Nightime Bedwetting Solutions?

It can be quite normal to wet the bed at this age (as you know), but I have heard good things about using the alarm. That's up to you as it could be expensive and might seem scary to the kid, but people I know have used it and after it woke the kid one time, they never wet the bed again. I think it would be great for the kid not to wet the bed since it can be a real hindrance to overnight socializing. That may not be important now, but in only a couple of years, it will matter a lot. Good luck!

I have had two bedwetters, and one of my nephews was a bedwetter. My sister-in-law had suggested a tablespoon of honey before bedtime. It did not seem to make a difference for my first one and we did not try it with the second. My suggestion is to teach your son how to do his own laundry (my second one does this - he's been dry for about 2 weeks now! PTL!) What I have found with the three cases that I am familiar with is this: they will grow out of it at some point in time...granted, it may be a while. I have also found that the more tired my son is the more likely he is to wet the bed. Consequently, I try to not let him stay up too late. Use a plastic mattress protector (garbage bags work!) and know that this too shall pass.

R.H.

When my daughter turned 5 I started a sticker reward for her. I bought her her own calender that we hung in her room. I put star stickers on it. If she stayed dry for 5 days she got to pick somewhere to go out to eat at, 10 days she got to have a play date, 15 days she got to go to the book store and get some new books, 30 days she got to go to Monkey Joes, then when she was dry for 60 days she got to go to Six Flags. It took a while to get there but she did it. I also noticed that it has helped that she now has to get up at 6:30 AM to get ready for school. So she goes to bed earlier as well. I also used pull ups till they started to leak all the time. I switched to good nights they worked better for me. Now I use the Pampers brand when we go out of town or on long car rides only because she does not have much control over being able to hold it.
Just try not to get mad at your son. I know that the couple times I got mad at my daughter it made her feel really bad and she had a bad day at school because she thought that I was mad at her. I wish you luck.

I have been in the same boat as you. My daughter was 5 before she was potty trained during the day, and she still had accidents at night. She could not wake herself up to go. She sleep so deep. I had to keep drinks away from her about that time or limit before bed. I gave her just a sip to wet her mouth. Also make sure he goes pottu right before he goes into bed. My daughter finally is doing better. They will outgrow it. Just hang in there.

Its ok to restrict the liquids before bed, if he is drinking all day. Make him go to the bathroom before he goes to bed, if your able to wake him every couple of hours to get him used to getting up in the middle of the night.

I was the mother of 2 young boys who wet the bed. I know that they wanted to stop doing it and would have woken up to go if they were able to. I believe that for some reason it is either a very deep sleep that they are not able to wake from or an immature system. Each of them out grew when they were a little older, I believe around 9 or so.

I know that a lot of people believe in rewards and punishiments. I have to quesion that thought. If someone isunable to gain control over something due to heavy sleep, why would you reward or punish? The better method may be to allow the brain and the body to catch up naturally. That is just my thoughts on it.

It will be a rough transition to restricting fluid for an hour before bedtime, but once you do, it will bake everyone a lot happier. If the problem persists, talk to his pediatrician. Good luck!
T.

L.,
I know what your are going through. My youngest was the same way. We bought the panties alarm. it was so great. Right now I can't remember how much it was. but well worth it. Hang in there it will stop. sometimes you wonder when and why it happens. I think they told us it could a allergy thing. and she does have asthma. so who knows.

you can ask your doctor when to get them. tats how we found out. I have seen them in books. I think one was called one step(magazine)

Best wishes
A.
let me know how it works

L.,I am an herbalist and holistic healer,have 5 children[ages 23-42]and many clients over my 35 yrs. experience.On a phisical level,it has been my observation[including my own son who wet the bed until age 12],that the biggest culprit has been pasturized milk products.The only milk I have used in the last 28 yrs.is raw goat milk.Milk alergies also cause deep,sound sleepers.Dr.Bernard Jensen[one of my greatest teachers]wrote an entire book on goat milk.You might want to check out some of his great wisdom's and nutritional advice on line.Pasterized milk may also play a huge role in asthma.I hope this opens a few doors for you. many blessings,Debbie

Have you taken him to a urologist just to make sure everything is ok? I'm sure everything is fine, but that was the last step we took with my son, who is 11. It's like you're describing my son to a T. We've also never used the alarm because it just doesn't seem right to wake a child up like that. Everything I've read says they'll grow out of it by puberty, and I've noticed the closer my son gets to that age, the less often he's having accidents. I know that's not really any advice, but it sounds like you're doing everything right. It might take a while, but he'll grow out of it.

My son is going to be 7 in March and he still wets the bed at night. Like you its not every night. He is a very deep sleeper. I could jump on his bed and he won't wake up. I talked to the doctor and he suggested that we take him out of goodnights and start training his body to realize when he has to go to the bathroom. The pullup does not give him the sensation of being wet like underwear will. He said to do this for a couple of months and if that doesn't help then there is medicine that can be prescribed.
We started the underwear at night on Saturday night and so far he has been dry. We also wake him up right before we go to bed (10:00 - 10:30). I also think some of it is psychological. Good luck! I feel your pain!! I'm also potty training three year old twin boys!

I didn't read other responses, but I have 2 of my 4 kids that are bed wetters. My almost 9 year old is finally doing better (only once in a while instead of EVERY night), and my 6 year old wears pull-ups, but still wets every night... We tried the meds and stuff with my older child and they didn't work. She is finally old enough she is trying to take control herself, and what has worked for her is avoiding caffeine and no large amounts of liquids after 6:30pm. Even if she has chocolate or other things with caffeine, not necessarily drinks, she'll have problems. Just make sure your child doesn't feel bad about this problem. Let him know that it happens to a lot of kids, but nobody talks about it and make sure not to say anything in front of others that might make fun of him. Good luck.

I know its hard to keep them from drinking befor bedtime. My daughter actually brings a cup of water in with her when she goes to bed. For some reason she HAS to have it, she usually doesnt even drink it. But we havent had any problems with her wetting the bed, and she will get up all hours of the am to go potty if she has too. I would say give him plenty of fluids way before bedtime so he wont need to drink right before bed. And in my experience pull ups always leaked at night when I was potty training my daughter. I also think you should ask the doc for advice.

I used the big cotton cloth underpants with the old plastic pants that go on the outside. I then put a wetting pad under the sheet and on top of the mattress. If he does not like being wet, It will wake him up. Diapers and pull ups take the moisture away from the skin. So they do not feel the moisture on their skin. When you use this method, they feel it and it wakes them up. It also help to promote Big Boy Panties. I also made sure he did not drink anything before bed and make him (to this very day) go to the potty right before he goes to bed. Be patient and give your self some time. Good Luck.

I agree with most of the other mothers. I too am a mother of bedwetters (three of our four sons). My husband wet the bed when he was young so it was not a huge surprise to us. We use Good Nights. They are far more absorbant than pullups. Occasionally there is a leak, but very rarely. Limiting liquids did not do much for any of our boys. I agree with the one mom that said as they enter puberty it happens less. My eldest started staying dry almost every night once he hit about 12 or so. It makes NO difference to put them in underwear if the bladder is not fully developed. I know this since I have three who can be completely soaked and sleep right through it! Have him help with the laundry (without making him feel bad), but do not expect an overnight change. It will help him take a little responsibility (and give you a little bit of a break from handling the wet sheets). Stay calm...be patient....and know that this too shall pass. It is simply a matter of his brain, his bladder, his sleeping patterns, etc. all maturing and falling into sync with one another. Remember you are not alone! Also, remember that in far too short a time, they will grow up, move out, and you will wonder what to do with all of that time that you spent doing laundry. Good luck!

I'm anxious to read your responses as my son has the same issue. He just turned 7, and so far the doctors have said that they won't consider it a problem until he is at least 8 years old. I'd love to be able to stop buying the pull-ups since they really do get expensive, plus they leak fairly often on my son. He has had more dry nights recently than ever, so maybe we are getting there. Wish I had advice, but the best I can tell you is that you are not alone and this seems to be more common that we all realize. Best of luck to you and all the mamas dealing with this!

I had 3 bed wetters. We tried every trick in the book to keep them from wetting at night. What I learned from this is that they will eventually quit. Make them comfortable, remind them to go first thing in the morning, and wait. Bed-wetting is a pain for everyone involved but the less you stress about it, the less they will and the sooner they will just stop. If they continue wetting the bed persistently after 6, I would say ask your pediatrician. I found that boys take longer to completely get rid of the bed wetting because they tend to play harder, sleep harder and have smaller bladders. I know its stinks, but really, wait it out. P.S. restricting nightime fluids NEVER helped me a bit!

My best friends son has this challenge and he is 8 going on 9. She doesn't let him drink anything after 8 pm...his bedtime is 9-9:30. And if he does drink something then he will wet the bed. It is okay to restrict him before bedtime. Hopefully he will grow out of it when his bladder matures. Good luck and God Bless.

L.-
I do not have any solution, but can't wait to see your responses. We have the same problem -- a 6 year old boy that is a consistent bed wetter. We have tried everything except the alarm. Withholding drinks does not seem to matter. Taking him to the bathroom 3 times a night does not seem to matter. I am getting very tired of buying Goodnights, but am out of options. Hang in there! It is comforting to know I am not the only one with this problem.
Jen