4 1/2 year old soaking up the sheets!

Colleen - posted on 02/26/2010

I had the same thing till my son was 8. It was bad in the beginning but became only a few and far between accidents after the age of about 5. No, don't go back to night time diapers, push through. I assume you have rubber / plastic sheets under his normal sheets.

We stopped all liquids 2 hours before bedtime and made sure our son went to the toilet just before getting into bed. I didn't bother waking him in the night to try and go as most nights he wouldn't wake anyway.....deep sleeper too!!

To give my son power over his own accidents and also reduce my sleepless nights, I taught my son a method to take care of things himself at night. When he realised he'd wet the bed he should put down a towel (thick one) over the wet spot to soak up the wet from the sheet and give him a dry place to sleep, change his PJ's and grab a fresh duvet / comforter out of the cupboard in his room if need be. All his wet stuff should be put into the bath for the morning.

When morning came, my son would strip the now dry sheet from his bed, put that, the towel and his wet things from the bath into the washing machine. I would take care of the rest.

I think all this midnight work on his own helped to flip a switch in his brain that wetting the bed was much harder than just waking up to go. I did notice, the accidents that happened over the later years were mainly when he'd had an exhausting day and slept like a log, so to speak.

Chris - posted on 02/26/2010

Are you giving a milky drink such as ovaltine or horlicks as a nightime drink? I only ask cos when my lad was a similar age,he too was a deep sleeper and wet the bed. I consulted with my GP and he suugested stopping all such milky drinks.He explained that because my son was a deep sleeper the drink was pushing him even deeper ,so that when the bladder was full,the "urge" to go was being ignored by the brain with the consequence of wetting.Within 2 weeks of stopping these drinks and a regular nightime toilet regime,the bed wetting had stopped.

Martina - posted on 02/26/2010

he needs 2 drinks loads so his bladder feels full i had 2 do it with my daughter and it does work

Deidra - posted on 02/26/2010

just to be safe...does he have any other unusual symptoms? i'm only asking because my then 4 year old was wetting the bed, she was extremely tired and thirsty. i didn't think to mention some of the other things to the doctor but it turned out she has diabetes, not to scare you or freak you out but it might be worth having his sugar checked if there is either of those other things going on too. otherwise, lots of people have posted good advice!

Destiny - posted on 02/26/2010

if there is nothing physically wrong he should just outgrow it on his own i had the same problem with my 5 1/2 year old daughter i had consolted my physician and was told when they sleep they just dont get the urge that it is nothing to worry about. my daughter just recently quit wetting i didnt stop fluid intake or anything now she just wakes up.

Vicky - posted on 02/26/2010

My daughter had the same problem. We consulted our physician and was given a script for this pad that detects moisture and goes off. After about two weeks she has never wet the bed since! This was very sensitive too as she sweats a lot at night and that would set it off some times.

Alisha - posted on 02/26/2010

DONT LET HIM DRINK NOTHING ABOUT A 1/2 HOUR BEFORE HE GOES TO BED...I KNOW IT SOUNDS BAD BUT IT HELPS THEN BEFORE HE GOES TO BED MAKE HIM USE THE BATHROOM..,SOMETIMES BOYS ARE HARDER TO TRAIN..MY SON IS 11 AND HE HAD WET THE BED ABOUT A YEAR AGO...IT HAPPENS...SOME KIDS JUST DON'T GET IT DOWN FAST ENOUGH...MAYBE HE IS DREAMING ABOUT USING THE BATHROOM AS WELL????JUST DONT YELL AT HIM OR SPANK HIM FOR IT HE CAN'T HELP IT....IF THERE IS POROBLEMS GOING ON IN THE HOUSE SOMETIMES THAT WILL PLAY INTO IT AS WELL.THATS WHAT HAPPENED TO ME AND MT LITTLE BROTHER WHEN WE WAS YOUNGER...

Jessica - posted on 02/26/2010

Our oldest boy had to wear pull ups until he was 6 because he continued to wet the bed everynight. I am happy to say he 61/2 now and we are out of pull ups and have been for 5 months, I waited a good month of being dry everynight before letting him w/o. And if the pull up was dry im the morning I would reuse. I was told/ heard dont wake them up to pee because it's teaching them nothing the signal is not going off just keeping their sheets dry maybe, if waking them up dose anything just helps reinforce peeing at night but not in the toliet because they are half asleep and that important signal never got to their brain to wake up and go pee, nor did their bladder have time to mature to hold it all. Put him back in the diapers and he just has to get it on his own it's nothing you can train them to do or teach them each kids learn on their own time. Has to do with their brain and bladder maturity. He'll get it in due time. I was like you and got sick of washing sheets so just went back to the pullups at night and no we are out of them for good, i would justdo the diapers and forget about it he cannot really control it. Hope this helps!

Rena - posted on 02/26/2010

Unfortunate to hear, but sometimes there is not much more you can do, watch how much he drinks before bed, keep using the nighttime pullups, until you are sure he has the control of his blatter through the night. I had the same problem with my little guy when he was about that age, changing sheets in the middle of the night, not to mention clothes......I had to monitor his drinking of juice, water etc. around supper time, down to have a sip here and there rather than drinking it up quick. And made sure the bathroom was used before bed....He would tell me he did go, but actually didn't, so i would wait outside the door to make sure he did before tucking him into bed. Don't worry to much about it though, he will get control soon enough... and remember we all have accidents....good luck

Rae-Shawna - posted on 02/26/2010

I have had the same problem with my 4 1/2 yr old son and 6 1/2 yr old daughter off and on for the last year. I am not and advocate for pull ups or night time "diapers". I have to make sure that they do not drink anything, at least an hour before going to bed, go potty after brushing teeth and then when I go to bed, I pick them up, carry them to the bathroom and set them on the toilet. It is very tedious at times, but it works. The kids are usually still asleep when I have them potty at night, but they still go. Thankfully, I am able to let my daughter sleep the entire night with no accidents for several weeks now. I have not given up on my son, as he isn't wetting the bed, but I still take him to the potty before I turn in for the night. At some point, I hope to be able to let this system go by the wayside...the kds each weigh almost 50 lbs and it gets hard lugging them back and forth. LOL!

Debbie - posted on 02/26/2010

Hi Jennifer, my second born had the same problem and i was pulling my hair out I too was waking him up through the night and that did not help either. Sometimes more common than people think this exists with children. Call your doctor in most cases it is a premature bladder and they will be able to help you. It is very emotional for children who wet the bed everyday have patience! Remember, its harder on them than it is you. Goodluck this to will pass.

Loretta - posted on 02/26/2010

lots of boys take time to be fully trained, it doesnt rally help waking them up at night. Talk to a doctor about solutions as there are a few. Im a nurse & this is a very common problem, more in boys than girls. there are things such as alarm blankets, medications etc. Making sure he isnt drinking for a couple of hours before bed & then toilet just before bed is also important for some kids

Kathy - posted on 02/26/2010

Don't sweat it! My son wet the bed until puberty. It is fairly common. The most important thing you can do is not make a big deal of it for his sake. He can't help it and the more of a focus it becomes the harder it will be for him and you. Buy extra mattress pads and sheets so you can keep him as comfortable as possible. Night time pull ups are okay for awhile, but may make him uncomfortable. Find a routine that works for your family. My son went to camp and participated in sleep overs. A few careful words to whoevers in charge made it easy to keep on the down low. Lots of love and understanding are the best thing you can give him. Never ever make him feel like it is his fault or that he is odd. Good luck.