Wetting the Bed at Age 6 - Chico,CA

It's developmental. It has NOTHING to do with "training" -- feeling the urge when you're awake is totally different from when you're asleep. It's more common in boys.

My son was like yours - we decided he needed sleep more than he needed anything else. We didn't wake him up at 11 and 2 to go pee - it accomplished nothing except making everyone exhausted. We tried the alarm but all it did was wake him up after he was wet - so there was no point.

Our son had nocturnal enuresis until he was 11! Your son is 6 so he's totally normal. Put him in Good Nights or some other product, and let him sleep and grow up. Don't let him feel ashamed. A lot of kids have this - try to focus him on all the areas where his body HAS grown up. Every kid's body does different things in a different order.

If he gets to the point of not being able to go to sleepovers because of this, you can consult the pediatrician. We are not big on medication, but we did follow the suggestions of a pediatric urologist who told us there are kids who go through this through their teen years even. Our son used the medication (one pill at night) from 7-10, tried going off it, and the problem returned after about 1-2 months. So he went back on until he was around 11.5 or so, and went off again, with no problems.

We also put a waterproof pad on top of the sheet, and a 2nd sheet on top. (We used a leftover waterproof pad from his crib and put it in the "pee area" - worked fine.) Then if he was wet in the middle of the night, we could strip off the wet sheet and the pad, wipe him down with some wipes, throw on dry pajama bottoms, and lay him down on the second dry sheet - it saved a lot of bed-stripping in the middle of the night. This was over 10 years ago and they didn't have the Good Nights and extra pads then - now there are more products because this is so common.

The issue is shame and punishment. Don't go there, and don't let him do it to himself.

I had a bedwetter until 10. After doing much medical research, I found out that milk products will cause bed wetting. I tested it and it is true. EVERY time he had milk up to 3 hours before bed he would wet it. milk causes high calcium and low magnesium. No milk for several hours before bed. Give magnesium malate tablets or "calm" magnesium drink to help lower calcium and raise magnesium. Or put Epsom salt in his bathwater.
Also a child who may be prediabetic will have night wetting too. Cut down on sugars and empty carbs and increase good fats and meats and veggies.

Wetting the bed has NOTHING to do with being toilet trained. Some kids bodies just are not fully developed physically and the neurological connection between the bladder and brain isn't strong enough to wake them from a deep sleep when they need to pee. It is often inherited and kids who had a parent who wet the bed often will wet the bed. I have 3 kids, my daughter is almost 8, my son is 5 and my youngest is 2. My older 2 were fully potty trained by the time they were 3 but both still wear pullups to bed. The pediatrician said to not try to even do anything until they are atleast 6, then you can try the bedwetting alarms. They make a loud buzz at the first sign of wetness. The idea is that it wakes the child and they can go to the bathroom, and eventually they will learn to wake when they feel the need to pee, without the buzzer. We did use one with my daughter for a while, but we took it off after the first time she would pee and then she would still be wet again in the morning. We stopped and said we would come back to it. It was a while ago... right now the kids still wear pull-ups, we wake them to go to the bathroom before we go to bed, and they change themselves as soon as they wake up... it's just part of the routine. They know they can't help it and there is not shame... they will grow out of it. The Dr. also prescribed a medication that they can take once in a while for sleepovers, but it has a lot of side effects, and is not a cure- it is just for occasional use. Other than that, you can try avoiding a lot of liquids in the evening, try waking him before you go to bed etc. But, you may just have to wait until his body has developed more. I have also heard that acupuncture and chiropractor can help... but it can be pricey. We may try this route for my daughter at this point. Good Luck!

It's normal, and there's nothing you can do but wait. He will stop when his body is ready.

I would just keep using pull-ups or Goodnights. Our son uses them, and to me it's absolutely worth the cost if it means I don't have to get up in the middle of the night or wash his sheets every day. Also, he gets to sleep all night, and that is priceless.

Yes it is. Mine is 9 and still has accidents. At age 6 we still did pull-ups at night to help save on the wash. We have also started cutting liquids after supper and going potty right before bed.

Has he always wet the bed, or is this a new development? If it has just started happening it could be a medical issue.

My son wet the bed till age 9, totally normal even up to early teens per our pediatric urologist - especially with a family history and my Mom wet the bed till 13.
First get a physical. Very common for chronic constipation to cause bedwetting; full bowel pushes on bladder desensitizing it so child doesn't feel the 'gotta go' sensation. Pedi urologist said half the time in constipated kiddos clearing that up will clear up the bedwetting.

If that's not it, and he isn't bothered by the bedwetting, invest in goodnights.

If the bedwetting bothers him you can try an alarm. They do work, but they are a HUGE commitment for both the parent(s) and the child. We used one with my son when he finally wanted to stop wetting the bed at age 9. I slept in his room for 3 weeks to help him get up and use the restroom when the alarm went off. When I left his room he backslid a bit, but after 8 weeks he was totally dry. He's almost 12 now and has wet the bed twice since then - both times overtired and forgot to use the restroom before bed. Your son has to want to do it or the alarm won't work. And you have to stick with it - it truly takes 8 - 12 weeks.