Five years old, still wet at night, starting school...

Megan - posted on 05/23/2009

I have a four year old too. And he also wets the bed, maybe 2-3 times a week. I have also taken precautions before bedtime, but it still happens. I try not to sweat it. I change him and tell him it was an accident(cause that's what it is) and send him back to bed. He will eventually grow out of it. As long as he doesn't do it during the day. Don't worry. He'll be fine!

Carissa - posted on 05/18/2009

My son is 6 and still doing it. Some kids do it for years. It can be hard for them to get up at night. Especially if they are heavy sleepers. My son will fall over if we try to get him up at night and doesn't remember a thing in the morning. The doctor says that some kids will sleep so hard they can't feel the sensation and when they are older it should change. Hopefully it will happen soon for u and me! Good luck!

Angela 'Angie' - posted on 04/30/2009

I'm so glad that I looked you moms up! My new 5 yr old is still wetting and my husband doesn't understand why he's still doing so. Sounds like I just need to tell him to hold his PATIENCE... thanks for all the wonderful suggestions, but I must say that there's no way I'll have a "peterpotty" in my son's room... my husband would want it in our bathroom so he could flush it too!

Jennifer - posted on 03/31/2009

There is a product called Peter Potty, its a training urinal.  its portable and ive read that some moms put it in their boy's room and they actually use it at night.  http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/....  It has had great reviews for potty training boys, it actually flushes so boys find it super fun, and I guess that is what makes them actually want to wake up and use it.  And its only like 40 bucks-ish. 

Holly - posted on 03/20/2009

I would wake him up in the middle of the night and have him go potty.  This worked for my son.  I would also make sure that he didn't have a lot to drink before bed and I would also make hime go potty before bed.  I finally got tired of washing his sheets every other day, so I thought is was worth it to me to set an alarm and get myself up at 3 in the morning and take him to the potty.  You don't know how many times I would walk him to the bath room and he was completely asleep.  I would just stand him in front of the toilet and turn the sink on a little and tell him to go potty.  About 2 weeks of that and no more wetting the bed.  He gets up on his own now.

Stephanie - posted on 03/18/2009

Sometimes a kiddo that has trouble with potty training of some kind has difficulty recognizing the sensation to go to the bathroom. Maybe if you talk to him more about it during the day when has that sensation and obviously is aware of it, he will learn to recognize it more when it happens at night and he is less (okay a lot less) consious of it. Good Luck!

Pam - posted on 03/17/2009

My son is nearly 4 now and is completely potty trained, day and night. It took an exhorbitant amount of work, and he still wets his bed every once in a while, and he comes into our room some nights and says he needs to go pee. I had him in pull-ups at night for a long time, but then I started to realize that he just got extremely lazy when I did that, so one day I just told him whenever the package was done, I wasn't buying anymore. He wet the bed BIG TIME the first 2 nights in a row, and then he got the idea that he wasn't wearing pull-ups anymore and couldn't do that. I wouldn't worry about it too much, but know that they do get lazy when wearing something whether it be a diaper or pull-ups. Good luck!

Tiffany - posted on 03/17/2009

My middle son is seven. He has been dry at night since the Fall of this year. We tried everything from stopping drinks to waking him up at night. We finally asked our doctor for advice. He said that there are a lot of studies that disprove the theory of no drinks after dinner. The success rate was only increased with limiting juices and caffeine. He also said that waking them up at night doesn't always help becuase if they are truly a sound sleeper, they are really only "sleepwalking" to the bathroom. Which we discovered one night when he tried to "climb" into the toilet. LOL. So he suggested we try an alarm. Specifically the Sleep Dry System. It is a device that hooks onto his shoulder of his shirt and also to the inside of his underpants. When the contact feels moisture it will sound the alarm. In turn, the alarm will trigger the muscle in the bladder to contract to stop the flow of urine. It was really hard for the first two weeks and we felt like we wasted our money. (about $50). But then it started working. He was even beginning to get up by himself at night. After about six weeks, he didn't even need the alarm anymore. It was the best money we could have spent. He has his confidence back and we can stop washing linens everyday! Try it, but be patient because it does take dedication. Good Luck!!

Leanne - posted on 03/16/2009

My son is now 6 1/2 years old and has just started consistently waking up dry in the last 6 months.  In the end, I realized that it's a combination of deep sleeping and an immature bladder that was the cause of the night wetting.  I realy don't think that rewards and waking your son up in the middle of the night are actually teaching him anything.  It's a matter of physiology and not your son defying you.  If you're patient, he'll mature soo enough!

Rebecca - posted on 01/31/2009

We had a similar situation and just changed the sheets after realizing he was just a  good sleeper!  You are kind to give them help at night ~ as they can't control it or help it at all.  I did used to think it was behavioral, but truly it is not.  This is not even considered a "bed wetting" problem until they are much older, nine I think.  Yes, ours went in spurt as well - one day you will just look back and realize he has never done it again.  My poor firstborn took the brunt of our not understanding and we put pressure on him as well - but now I always feel so badly because he was simply asleep and could not choose his actions.  As far as I feel now, charts are for their training during the day, but all they need at night is understanding.

Emalia - posted on 01/26/2009

I haven't noticed any consistency to when he wets....or why?!? (if that's a sensible question). We have moved around a lot the last 3 years and I have noticed that every time we do - and change routines - we get more wet nights again... seems reasonable, but even if we go on holidays for a week he gets thrown off...

Yes - consistency at night just isn't his thing... He often still sneaks into my bed during the night and even the time of night he does THAT is inconsistent... I tried really hard for a while there last year to wake myself when he did that, get him to go toilet and send him back to his bed (with tears/ drama/ etc), but I work full-time - that got exhausting, and he smart and now literally sneaks into the far edge of the bed where I often don't notice him til time to get up!! And made absolutely no difference to wet nappies - sometimes he'd be dry right through, sometimes wet by 1am sneaking in, sometimes sneak in at 5am dry and be wet by 7 (even if I sent him to the toilet!!!).

Honestly and trully - I've had enough of trying to "make" him do it - I'm sure he will grow out of it eventually!! Neither his father or I had this issue as children - but my brothers sure did.... and they (approaching 21, 25, 28 yrs old) don't do it anymore - so back to my mantra!

"He won't be doing it when he's 30, so don't stress!!" :D

I appreciate all of your comments and support! Yay mums!

Danni - posted on 01/23/2009

Hi everyone. 

I was thinking of posting the exact same question!!

My son is 5yrs old and is still wet at night.  It does get a bit frustrating but i think it is normal for boys. I have tried the whole waking him up but he gets really upset where hes so tired then it takes him ages to go back to sleep poor thing, I have now stopped any drinks after 6.30pm then make him go to the toilet before bed at 8pm, i have noticed a pattern in him however which is he starts to fidget alot around 11-11.30 every night so i go to check up on him and will try to wake him, the last few occasions he has dribbled in his nappy but will willingly go to the toilet and finish his 'wee' which i then praise him for so he knows its a good thing but there are obviously occasions where he is still quite wet in the morning, he does try to hide the nappy but i have sat down and talked to him about how he doesnt need to be embarassed about it because there are loads of kids older than him still in nappies at night.  I have been trying to get to him just before 11pm now to gently wake him in time but im just going to let him go at his own pace because i feel if i rush him he will get scared and embarassed and i dont want him to feel uncomfortable in something that is so natural.

Have you noticed any kind of fidgeting just before your son goes in his nappy?  I never really noticed my son doing it until he woke himself up just after alot of moving around when he shouted me to come and help him, and it is the same pattern every night. 

Well im off now im rambling on lol. :)

Jennifer - posted on 01/23/2009

My younges son just turned 11 this month and he still has an accident occassionally. Most of the time he wakes up when he first starts going and he only gets himself wet and not the bed. It seems like it comes in waves. He will have no accidents for 6 to 9 months but when he does have one it's usually like 4 or 5 nights in a row and then stops again. He get down about it but I just explain to him that everybody's body grows and matures at a different rate and that there is nothing wrong with him that one day his body will start to recognize the urge in the middle of the night and he will get up. I don't make a big deal out of it and I refuse to get medication for it.....Too many people turn to meds too quickly as an answer to problems, when in fact all they really need is time and patience. :-)

Emalia - posted on 01/23/2009

Thank-you moms!!! xox

Mandi - posted on 01/22/2009

I was a bedwetter until I was 12.  My oldest son who is 9 still wets the bed once or twice a week and my 6 y/o wets every night.  He wets even if he pees in the middle of the night.  He has a tiny bladder! lol!  You have such a great attitude in knowing that it's not his fault and yes he will grow out of it. 

Trisha - posted on 01/20/2009

I have twin 8 year old boys and they just became completely night trained about 6 months ago. They weren't wet every night, but often. I did eventually start waking them up after they have been to sleep for a few hours to make them pee and that worked. They eventually got used to the feeling during sleep and would get up on their own. The doctors here say not to worry, their brain to bladder stimulus isn't always developed fully.Especially in boys. No worries, he'll come around.....eventually!