OT: Little boys bed wetting woes

[JUJU814]

Hi,

I have a little boy just about to turn 8 who is still wetting his bed probably at least 5 nights a week, despite not drinking anything after dinner, and voiding before bed. He wears "Good Nites" but still soaks through those most of the time.

I haven't gone back to the pediatrician yet, although I am considering it. I want to avoid medication if possible.

Anyone here have anything that has worked for them? When should I expect him to grow out of this?

He doesn't sleep well either..takes him a long time to fall asleep, and wakes frequently in the night, if not for bedwetting, then other things such as "I just can't sleep" (his words) We have a good evening and bedtime routine including bath, down time, reading.

How else can I help him?

Thanks!

 

[KateMW]

I would call your ped. asap. 8 years old is pretty old to be having accidents that frequently. It could be something as simple as kidney size, but it could be something very serious. But, it's one of those things only a doctor can tell you.

 

[tinarena2000]

Have your tried to cut out the sugar during the day, that could keep him up at night. Some kids are very sensitive to sugar and caffeine.
I was a bed wetter, I can totally sympathize. I was sensitive to sugar and caffeine. So maybe give that a try.
I did grow out of this, but I know how he must feel. I was about 12 when I stopped. I hope it is sooner for him.
Take care

 

[KateMW]

Also, there are diets that people use to curb adhd. They might help calm him down during they day, so he can sleep at night. I was diagnosed at 12 and one of the worst symptoms I had was insomnia{and the fact that I talked all the dang time.}.

 

[seashoreCM]

When he wakes up at random times during the night, does he go to the bathroom for good measure?

Want to get one of those electronic aids that has a pad to go under the bed sheet and that sounds an alarm when he starts to wet the bed?

Or an alarm clock set for some time in the middle of the night for him to get up and go to the bathroom. If he is conscienscious about wanting to get over the bedwetting then he should be enthusiastic about using some kind of aid.

Health hints: http://www.cockam.com/health.htm

 

[Jill in Chicago]

Our oldest wet the bed. We took him to a pediatric urologist first to make sure he didn't have any medical issues. It turns out he did! He ended up needing surgery. After that was completed we still had to deal with the bed wetting.

There is an alarm that you attach to their undies at night. When the alarm pad gets slightly wet the alarm goes off. It is so LOUD! But it did not wake up our son. We would have to go in, with that alarm screaming, and struggle to wake him up. Then he was so out of it he still couldn't stop the urine flow.

That went on about the first few days. After that the alarm would wake him up, but he would twirl around in a circle standing beside his bed. He was so confused. Again, we would wake him up and take him to the bathroom.

I'm not sure how long it took (he's 21 now), but maybe by the third week the alarm woke him up and he went to the bathroom by himself! We continued to use the alarm for awhile longer.

Please don't put this off any longer. I know there was a huge part of my husband and I that just hoped our son would grow out of this. The thing is why wait? I know the whole medication thing is an issue, but waking up in your own freezing cold bed with urine is just horrible.

 

[JUJU814]

Our oldest wet the bed. We took him to a pediatric urologist first to make sure he didn't have any medical issues. It turns out he did! He ended up needing surgery. After that was completed we still had to deal with the bed wetting.

There is an alarm that you attach to their undies at night. When the alarm pad gets slightly wet the alarm goes off. It is so LOUD! But it did not wake up our son. We would have to go in, with that alarm screaming, and struggle to wake him up. Then he was so out of it he still couldn't stop the urine flow.

That went on about the first few days. After that the alarm would wake him up, but he would twirl around in a circle standing beside his bed. He was so confused. Again, we would wake him up and take him to the bathroom.

I'm not sure how long it took (he's 21 now), but maybe by the third week the alarm woke him up and he went to the bathroom by himself! We continued to use the alarm for awhile longer.

Please don't put this off any longer. I know there was a huge part of my husband and I that just hoped our son would grow out of this. The thing is why wait? I know the whole medication thing is an issue, but waking up in your own freezing cold bed with urine is just horrible.

Do you remember what the medical problem was and what the surgery was for? I ask because both myself and my daughter had kidney surgery..same kidney, same surgery, same surgeon!! He hasn't had infections, so he's never been to a urologist. I'm going to call the pedi in the morning. Now I'm worried sick!

 

[brymolmom]

I'm right there with you OP - you are not alone! DS is 7.5 and wears goodnights - only wets thru them about 1 night out of 15 or so - but they are wet on MOST nights.

My pediatrician is VERY anti-meds or any aids at all - she says that it is VERY normal at this age (and until age 10 or so) so she won't even really discuss options at this point.

I have heard from others about the alarm and just started discussing with ds the last few weeks or so. He is very against it at this point - but I hope that by at least bringing it up on occassion it won't be as scary when we do it. And I DO want to go ahead and do it - just not sure when to start it. It will at least make me feel as if I'm doing EVERYTHING I can to help him. He hates being wet and gets rashes from the goodnights on occassion (very sensitive skin) - so I want to help him.

Oh and my ds is very different than yours - go to sleep without a hitch, sleeps like a log (which is why I always think he sleeps thru any urges). Is not a big drinker and never drinks anything after about a 1/2 cup of milk at dinner.

Best of luck to you!!

 

[Mouse House Mama]

If he is waking up all night long he could have sleep apnea. Your ped should refer you to a sleep study first. Once you rule that out I would look into his diet. Good luck!

 

[tink_lover]

We just worked thru this with both boys this (late) summer. After talking to some other moms with boys a little older than ours and talking about some of their experiences - we came to the conclusion that by putting them in the night time pull-ups, we weren't allowing them to develop the "muscles" needed to realize they needed to go and wake up to do so. It was not easy. It was not fun. But we stopped the night pull-ups cold turkey. We did the tough love. Boys were not to wake us if they wet, they stripped their beds and pulled out a sleeping bag, they told me in the morning and brought their stuff down, I put it in the wash and didn't say much about it. It really didn't take that long for their body to "learn". One ds wakes up a couple times a night to go, the other can sleep all the way thru and stay dry. I will say that I took the kids out of town last month and realized as we were getting ready to go to sleep, that I didn't bring anything for them - but they were fine! Good luck!!

 

[KerriMc]

I understand this too as I have an 8 yr old dd who is still in good-nights as well. She is wet most nights too, to the point sometimes of leaking out of the pull-up. We have talked about going to the dr and I think we are going to. I was a late bed wetter and dh also wet the bed. I used DDAVP nose spray, which helped immensely. I know about the alarm, but so many bedwetters are really heavy sleepers so they don't even hear it - as someone else mentioned. It will wake everyone but her I am sure.

I have no suggestions as I am experiencing the same thing. I know how it feels to wet the bed and if meds are the only thing that will help her, then I will use them as by the time they grow out of it it will affect them socially in some way (sleepovers, camp, etc). I don't want her to go on as long as I did!!

 

[m11dolphin]

Both of my sons had this problem (1 son is still in the middle of curing it)
My oldest was 11 whe he stopped. We used the alarm for him and my 9 year old is using the alarm right now( the one that goes on the underwear). He is a very sound sleeper and sometimes doesn't even remember that we got him up to go, but now when the alarm goes off he stops wetting but is still having a problem getting himself to wake up to go in the bathroom by him self. He probaley only wets the bed about 1 every 2 weeks now, it was almost every day.
I also tried to stop the liquids after a certain time and cuting the sugar and followed certain bed time rituals,they didn't work for us. I also tried the alarm that goes under the sheet and when they wet it would sound an alarm, but by that time the bed was already wet and you had to change everything and get a dry pad out. I didn't care for that one 2 much
Good luck with what ever you do.

 

[JUJU814]

If he is waking up all night long he could have sleep apnea. Your ped should refer you to a sleep study first. Once you rule that out I would look into his diet. Good luck!

He did have a sleep study which was negative for sleep issues. They did, however, find he has a low seizure threshhold, whatever that means. We are awaiting a follow up for that.

 

[brymolmom]

We just worked thru this with both boys this (late) summer. After talking to some other moms with boys a little older than ours and talking about some of their experiences - we came to the conclusion that by putting them in the night time pull-ups, we weren't allowing them to develop the "muscles" needed to realize they needed to go and wake up to do so. It was not easy. It was not fun. But we stopped the night pull-ups cold turkey. We did the tough love. Boys were not to wake us if they wet, they stripped their beds and pulled out a sleeping bag, they told me in the morning and brought their stuff down, I put it in the wash and didn't say much about it. It really didn't take that long for their body to "learn". One ds wakes up a couple times a night to go, the other can sleep all the way thru and stay dry. I will say that I took the kids out of town last month and realized as we were getting ready to go to sleep, that I didn't bring anything for them - but they were fine! Good luck!!

This sounds like something I would try...and we have tried going for a few weeks or a month without the pull-ups - thinking he would be able to feel it better. However, he doesn't wake when he wets at night - doesn't realize it until the morning. So I'm not sure if that would help for us. And doing the sheets every day gets so old...

 

[mjkacmom]

It's genetic (although I never wet the bed, and DH swears he didn't either). I had this issue with 3 of my kids, and the alarm was the only thing that worked (thebedwettingstore.com ?). I think it was even covered by our health insurance, or at least flex spending. Dd8 used it, and never had an accident again. Ds6 didn't use it (stopped on his own - refused overnights), but still wets about once a week. Ds11 used it (he was BAD!), and still wets about 3 times a month. But without it, he would wake up with his overnight soaked (started using it at 8).

 

[mjkacmom]

I re-read yoour OP, and although my ds' sleep very soundly (which is part of the problem), when they are over-tired, I know they're going to wet the bed - that is a major trigger. Maybe the issue is lack of deep sleep?

 

[zoemurr]

Hi,

I have a little boy just about to turn 8 who is still wetting his bed probably at least 5 nights a week, despite not drinking anything after dinner, and voiding before bed. He wears "Good Nites" but still soaks through those most of the time.

I haven't gone back to the pediatrician yet, although I am considering it. I want to avoid medication if possible.


Thanks!

I could have written this.. but mine is a few months past 8.

My pedi also says it's not an issue at this age and if you make an issue of it you will just make the child feel bad for something they can't control.

 

[Keri]

I re-read yoour OP, and although my ds' sleep very soundly (which is part of the problem), when they are over-tired, I know they're going to wet the bed - that is a major trigger. Maybe the issue is lack of deep sleep?

I would think this could be part of the issue too. My DS is 6.5 and tends to be overtired pretty much always. When he would get REALLY overtired & sleep very soundly he would wet the bed. We've been using melatonin to help him sleep more soundly & that seems to help -- I don't think he's wet the bed since we started that, actually! Before, he would go through about one week a month where he would wet the bed 3 or 4 times that week, and then stop again.

We also do a "dream pee" with him, which helps -- he goes A LOT when we take him. Basically, we wake him when we go to bed and take him to the bathroom. We've been doing this for years, even when he was still in pullups. I still think his bladder is what wakes him every day (at about 5:45 am *sigh* ) but he hasn't wet the bed in a while at least.

 

[Poohbug]

My middle son still wets the bed. I washed the bedding for over a month every day before buying the overnites. He wears them every nite and has since he was 4. It can be very frustrating. I try hard not to make a big deal about it. My DH is very sensitive about the situation because he was a bed wetter. Then he was diagnosed with epilepsy and the Dr. figures he was having seizures in the night and loosing bladder control. This was after being beaten every time he wet the bed-not good parents and should have been tuned in to CPS.

I have brought this up to the pedi but like others have said-he is not concerned at all. Says many children wet the bed. I have limited drinks after dinner and this helps-he does not wet thru, but still wets.

OP-the not sleeping well situation would worry me more than the wetting but they may be related. I would get some second opinions and keep trying to get things figured out.

 

[lunalibre]

My son wet the bed until he was probably, oh, 9 and a half. DD wet the bed until she was probably 7 or so. What's the family history on bedwetting for you and your DH? The boys on my DH's side of the family ALL wet the bed until they were around 10.

My pediatrician was a LOT more concerned about it than I was. She wanted us to use an alarm, get a consult with a urologist, etc. We knew DS would outgrow it. We didn't make a big deal out of it. He learned to bring the wet bedding and pajamas down to the washer. We definitely woke him up to go before we went to bed, and that helped some but not every night. The kid was an EXTREMELY sound sleeper (still is), and the need to go simply wouldn't wake him up. He just needed time to grow a big enough bladder to last through the night.

In your case, you might want to consider going to a urologist to be sure there's nothing "fixable" going wrong. A lot of friends of mine have used alarms with great success. Listen to your instincts -- you'll know the right way to go with this.