My 5 year old has been potty trained since she was 18 months old but never quite got the hang of not wetting her bed. About six months ago she stopped wetting the pull ups we put on her and we decided she didn't need them anymore. As soon as we took them off her she wet the bed. It is the strangest thing if she wears a pull up she is always dry take them off and she wets the bed. I can't seem to figure this out.
I guess I will just keep her in the pull ups. I am not by any means mad at her I just feel bad for her because she hates the pull ups but we both hate getting woke up at night more. I wet the bed myself so I know how she feels but it is so strange that it only happens when we take them off. It never fails.
Just put a pull up on her and relax. She will feel comfortable without them soon. Just relax and let her decide when she is ready to give them up.
Have you talked to your daughter's pediatrician about this? They may refer you to a urologist for a possible kidney reflux issue. Bedwetting can be a sign of this condition and it is very common in children of this age. It is usually an inherited condition from a mother to a daughter. Since you had bedwetting issues when you were a child, and now your daughter does, it just seems like this could be a possibility in this case.
Good luck!
You state you wet the bed yourself.. sounds like an inherited problem your daughter has
Hi A.,
I suspect it is just coincidence that she seems to urinate only when she isn't wearing the pull-up. If she is sleeping, how could she know whether she has a pull-up on or not? My son is 7 and still has accidents at night occassionally. I talked with the Pediatrician and the Urologist when he was younger and they both said some kids aren't able to recognize the urge to urinate when they are sleeping until the age of 6, so I wouldn't worry about your daughter too much yet. We have come to conclude that our son is just such a sound sleeper he doesn't wake up when he needs to urinate, so we make him use the potty immediately before going to bed (even if he just went half an hour before). This seems to help prevent the accidents. If you are still concerned about your daughter you might want to discuss it with her Pediatrician. There is an alarm that can be worn that goes off to wake the child up as soon as there is a drop of moisture in the underwear. I have heard that they are very effective. Our Pediatrician said she had to use one for her own son.
if they still make bed wetting alarms give one a try. they are a little expensive, but ours worked in two nights. At her age I wouldn't let it go for too long without talking to the Dr. L.
I agree with Sharon. Use the pull up & let her feel confident.
Bed wetting can be a real esteem killer. I know you dont want to crush her by mistake over this. It can take some kids up to age 10 or beyond to fully develop the ability to not wet the bed. She is not doing it on purpose.
Give her the control, let her know she can wear a pull up for as long as she needs & when she decides she is ready to go without, then she can make the call. And if she makes a mistake - no big deal.
My 4 1/2 yo is wetting almost every night. I see no signs of stopping. It is what it is. I wet til I was pretty old, but there were no pull ups in the 70's.... consider your self lucky.
P : )
Bed-wetting is not a conscious action. The problem is that the bed-wetter sleeps more deeply and cannot respond to the body signals that tell the brain the sleeper needs to wake up and go to the bathroom.
There are gadgets you can buy with a wired bed pad that will signal/alarm to wake the sleeper and she can go to the bathroom. These only work to a certain extent and the best measure is to simply be sure she does not drink too much liquid within an hour or so of bedtime.
Another thing to consider is the possibility of ADD. People with ADD/ADHD have a difficult time waking and rousing themselves anyway. (If you have a hard time getting your daughter out of bed in the morning, this could be a factor.) It is important not to make a big deal out of this issue. Fussing and complaining to your daughter - or even within her earshot - can severely damage her self-esteem, harm her ability to relate to others, and have lasting repercussions into her adulthood. Treat this as if it is nothing more upsetting than if she had accidentally knocked over a glass of milk on the table. It is, after all, an accident; she is not doing this consciously or deliberately and, as frustrating as it may be for you, it is even more so for her. It might even be a good idea to let her know that you understand it is not her fault (and it is far more prevalent than most people would believe, lasting sometimes until the age of 8 or 9). Ease her worries about it and let her know it is just like learning to walk, her body will figure it out soon enough.
Until then, limit her liquid intake an hour before bedtime and keep the Pull-ups handy.
(My mantra for such situations is, "Gall stones. Gall stones. (This, too, shall pass)!)
it sounds like the pull up might be a security blanket. I'd just let her keep them on until she is ready to take them off. I don't think it hurts anything. Once she realizes that her friends wear underwear at night, she'll come to it on her own. This isn't a battle i would fight.
