Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get my 5 year old son to stop wetting the bed? I'm at my wits end and tried every trick under the sun!!! HELP!!!

April - posted on 12/10/2008

I feel for you. My daughter was the same way. I did take her to the doctor, but anything medical was ruled out. I started having dinner earlier and not offering any (or very little) fluids after 7pm. Her bedtime was 8pm and I got in the habit of taking her to the bathroom to pee (half asleep), before I went to bed. One thing I was told by a friend was to encourage more frequent bathroom breaks during the day, so that she wasn't holding it. Eventually she grew out of it.......just took a lot of patience.

Judy - posted on 12/10/2008

I would invest in overnight diapers for now if he's consistency wetting his bed. My son is 3 1/2 and although is toilet trained, he still wears a diaper at night to avoid having a wet bed every night.

Shauna - posted on 12/09/2008

My son went through this. He wet the bed until he was almost 6. I just put huggies night time diapers on him. He finally got sick of wearing diapers at night and learned to get up and go to the toilet if he needed to. He will eventually grow out of it.

Melissa - posted on 12/06/2008

wow u did get a big response. my son just recentlypotty trained. going #2 took forever. once he did i was worried about wetting at night. i put his pull ups on after he went to bed so he wont wait to go #2. thn he would wake up really mad in the morning when i tried to pull it off. so i stopped putting them on. before he went to bed he went then at first when i got up to go pee at night (because im pregnant) i would get him up.then because we share a room if i hear him stir i ask him n he will usually get up n go.... the reason i asked if u discussed w/ ur dr is because a childs bladder is usually not large enough to hold its urine all night till about 3 or 4yrs old. so it may not be a habitual thing ur dealing w/ but more medical. good luck. i know it can be very frustrating. but remember consitsency is the key so u may have a few weeks of sleepless nights.

Tammy - posted on 12/04/2008

Be patient and he'll outgrow it mum. He is as bothered about it as you are. Pull-ups will save his mattress and your sheets. Don't sweat it!

Tammy - posted on 12/04/2008

Thanks everyone for all your help! I had no idea so many mums would respond to my problem...nice to know there are mums out there who care!!! Thanks again, from Tammy in Melbourne, Australia xxx

MaryBeth - posted on 12/04/2008

You should discuss this issue with your doctor, but here's what worked for us.



We've had the same issue and have tried eliminating liquids in the evening and getting up a couple hours after she's gone to bed. Our doctor recommended three things. You can do one, some or all as they are not dependent on each other to work.



First thing was to eliminate milk and ice cream (liquid dairy) after lunch time.



The second was to increase her fiber to reduce constipation and backup in the colon which can put pressure on the bladder causing enuresis. Fibersure or MiraLAX was recommended as well as fiber from vegetables. Our dr also told us that if we went to see a urologist, the first thing they do is give the kids a laxative to clear everything out and relieve that pressure on the bladder.



Third thing was benadryl shortly before bedtime as the antihistamine is a drying agent. This method would of course depend upon your child's reaction to benadryl as some it wires them out.



Our daughter is now dry about 90% of the time. When she has an accident, it's usually because she's had the dairy late in the day or hasn't had a soft bowel movement in a day or two.



I hope this helps. Good luck!

Sandi - posted on 12/04/2008

Take him to the bathroom even if he doesn't wake up. he will when you get him on that cold toilet seat with his pants down! He will also have to go at that point.Remember, you are doning HIM a service. He will catch on!

Christy - posted on 12/04/2008

I would talk to your doctor. My son has this problem and he is almost 9. We tried the bed alarm and several other methods including cutting off his liquids and waking him throughout the nights. There are medications available but I suggest you really think about it before medicating your child. Huggies makes wonderful larger pull up like items that look like boxer shorts and they work great for boys (especally when they start spending the night places). It can take years before they can grow out of it but they eventually do. If you want more information you can go to the huggies good nights page. They really have helpful advice on this subject!!!

Sandi - posted on 12/04/2008

ok, here it is. First, make sure he has NO liqiuds after 5:30 pm. Second, make sure we take the potty before(with in 5-10 min.) bedtime. Then, this is really up to you Mom! You have to get this child up between 10:00 and 11:00pm to go potty. You will know what time works best for your son. If you have to carry him, take down his pants, and set him on the toilet like a girl child, this is what you need to do. Usually, going at this time takes care of the rest of the night, but if your son appears to have a small bladder, you may need to get him up again at about 3:00am. This is trial and error. You do know your child best. Just to let you know, I am the mother of 7, my youngest is 5, my oldest is 25. If you are so inclined, please feel free to write. I have been through many things more than once with different child personanities. You can get through this! Take deep breaths!!

Tammy - posted on 12/04/2008

I hope so too!!! Thanks for all the help and advice everyone, much appreciated!!! BTW, does anyone know how I can put a note up on someone's wall who sent me a message in Circle of Moms? I cant see how to reply to it except for putting a reply on my wall???

Gisele - posted on 12/04/2008

I hope you find something that does work or that he eventually grows out of it. Good luck...

Tammy - posted on 12/04/2008

I did try waking him up but to no avail...that didn't work either!

Gisele - posted on 12/04/2008

Many children have a hard time waking themselves up and also many don't get the sensation that they need to go to the bathroom till a bit later. Not uncommon, have you tried getting with to go to the bathroom around 11-midnight, before you go to bed??? That how I got my son to train at night, without waking him up. I just pick him up, if he's too big to pick up just get him on his feet, bring him to the bathroom, pull down his pants, sit him down and most of the time they automatically go without even thinking about it. If he can empty his bladder around 11-midnight, he should be able to last through the night as long as he doesn't get anything to drink. If that still doesn't work I would check with the doctor, sometimes small bladder infections (common in boys) can cause them to wet the bed but not bad enough to cause pain. Hope things work out.

Tammy - posted on 12/04/2008

Dont use the pull ups anymore. I thought they weren't going to train him to be dry but thanks for the tip. I've got a whole stash of towels that he sleeps on without his pyjama bottoms and I just wash those instead. I know he'll grow out of it eventually...I guess I'm just hoping for some miracle cure!!!!

Tammy - posted on 12/04/2008

That's probably the only thing I haven't tried!!! I've currently got a relaxtion cd which I'm supposed to play to him every night, but he's so sick of it. He has woken up a few times in the night to go to the toilet but he either wets the bed after that as well or just doesn't wake up at all.

Constance - posted on 12/04/2008

Invest in pull ups... I am sorry to say that it is very common for boys. My sons bladder was weak until he was 12. I had him to urologist after urologist and they all said the same. He will grow out of it. Hang in there... It does go away... Don't stress over it. It only make them stressed.

Chrystal - posted on 12/04/2008

I don't know if they still make these or not but when I was little I would sleep so deeply that I wouldn't wake up and would wet the bed. My mother ordered a bedwetting buzzer, it had a screen and basically when I wet the screen the buzzer would go off. I woke me up out of the deep sleep I was in and it worked. The only drawback and it can be a good thing--I am a very light sleeper now.

Tammy - posted on 12/04/2008

He's been toilet trained since he was 3, just like his brother, but for some unknown reason, the night time training is taking forever!!! I haven't discussed it with his doctor yet cause I dont know if I should just give it more time...thanks for the response!

Melissa - posted on 12/04/2008

how long has he been potty trained? is this a new problem? have u discussed this w/ his dr? just need a lil more to go on. n ill respond