My 7 year old still wets the bed 3-4 nights a week. Any suggestions?

Michele - posted on 07/11/2011

I know this is a really old post, but did you stop the milk at night? And if so, did it work? My soon to be 7 year old also has problems with bed-wetting, but not every night. Lately, it has been happening more and I found that it was happening only on nights he had a late ice cream snack. I have decided to stop that practice to see if the bed wetting stays away. I was just wondering how things turned out with your daughter. Thanks so much!

Sarah - posted on 01/29/2009

When my niece and nephew were younger, and now still (they are 11) we would make them go to the bathroom every hour to hour and a half while they were awake, cut liquids off at 7/8pm except a sip after brushing teeth, this helped A LOT! However, my nephew kept wetting about 5  times a week at night- we had him tested and he had an official medical condition- the dr. gave him some meds to fix the small urithera and it worked like magic. He stopped wetting at night... until his mother decided she was going hippie(no offence to any hippies) and did not believe in conventional medicines. She stopped him from taking the meds and he has since returned to wetting the bed a few times a week- he is eleven years old!

Alvah - posted on 01/29/2009

Some kids may have small bladders, so they can continue to wet the years. I've know some to wet the bed throughout elementary school. What I have known to help, in addition to what you're already doing, is waking them up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom.

Tina - posted on 01/29/2009

I had this problem with my daughter and when she was four we went to an urologist and had some test done and they found out that when she would go to the bathroom she would not completely empty her bladder she would hold it.  They said because she does that all day when she finally goes to sleep and her body relaxes she then wets the bed.  The doctor suggested that when she went to the bathroom have her say the whole alpahbet before getting up that way she would pee longer.  They also said to tell her to go to the bathroom more through out the day.  That seemed to work for us. She is now 7 and she gets up once through the night to go to the bathroom but she no longer wets the bed.

Tina - posted on 01/29/2009

I had this problem with my daughter and when she was four we went to an urologist and had some test done and they found out that when she would go to the bathroom she would not completely empty her bladder she would hold it.  They said because she does that all day when she finally goes to sleep and her body relaxes she then wets the bed.  The doctor suggested that when she went to the bathroom have her say the whole alpahbet before getting up that way she would pee longer.  They also said to tell her to go to the bathroom more through out the day.  That seemed to work for us. She is now 7 and she gets up once through the night to go to the bathroom but she no longer wets the bed.

Jennifer - posted on 01/27/2009

Thanks for the tip about the milk, I had never heard that. My daughter has milk with dinner almost every night. I guess it's just good to hear others out there going through the same thing. It gives me hope that this too shall pass!

Kim - posted on 01/27/2009

My 9 year old still has this trouble and her doctor said that she is likely to stop around the age that I did when I had the problem.  So here it goes for another two years.  We have done the night time waking and she just isn't there yet.  I know when I was old enough to set the alarm to wake me up every two hours to use the restroom it finally worked.  She goes to sleep overs and makes sure she takes a plastic bag to put her Good Nite in in the morning and then puts it in the outside trash afterwards.  She is not thrilled with the problem but knows that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.  She also was given some meds that would help dry her up during the night, didn't work for her.

Kim - posted on 01/27/2009

My 9 year old still has this trouble and her doctor said that she is likely to stop around the age that I did when I had the problem.  So here it goes for another two years.  We have done the night time waking and she just isn't there yet.  I know when I was old enough to set the alarm to wake me up every two hours to use the restroom it finally worked.  She goes to sleep overs and makes sure she takes a plastic bag to put her Good Nite in in the morning and then puts it in the outside trash afterwards.  She is not thrilled with the problem but knows that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.  She also was given some meds that would help dry her up during the night, didn't work for her.

Tina - posted on 01/27/2009

I am in the same situation. My daughter is also 7. What kind of helps (meaning she doesn't have an accident every night which she used to) is all the things you already do, plus I tell her when she is falling asleep to say to herself "I will wake up and go to the bathroom" over and over. I also wake her up to go to the bathroom when I go to bed at about 11:00pm. She is such a deep sleeper that she doesn't even know what she is doing. I was also a bed wetter as was my dad and grandma. It is hereditary too. I have also read that drinking milk in the evenings with dinner can make kids need to go. Better to give water or juice with dinner.

Kerri - posted on 01/27/2009

Ok Jennifer first of all you need to consult a physician if you haven't already to make sure nothing is wrong. Children do not always grow out of it. My daughter didn't and she still had problems until she was 14. She had been misdiagnosed as having an overactive bladder and was medicated for the wrong condition for many years. It turned out to be a renal condition that was treated with a nasal spray that stopped the problem in 3 months. Until you have the answer put a waterproof matress cover on her bed and go buy some of those disposible pads to cover her sheets. I know how embarassing this is for her. My daughter wouldn't even go to sleepovers or any other overnight event because of it. I hope this helps you. Good luck.

Alison - posted on 01/27/2009

My 9 yr old son is only now growing out of that. It helped him to know that what he is outgrowing is his body's inability to wake him up when he has to go and also soon his body will stop wanting to go at night. He knows he doesn't always have control and so he doesn't feel defeated. Per his doctor, we had him drink A LOT during the day and go as often as he needed to.. This helps train his body to go only during the day. Just like you, I stopped liquids after 7pm. (But then I found him drinking the bath water for fun (ugh) and also gulping down water after he brushed his teeth. So I have to watch him sometimes.)

Concerning "overnights" - my son doesn't want to wear them anymore so I got some water proof baby bed pads. They're small enough to just put under him on top on his fitted sheet (I safety pin them on sometimes). If he gets wet now, he can remove the pad himself, change pjs and get right back to bed on his dry fitted sheet without us all losing sleep.

Hope this helps some. There's no rushing it! Good luck.

Megi - posted on 01/27/2009

make sure that you child isn't having anything to drink an hour before going to bed and also make sure that she is going potty before climbing into bed. also night time pull ups are great.

Melissa - posted on 01/27/2009

I was a bed wetter when I was small.  Apparently, this often happens when the child's bladder doesn't grow at the same rate at their body.  There are medication available now, but I'm not sure how they work or any side effects.  My only suggestion is to keep trying.  If possible, get her up in the middle of the night to go the bathroom.  Trust me, she'll grow out of it.  Hang in there!