Bedwetting

Kaylan - posted on 06/10/2012

Also, if something has happened recently in the child's life (loss of a family member, or pet, moving, separation/divorce, new baby brother/sister, etc.) the child could be trying to revert to a more comforting stage in their life, which is usually the baby stages. If that's the case, then that's something they'll have to come out of on their own, you can only offer comfort and use the nighttime trainers and vinyl protective mattress covers. As long as she/he feels loved and cared for, they'll come out of it on their own. One more thing, also look at genetics. Some kids' bladders are too big for their little bodies, and it takes them longer to grow into it than others. So it could be that, and there's nothing you can do about that except cut liquids, take precautions, and wait it out.

Kaylan - posted on 06/10/2012

I have the same problem with my 5 year old son. Honestly, the best thing to do is to get rubber or vinyl protective sheets for the mattress, and maybe some nighttime training pants. Another thing to do, especially if you've already cut liquids before bed and it's still happening, is to wake them up in the middle of the night and make them go to the bathroom. Also, especially with boys, if the house is really cold at night, the child is not going to feel very inclined to get up and use the bathroom, because they want to stay where it's warm...even if where it's warm is in a puddle of their own urine. I turn my A/C off at night to avoid this. Positive reinforcement is also extremely important. Instead of showing disappointment when your child wets the bed, just smile, and say something like, "Well, we'll do better next time, won't we?" Try not to let the child see how upset about the situation you are, and incorporating words like "we" or "us" lets the child know that it's not just his or her problem, and now they have incentive to do better, because they want to please their parents and feel proud of themselves. When they wake up dry, high fives and exclamations of praise do the trick each time. One last thing, if your child has a favorite character (i.e. Dora the Explorer, Spongebob, Spiderman, etc.), buy them a few pair of underwear with those characters on them, and tell them to "try not to pee on Dora" or whoever. They will imagine their favorite character being upset with them for peeing on them, and make a greater effort to make it to the bathroom, or not wet altogether. My 5 year old has lately stopped wetting the bed at night, and I haven't had to use these tactics, but they always come in handy to help curb washing the sheets every day, so I hope this helps you all. Have a great day!

Erin - posted on 12/11/2011

Hi you mention that she was fully trained and then started wetting the bed again... just wondering if there was something that happend or changed around the same time??? I am only asking because I kn ow my son done that and it was largely in part that he was upset about the seperation of his father and I. In time he settled back down and the bed wetting stopped :-) Having said that it is not uncommon for childfren of that age and older to wet the bed at night time. Children learn at different stages and maybe she just needs more time. Pull ups are good for in the mean time (if your child is embarrased by the pull ups try slipping them on after she has gone to sleep)

Cat - posted on 10/28/2011

Hi there! I have a 5 yr old who still does, too! Actually she'll be 6 next month and I'm getting a little concerned. She's totally potty trained since pre K but for some reason never stopped the night wetting. I've tried different bed liners, even washing all the sheets and blankets every day and finally she and I had a nice talk and I found some pretty Big Girl overnight-type diapers and she's agreed to wear them. I did a lot of reading and it says until after 6 yrs old it's still totally normal, so I told her that some children's bladders just take longer to develop and they also sleep more deeply. Honestly, though, I am going to bring it up with her pediatrician at the next visit.