how can I stop my 5 year old wetting the bed

Julianne - posted on 07/02/2012

This post was from 2009 so i am closing it.

Thanks for all your input.
MOD Julianne

Kim - posted on 07/02/2012

This is what worked for me. Get an alarm clock and set it for 7am every morning. Teach him how to turn it off and set it. Tell him to urinate after he turns it off. Works like a charm! My son was still doing it at 6 1/2 yrs. old and now he doesn't. Some kids just have weak bladder muscles and others are sound sleepers. If he still urinates in the bed then move the clock up to 6:30am and go up 30 min. from there to find the perfect time before he does it in the bed. I send my son to bed by 7:30 with no water or drinks at bedtime. I make sure he uses the bathroom before he goes to sleep. Then I set his clock for 6am. If that is too early then move it to a little later time. Also, don't have his room too cold cause kids kick the covers off and then the ceiling fan cools them off and they tend to go.

Veronica - posted on 07/02/2012

Make regular scheduled times at night. She'll stop eventually. My kid had the same problem

Winnie - posted on 07/01/2012

thank you ladies for the advise

NEOSKI - posted on 09/23/2009

I have a six year old with the same problem but I have notice that if he get enough sleep he will not wet the bed. He does not drink anything late. Keeping up with what he drinks when he is with other kids is hard but if I monitor him closely he does not wet the bed. Every child is different. You may need to take him to the doctor, you may need to watch the time he drinks, you will need to try different things until you find out what will work for your child.

Stina - posted on 09/23/2009

askdrsears.com has some great information about bedwetting.

If either you or your husband remember wetting the bed as a kid, you can get an idea of how long it may be before your son is dry at night. Some kids just take longer to develop the ability to remain dry when asleep.

We tried a long time to "teach" my son to stay dry at night. He now has night time pants- pullups- that he wears every night. We don't make a big deal of it and he feels a lot better about the whole thing now. In the morning, he just takes them off, throws them away and gets dressed... No more frustrating mornings of waking in wet smelly sheets. He's also 5.

K - posted on 09/23/2009

My son is on meds for this he is 10 and it still doesn't help...Can you say the meds you take for a long time can make your body immune to them. They use to work in the beginning but now we just keep the pullups handy. My hubby side of the family had that issue his aunt did it on herself till college so I will be patient!

Laura - posted on 09/23/2009

Thanks! We will look into that!

Jenn - posted on 09/23/2009

Bedwetting is a common problem that most people don't talk about or admit. It can also be hereditary. Unfortunately it runs in my family, and I myself was a bedwetter until I was in grade 8! Talk about embarrassment! I missed out on sleep overs and girl guide camps because I was too embarrassed to go. :( My parents tried several things (discipline, waking me at night, diapers, medications, etc.) to no avail. What finally did the trick for me - because my problem was that I was such a deep sleeper that I didn't wake up - was an alarm system that my parents purchased from Sears. It attached to my underwear and the second it senses any wetness a VERY LOUD alarm goes off. Yes it did wake the whole house but it also woke me! At first I didn't hear it until after, then it started waking me sooner and sooner until I would either get up before I peed or just hold it until morning (which is usually what still happens - I don't wake at night). It worked pretty quickly - I only wish we had found it when I was younger. At least I know what to do if any of my kids have the same problem when they are older. BUT, having said all this, it may be a good idea to take your child to the Dr just in case, sometimes bedwetting can be a sign of a medical issue.

Susan (Hall) - posted on 09/23/2009

Sometimes bedwetting is a sign that the bladder doesn't empty out unless you are completely relaxed. Sometimes a trip to the doctor is all it takes. Also the doctor can usually recommend other ways to approach the problem

Cuffy - posted on 09/23/2009

I have had this experience.. A urologist started with the 3 C's. No caffine, chocolate or carbonation after 6 pm. It was explained to me that bed wetting "just occurs" When my son was 8 years old, I put him oN "DDAVP". It was prescribed from the urologist. It did the trick. My son is now in high school. there were no ill effects from this medicine.

Shannon - posted on 09/23/2009

I have had the same problem with my 6 yr old. I'm an herbalist and there are some herbal suppliments you can use to help tone and strengthen his bladder. Go to a health store and ask for Cornsilk and uva ursi. U may be able to find them together already blended or in a homeopathic solution. It really helps plus it has lots of nutrient value.



I also agree with the prior post about getting him up. I take my son to the bathroom an hour after he goes to sleep, once in the middle of the night, and make him go as soon as he wakes up. Try not to take him too many times because then it can defeat the purpose of trying to train him to hold it for a longer period.



Hope this helps. Peace & Love

Jackie - posted on 09/23/2009

my son still wets the bed and hes nearly 7, he wets the bed at least once a week! i was puzzled by it as he seams to do it more now then when he first started going to bed with no nappy on, i took him to see our gp about itand he said that its very common for boys to wet the bed right up to 12 years old, im hoping it doesnt last that long and he is inproving hes now getting up to go to the toilet but not quite making it

Andrea - posted on 09/23/2009

you may have to see a doctor, some kids just have loose bladders, and can't hold it. My daughter used to just sleep SO heavy that she wouldn't wake up. we'd make her go before she went to bed, then before I went to bed i'd carry her in, then my husband would do the same thing before he went to bed, lol, it got annoying but....luckily eventually she outgrew it.

Shanai - posted on 09/23/2009

I have an aunt who has the same problem with her son she has him his own water bottle with the right amount of water that he needs a day and if he drinks all of it he doesnt get anymore liquids for the day but she knows he has had his right amount so don't give him more than he needs. I also read a story no this little girl who had a bed wetting problem and her parents tried everything to discipline to gentle means. She was still doing it at night and they took her to the doctor and come to find out she had two ureters going to her urethra and it was causing her to leak when her bladder was full (such as at night) they had to do surgery to redirect the ureter to the other one so she would only technically have one ureter. So there could be an underlying cause, don't rule it out.

Claire - posted on 09/23/2009

Quoting sharon:

how can I stop my 5 year old wetting the bed

Has anyone got any ideas on how to stop my 5yr old bed wetting. We do all the usual, no drinks to near bed time, get him up for the loo b4 we go to bed. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you :)

Hi Sharon,

                 I had exactly the same problem with my youngest son. I ended up going to my health visitor and she refered him to a bed wetting clinic. If you dont have health visitor anymore then go and see your nurse at the docs she will help aswell. They gave my son demo-melts. 1 little tablet dis-solves on tongue, he was on that for 6 months and since then he has been totally dry. That is nearly 3 years now. I still have odd accident but very very rarely. The pills just encourage a certain hormone that they are lacking in to kicj start it to work properly and teaches the bladder to concentrate the urine! Worked for my son. Good luck.  Claire

Carrie - posted on 09/23/2009

Hi I'm in the same boat.. My 5yr son is really good going thu the day but at night it's a other story.. I didn't have have this with my daughter.. Since she was 20 mo old she got up at night, and she is almost 10 now..

Misty - posted on 09/23/2009

Quoting sharon:

how can I stop my 5 year old wetting the bed

Has anyone got any ideas on how to stop my 5yr old bed wetting. We do all the usual, no drinks to near bed time, get him up for the loo b4 we go to bed. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you :)

my daughter did that until she was 8.  i took her to the doctor and they said it was normal.  that she had a condition where she was maturing faster than her bladder.  we also put her in pull ups during the night so it was more comfortable for her because it was very embarrasing.  the pull ups also helped her to wake up in the night because she wanted to stop wearing them.  good luck.  o and when we got upset with her for wetting the bed, it made it worse.  she would do it 2 or 3 times in the night.  so have patience. 

Susie - posted on 09/23/2009

Go to the store and buy ANY alarm clock,have your child pick it out.....make it special....set the alarm for in the middle of the night to go off.....

Brittany - posted on 09/23/2009

Try no drink or food an hour or so before bedtime. Have him use the potty before he goes to be. Then wake him up around midnight or so to have him go again.

Laura - posted on 09/23/2009

We have the same problem. We are even wetting through Goodnights several times a week. He has no accidents during the day...only when sleeping. I also appreciate any ideas!

Kris - posted on 09/23/2009

Talk to a doctor who listens.

Amanda - posted on 09/23/2009

boy's are harder there bladder is farther back so they can't feel when they have to pea, start waking him up a couple times and take him in to pea. He will get on a routine and know when he has to get up, try pullups too to lesson the mess...:)