hydrated during the day, the body is more likely to "let go" of the excess. If it isn't, it seems like it slows down the bladder. If she is fully and properly hydrated during the daytime, then she won't much mind cutting off her liquids a little before bed.

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J.K.

answers from Phoenix on

My kids wet the bed until they were 6-12 years old. My seven year old still wets. I wet until I was 10 so I imagine I passed it on to them. I gave up trying to keep them dry, except I'll use pull ups and just make sure they go to the bathroom before bed.

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F.C.

answers from Tampa on

I know it is frustrating, but it can be perfectly normal. Some children's nighttime bladder responses are not developed until later than others. Bedwetting can also run in the family (either side). It has nothing to do with the liquid being drank or waking them at night. I will say this I am the daughter of a Pedi and I have 3 girls. My eldest was night trained by 3yo, my youngest is just now getting there at 6yo and my middle daughter is 8yo and she still isn't. I don't get mad at her or upset b/c I know it is not her fault, it is biological. You can talk to your doctor about it and see if there is anything contributing to it.

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M.R.

answers from Rochester on

Normal, give her water, and don't wake her up. I wet the bed until I was almost 12 and just could not wake up to go to the bathroom. Use a bed liner or fold a sheet a few times, put her in thicker underwear with a vinyl cover (you can buy them at places like Wal Mart or probably Target) and save on the pull-ups. Her body has to learn to wake up and she is not getting regular sleep. Diapers or pull-ups are just one of those parenting expenses with no fixed end date, unfortunately. She could have some medical issues going on--her pediatrician might refer her to a urologist depending on the situation. There are some medications but you would have to go through your doctor and they did not always work (at least when I was a kid and taking them). :)

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S.A.

answers from New York on

This is normal. Some kids sleep so soundly, which is good, that they know they have to go, but dream that they got up and went to the bathroom or some acceptable place and wake up wet. they usually outgroe this by 11 years old. It is embarrassing for them, which is why they finally made those nighttime diapers for older kids. Use them and be compassionate.Make sure they use the potty before bed and dont drink unless necessary. ( you cant sleep if you are really thirsty). everyone outgrows this unless there is a medical issue and shouldn't be punished or made to feel bad. hang in there.

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S.S.

answers from Miami on

Both my girls wore diapers at night till the weeks of their 5th birthdays. They were both trained at 2. There is a part of the brain called the Corpus Collosum that needs to mature between left and right hemispheres between 5 and 6 yrs old. Boys may take a bit longer. What you could do that is absolutely free is have her do 300 jumps a day on a hard floor.she can hold onto the counter. Seperate them into 50 each time and then perhaps she can do 100 each time. Also 10 frontrolls everyday. It will help her body and brain get connected and the bladder will start to wake her up at night or hold it completely. If that doesnt work after about 3 weeks then she may have a retained Spinal Galant reflex. There are people up in Broward that can help you with that.

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A.C.

answers from Orlando on

My 11-, 8-, and 2-year-old nephews all wear Good nights. My 2- and 4-year-old daughters and my 4-year-old niece do not wear any kind of diapers at any time of day. It is more common in boys than girls, but I know plenty of children of both genders who still wear nighttime diapers/pullups. If you're concerned, have her checked by a doctor.

M..

answers from Miami on

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B.S.

answers from Fort Myers on

i work for a urologist and we see kids all the time for this. sometimes there is an underlining issue. whether its a UTI or spastic bladder. You can always bring her to a dr and let them atleast make sure there is nothing medically wrong causing her to have this problem. if you are in the SW FL area i could recomend you to my office. good luck!

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A.G.

answers from Mayaguez on

Have you tried pretty underware? Does she use the toilet ok during the day. It could be that she is a bit lazy or sleeps so profoundly she doesn't realize she needs to go. Consult your ped.

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L.L.

answers from Orlando on

I think it's normal. My daughter is almost 8 and just stopped having regular accidents about 7 or 8 months ago. Some kids just have problems with waking up. I know my daughter is a VERY hard sleeper. I ran out of pullups and didn't want to go buy more. So, EVERY night I set my alarm for 12-1am to wake her up to go potty. If she was wet, the next night I'd set my alarm 30 minutes earlier. I did that for a couple weeks before I was just utterly exhausted and couldn't do it anymore (lol) - so I stopped. Maybe I trained her body? I don't know. But after that, she had maybe 1 accident per week. And then it just stopped. I think the last time she had an accident was over a month ago now. I honestly can't really remember. But.... she WILL grow out of it, she WILL stop. She won't wet the bed at night forever. She is just developing a little later than most.

R.D.

answers from San Francisco on

I would mention this to your Physician. She may have an over active bladder. She's not releasing it all throughout the day and come night time when she's relaxed, out it comes. You can also stop her playtime about an hour before bed, read to her or something quiet, see if this relaxes her enough that she may go a couple of times prior to bedtime. I do feel it does have something to do with her bladder only because of the relaxation at sleep. As well, I check to see how many times she's going throughout the day. If not that many then its time to get checked. You may even ask her if when she goes does it hurt, is there any pain. Is her urine fairly clear and not real yellow. Have her drink more water as well rather than juice. Prior to bed give her milk (its a solid) not as we think of. Its not something our bladder kicks out soon. Water will make her go during the day and even try cranberry juice. You may have to add just a bit of sugar (it is kind of bitter) but maybe not. Good luck and take care, you will get a handle on it!!

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T.O.

answers from Jacksonville on

Maybe talk to your doctor. Some kids have bladders that dont mature fully to late. Or maybe its a UTI. If your getting up every hour, then it sounds like a medical problem.

If it turns out not to be look at onestepahead.com and they sell a sensor that helps kids feel when the wet the bed.

Good luck

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N.L.

answers from Jacksonville on

Often it's a food allergy - very often peanuts or peanut butter.

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K.M.

answers from Tampa on

Please have her ph checked- if it is off then it effects the muscles that control urination.
Gosh- the 2 of you must be exhausted.
She must be so upset, bless her heart. I would check with the International Chiropractic Pediatric Assn and get a referral and get her checked out- I have a very strong feeling that once her physical problem is fixed she'll be fine, and just need your re assurance.
Best to you both, k

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J.T.

answers from Tampa on

Completely normal. My 5 year old still wears pull-ups to bed. She'll be so good getting up and going to the bathroom for, say, 3 weeks, then for a couple of nights she'll wet the pull up. My daughter is such a sound sleeper, that when she's really tired (had a busy day, been sick, staying up late etc) she'll sleep through anything. I was frustrated at first (she was using the potty regularly during the day at 2.5yrs) but then thought – why sweat it? It’s normal for kids to not have control over their bladders when they sleep and I’m not going to make myself crazy over the issue or make her feel bad because of it, so it is what it is and we all sleep better.

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L.H.

answers from Tampa on

I have a 5 1/2 year old twins. My son has only twice wet the bed (he was sick both times). My daughter, however, had a very hard time with night time accidents. I tried withholding drinks but it didn't help. I took her to the doctor and there was nothing physical going on. So we just had her wear pull ups for a few months. Then we decided she really needed to try to get off the pull ups (at her 5th birthday) and we woke her up every hour for several weeks. There were some nights she still had accidents. We keep a mattress pad (the kind that have plastic backs but material type fronts that we used to use in their cribs) under her sheet so the mattress doesn't get ruined. After several weeks, we started going to every 2 hours and soon noticed she didn't pee every time. Then we went to 4 hours. We still take her once a night to the potty. Her doctor said it was really normal. I feel your pain! Good luck!

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K.D.

answers from Dallas on

I shared a room with my sister growing up, she wet the bed until she was about 9 years old. In her case, she slept so deeply that she could not wake for anything to go to the bathroom. She ended up growing out of sleeping so deeply. I think you should take Mommy B's advice, my parents never tried that. Good luck!!!

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M.B.

answers from Washington DC on

This is going to be LOOOONG, but informative!

My second of four daughters was like this... JUST like this. We were trying and TRYING to get her to go during the nighttime, but she was just a very deep sleeper. We had pull-ups on her @ night for 3 years (she was day-trained @ 2 years old)!!!! Her doctor(s) kept saying that it is normal and OK. Our research proved the same- that it is normal.

Well, about three months ago my husband and I REALLY tried HARD to get her to stop. It started with the pure fact that we were sick of buying pull-ups! While we started this process we used a protective plastic/vinyl cover under the sheets to protect the mattress.

First we told her that if she kept her bed dry for two weeks solid, she'd get whatever she wanted within a certain price (age appropriate, of course). That DID seem to motivate her, but we still noticed that most nights she was still wetting the bed. She seemed to be more interested in NOT doing it, though.

Next, we cracked the secret code as to WHEN she actually pees in her bed. This is a trial and error process, but it works- eventually. You mentioned that you tried to get her before she peed- well, keep trying earlier and earlier! You'll catch it in time and keep waking her up and taking her at that time, and THEN a couple hours after the first time. SO, do it twice for the first few nights.

We noticed that after a couple weeks of waking her up (still not dry every night yet, though), she started to wake up on her own sometimes- she had NEVER done it before!

Well, we just kept at it. It got to the point where MOST mornings the bed was dry. We got down to waking her up only once a night, and I think we just basically forced a habit with her. I think that is the key here: THEY GET USED TO US WAKING THEM UP, SO IT TURNS INTO A HABIT THAT THEY DO ON THEIR OWN!

Now, here comes the good news!!! Her bed was dry for two weeks straight! We got her her "prize" that she wanted, and since the beginning of that two weeks she has been dry since! She is also 5, and will be 6 in October. She's awesome and we are SO proud of her!

Another bit of advice- make sure you really praise her on dry mornings and make sure you don't make her feel bad on wet mornings.

Good luck, and STAY PERSISTENT! Don't give up, and keep in mind that it is very normal! I hope you find success soon!

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S.X.

answers from Chicago on

sounds like a question for the doc. My son very occasionally wet the bed and wakes up crying, usually if he's in a deep sleep and doesn't get up in time and he's 4.5 yoa. But he drinks right before bed. I'd ask the doc to make sure, otherwise i wouldn't worry too much... my nephew did until he was 6 or 7.

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J.K.

answers from Chicago on

Have you also tried waking her up to go "potty" before you go to sleep? I have 6 children and 3 of them were bed wetters. One was almost 7 before she stopped , my son was 6 when it ended and that was the same age for the other. My daughter and son did go on medication for it, and it did work. If you have spoken to your doctor and he/she says your daughter is perfectly healthy then dont worry too much. It sometimes takes longer for their little bodies to develop.(that is all it is- a bladder still trying to figure itself out) at least that is what my pediatrician told me. As with everything, it will pass,. I know it doesnt help right now but try to think of that sometimes when its driving you crazy. Ask your doctor about the medication if you think you want to give that a go. I know that is not the best answer because it isnt good to over medicate our children but when you are desperate you have got to do what you have to do. (at that time I had 5 kids and was pregnant so I needed some relief, and my daughter and son were so embarassed about it)

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