Anyone have bedwetting issues?!?

[Poohbug]

My almost five yr old son recently started wetting the bed-EVERY NIGHT. I have tried to talk to him and see what is going on but this has not helped. I make him take a nap in the afternoon now-I thought that maybe he was to tired to get up and go-it worked: one night. I make sure he doesn't drink before bedtime and that he goes before we tuck him in. Nothing seems to be helping. I am getting really tired of washing the bed every day. My husband and I joked that we will have to buy new sheets because all the washing is wearing them out.

Does anyone have an suggestions?? I am confused about why he just started to do this all of a sudden.

 

[GrowingUpDisney]

My son, who will be 6 on April 3rd, is also having bed wetting issues. He was completely potty trained until our 2005 Disney trip. He started wetting the bed on the trip and has ever since. He sleeps VERY hard and it just does not wake him up. Currently he is sleeping in pull-ups, but this summer I plan on waking him up once a night to make him go. Hopefully that will nip it in the bud. I would get your son some pull ups until the issue is resolved -that will at least keep you from changing the sheets every day. Good luck!

FTR - our pediatrician said it is very common for children to wet the bed until age 7. She said she will not be concerned about it until he is 7 and still doing it.

 

[linda0706]

My DD7 is a bedwetter. She's never been dry for more than a week or so at a time. All I can say is PULL-UPS! They're great.

In my case I'm not so worried because eventually she'll outgrow it. I'd be more concerned in your case where he used to be dry. Seems like there must be some reason for the regression. Best wishes to you on working it out.

 

[ekball]

DD4 would probably wet at night (she's also a VERY sound sleeper - wakes for nothing!), but we take her to the potty around 10:00 each night. She'll potty around 10:00, then can make it from 10 until she wakes up between 6:30 and 7. She will not wear pull ups, she says she's "too big" for those. So until she can make it through or start waking herself up we'll just take her to the potty each night.

 

[EverythingDisney]

My DD5 would be wet everynight if it wasn't for pull ups.
Now since she turned 5 (on March 7th), we have decided NO more pull ups.
She is wet every couple of nights. I stop any drinking about 6pm, make her go
potty before bed 8pm. Same routine every night, but some nights she is dry, and some nights she is wet.

 

[eeyoremum]

Bedwetting is heritiary in boys especially. If you or DH or any members of your family wet there is a good possiblity any boy in your life will wet the bed. I have 3 DN and 2 DS all had this problem.

My suggestion is to not let DS know it is bothering you. Just matter of factly change the bed when he has an accident. I never said anything to my kids unless they mentioned it themselves. I would then say "oh you had an accident no big deal lets get new sheets out".

It is a pain I know. It will pass though. I found mine would wet for a bit then stop then wet for a bit and stop. For the most part we are done with this DSs are 14 and 9. What out though now that I am writing about it we will have a problem tonight...lol

 

[wrighter]

My DS is coming up on 5 next month, and he has rarely ever woken up dry - he's never been out of pullups at night. Our pediatrician also said that until he is in second grade I shouldn't be worried. Some kids' bladders just aren't ready, and some (my son included) are such heavy sleepers that they just aren't capable of waking themselves up yet. My DS actually took a two hour nap with a jackhammer going right outside his window! It makes me uneasy - nobody wants their kids to have to worry about bedwetting. But until we're at an age where sleepovers come into play, I'm going to try not to worry.

Hang in there! It will likely resolve itself on its own in due time. Best of luck until then.

P.S. - We just switched from Pullups to Goodnights at nighttime and we like them much better. Very absorbant!

 

[michelle1]

My DS wet every night until the age of 7. We would limit his drinking and wake him up around midnight but he would still wet between midnight and the morning. He wore pullups and one day just stopped out of the blue. It's more common in boys and most things don't really solve the problem (bed alarms, waking child in night) because the child's body needs to learn to wake on their own when they have that urge to go. With the bed alarm, once it goes off it's too late anyway. Some kids just develop later than others. There is a medication that can be given that reduces the amount of urine produced but I knew he would outgrow it eventually and he did. When my son was small they only made the pull ups for potty trainers but I think now there are some on the market that are meant for older kids and look more like underwear.

 

[PrincessAbby'sMom]

My daughter will be 8 this August. She has seen a Children's Memorial Hospital Urilogist (for other reasons) and he has told me that it can occur until she is 10 yrs old. She is probably just a hard sleeper. He actually scolded us for holding back food & drink before bed and for giving her "prizes" for waking up dry. He said that it was cruel - she can't help it, she can't control it & that we were basically punishing her (by not giving a "prize") when she woke up wet.

Believe me I felt like a terrible Mom after that conversation. She is still in "Good Nights" (they are bigger then pull-ups) & will go 2 weeks dry, then 2 weeks wet - no consistancy at all.

Now I have heard of some that all of a sudden start wetting, but that is in abusive households, etc. Maybe it was just a flook that he was dry for so long??? Maybe he is worried about things? You just never know - my daughter was just diagnosed w/Irritiable Bowel Sydrome - all caused by nerves. I still can't figure out what she is so stressed out about??? Just the everyday things, according to the doctors. Just a sensitive kid.

Good luck

 

[JVL1018]

My son also wets..he's 6, and has always been this way, there may be a random night where he was dry, but that's about it. He wears Good Nights.
I recently found (the world's most boring) book called Dry All Night, we've had it for about 3 weeks and he's been dry about 1/2 of those nights, including 4 nights in a row..from a book. I was floored.
He's been wet the last few nights, but he's stopped looking at the book before bed. I think if we stick with it, it will work, I was leery at first, but I can't argue with the results.
If it doesn't work, we are getting the alarm.

 

[peanut1967]

We have a boy aged 8, hes in foster care with us, I have done a little research on this, we at first thought we would do a reward chart etc, BUT it could be the fact that his bladder isnt yet ready for that capacity of urine, also the brain produces a chemical at night to stop you needing the toilet during the night ( its also not working with me...up 4 times a night), and he may not yet have developed this. one thing the article I read said was to increase drinks during the day, and see how long they can hang on before they need to go to the toilet. My little boy drinks a drink then needs to go to the toilet within minutes, so I know its going to be a while. But like the op said we are not making a big deal of it, he wears dry nights, and in the Amorning he puts it in a bag ready for the trash. It will come eventually....well hopefully.

Angie

 

[PrincessAbby'sMom]

Ok, I have to ask - how will a book help? I have been told by a Children's Urologist that nothing will help - you just have to give it time. I am really curious, I have never heard of this book - what is it, just a story??? I will give anything a try - just wondering if it is a story, helps they learn how to wake up, what?

 

[Omma]

After many trips to Children's Hospital w/ one of my kiddos and tons of reading on the subject here is what we learned:

There are many factors that can cause "primary enuresis" - meaning children who have always wet the bed at night. Some of these are:
-Decreased arousal from sleep in response to a full bladder
-Small functional bladder capacity
-High nighttime urine production
-Food sensitivities
-Constipation


"Secondary enuresis" is when bedwetting starts after at least 6 months of dryness. Medical or phsychological causes are more common in children w/ secondary rather enuresis than those with primary enuresis.
Secondary enuresis can by caused by:
-Life changes ( a move, parent's divorce, a death, at the beginning of the school year, following a sibling's birth, when starting a new sport, immediately before holidays or family vacations, etc.)
-Recent illness, such as streptococcal or viral illness
-Urinary tract infections
-Eating disorders, such as anorexia
-Starting medications such as anti-depressants or allergy treatments

Sometimes you never discover the reason for secondary enuresis. But I would recommend taking him to your doctor for a urinalysis to make sure it is not a UTI. Also, pay close attention to his bowel movements and talk to your doctor if you feel he may be constipated.

If they do not find anything "wrong" medically then I HIGHLY recommend going to www.bedwettingstore.com and looking at the following alarm kit:

http://bedwettingstore.com/kits/malem_ultimate_bedwetting_kit.htm

The bed pads are a LIFESAVER when you are exhausted from washing sheets every night. The book was great for me and I realized I had been doing a lot of things wrong (like limiting fluids at night time and waking my child up to go in the middle of the night). After just three weeks w/ the alarm (those first 3weeks were rough - I was exhausted getting up when it went off) we have now had 23 dry nights in a row!

I have the book Seven Steps to Nighttime Dryness if there is anything you would like for me to look up for you. Sending hugs to all mommies who do laundry in the middle of the night!

 

[JoyG]

We have a 7.5 year old who has never had more than a few nights in a row of dryness. Even when we wake him up, we don't get to him fast enough. He's usually already wet, or he'll wet again after he's been woken up.

We also have a 5 year old who will be dry 6 nights a week if we wake him up to send him to the bathroom. If we didn't wake him up, he would wet the bed nightly too.

 

[Mouse House Mama]

Food sensititvity is a definite cause as is sleep apnea. I wouldn't worry about it. He will outgrow it.

 

[Poohbug]

Thanks to all for the insight.
It is just frustrating because he used to get up in the middle of the night if he needed to. He might be nervous about starting school-he is going to summer school in June?? We are not punishing him or anything but really encouraging him to get up if he feels it.
My DH did wet the bed but only because diagnosed with Epilepsy-fortunately he grew out of seizures and does not have to take medication. We are always on the lookout for signs of that and just have not seen any.
Well-off to buy laundry detergent.

Note to Omma-Jealous of you-have a great time at the Poly next month.

 

[ampc3]

I didn't read thru the posts, so don't know if this was mentioned or not? But DS when he was little wet the bed all the time once we tried to break him of the pull ups. Would get him up in the middle of night before I went to bed and everything and still woke up wet... Then at 4 he has his tonsels and adnoids removed b/c he was such a restless sleeper and we discovered his adnoids were completly blocking his airway which caused the restless nights.

A few days later after his surgery... He stopped wetting the bed.. I don't know if it was a conicidence or not, our Peditritian said she had heard stories like that. I completley believe it was b/c of the surgery...
so I don't know if you have ever had his adnoides xrayed? That could be an underlying problem.

 

[annie1995]

My step daughter was dry until 4 years old, then started wetting the bed and wet until she was 14. She had been to doctor after doctor and had several tests run and we never did find a cause. It will stop eventually. I agree with everyone else who suggested goodnights! They will save you the hassle of having to wash his sheets every night, and it might even make him feel a little bit better. Good Luck!

 

[JVL1018]

Ok, I have to ask - how will a book help? I have been told by a Children's Urologist that nothing will help - you just have to give it time. I am really curious, I have never heard of this book - what is it, just a story??? I will give anything a try - just wondering if it is a story, helps they learn how to wake up, what?

It's a story within a story--about a boy who learns that his brain is in control of his body-that when he sleeps, his brain is still awake-that's why if he's hot at night his brain tells his legs to kick off the covers, if he hears a loud noise his brain tells him to wake up, if he gets to close to the edge of the bed, his brain lets him know to move over..and when his bladder is full his brain will know that if it's full it can stay full all night because you are in control, or if you can't hold it, your brain will wake you up and you can go to the bathroom, use the toilet and go right back to bed.
I really never thought it would work, but got the book out of the library on the off chance.
I guess it's mind over matter, but my son has been dry more often after reading that book than he has been in his entire life..and he has TRIED so hard in the past, he does not want to wet the bed.

*I* think it's because the book is incredibly boring and the kids know that if they stop wetting the bed, they can stop reading the boring book.

 

[EverythingDisney]

DD5 had another 3 dry nights, then last night wet- uuuuggghhh !!