My 5 Year Old Wets in Pants During the Day.

Take him to the bathroom more often. Everytime you leave the house, make him go pee. I make my kids go pee each and everytime we leave the house. Before he goes out to play, make him go pee. Limit the drinks when he is at someone's house. Make him go pee before a playdate.

Make sure he goes to the bathroom every hour. Stop his play and take him to the bathroom.

My daughter started doing this. I started taking her to the bathroom every hour. She hated it. I explained that if she couldn't stop her play to go to the bathroom, I had to make sure she went and I was going to do that every hour. I set one of those wind up cooking timers. We did that for days.Finally, she promised to go to the bathroom. I started taking her every two hours if she had not gone. Then I moved to every three. It only took a week or so and she stopped her play to go to the bathroom.

Stephanie

Hey A.,
I delt with this problem with my nephew when he was younger. He was to lazy to get up and go to the bathroom when he needed to, or didn't want to stop playing to go. It drove me nuts!! What I did was stop him from playing, watching tv, or whatever he was doing, take him to the bathroom and make him pee. I would tell him that only babies pee in their pants, and if he wanted to be a big boy, he has to go to the bathroom when he feels like he has to pee. And if he went all day with out peeing his pants, I would praise him, saying how proud of him I was he didn't wet him self. I wouldn't suggest disciplining him for it. He may feel embarrassed about it and try to hide when he does it. Just ask him frequently during the day if he has to go. He will get sick of you asking and hopefully just go on his own. Good luck.

We still have this problem off and on with our five year old, too. You're not alone.

My best tip is to scrap the discipline. We've tried it all, from the positive reinforcement to punishment. Probably the same as you've tried. Nothing worked, until we just dropped it altogether. If he has an accident, we're nonchalant about it. "OK, put your clothes in the washer and get new ones." That's it.

We've also been playing up kindergarten and how five year olds there won't have accidents and that teachers there don't clean up after kids who have accidents. Just this morning I mentioned I forgot his clothes (swim clothes) in the car at preschool and he said, "Don't worry, mom. I won't have an accident. I'm five now." So, I think that's getting through to him.

EDITED TO ADD: Also, be sure to take him to the potty (don't ask) before you go to any activities. I found that helped reduce the frequency of problems.

I know in rare cases, there's a medical reason but our pediatrician saw nothing wrong with our son, except his total lack of interest in the potty. You are not alone! I know it feels that way, so know that your situation isn't unique.

Best of luck!
M.

He's a little young for me to think its a medical problem, but you could take him to a pediatric urologist. My son sees Doctor William Kennedy at Lucile Packard Childrens Hospital. (650) 725 - 5530.

In my son's case, he had a spasctic bladder, so the doctor put him on Ditropan. I think he was more like 8 when I brought him into the doctor.

My 4.5 year old still gets too busy to use the bathroom and wets once in a while. My solution is to tell her that she HAS to sit on the toilet, but it is her choice on whether to pee (just so she has some control over the situation and it's not a totally unplesent experience). I'd say she pees 95% of the time once she actually sits on it.

Hi,
I am, hopefully was, dealing with the same problem with my 4.8 year old up until last week. I have been stopping my daughter to go like most have suggested. Also, I am big into natural consequneces. So, my daughter has been helping to do the laundry, sort, put in washer, dryer and then helping to put things away.
Yes, it takes more time and I have other children, but it seems to have worked so far. She doesn't hate to do laundry, but she would rather do other things.
I have been really careful to present this something that just has to be done. It isn't not a punishment.
Best of luck,
Kathryn

Hi A.,
I also have a 5 year old who does the same thing.
My only advice that seems to work is monitoring him every 40
min. or so to make sure he goes. I know this is a full days work in itself. Good Luck... Let me know if you find anything else that works.:)
J. K.

HI A.
what my friends have done is every hour or so tell him to go to the bathroom its worked for them and tell him is not allowed at the friends house or tell you friends that they need to help if its possible after all it is a group effort good luck
Danielle mother of 4

I would first take him to the doctor and make sure there isn't a physical problem. If not, then I would call him in from play every so often to use the bathroom and not let him go back out until he has done so. Conversely, if he wets his pants while outside playing, then he comes in and is not allowed back out to play for the day and spends the balance of the day in his room playing alone. Also, he should be warned the next time he goes to a friends house, that if he comes home with wet pants, he won't be allowed to play at a friends house for a week and then stick to it. He has to realize that it takes him less time to come in and use the bathroom than if he pees his pants and has to suffer consequences.

Kids never want to stop playing to go to the bathroom. They are not being defiant they just don't wanjt to miss anything fun. Ypou need to be on top of it and make him come in to the bathroom every hour or so until he gets it then tell him he has to do it himself or can'y play if he wets his pants cause big boys don't do that and at school the other kids will laugh at him if he does it at school. This is not being mean it is the truth.

I have a 4 1/2 yr old son and I totally agree with Nicole and Michelle - this is normal and you just have to be patient to wait it out. My son has been potty trained since age 3, but he'll be playing with something and I can see him "dancing" around and I'll ask him if he has to go and he'll say "no". I then make him stop what he's doing and make him go anyway, and I can hear he totally had to go. It's funny how they just don't want to stop doing what they're doing to go. Also, he still can't control his bladder at night, even though we've talked about it many times, and tried rewarding him for a dry pull-up in the morning. He also doesn't mind being in wet pants for hours. There are some things you can do, as others have mentioned, like remind him to go before you get in the car to go somewhere. I say give it time and let it play out naturally. Peer pressure might work in the end...

Yeah, they get so busy playing, they don't want to stop to take care of business!

I just make sure they use the bathroom before we go anywhere. Then, if it has been a while, I make them go, even when they say they don't have to. I have 2 boys, age 7 and 5.