Wetting bed at night... HELP!!!

Samantha - posted on 03/11/2009

Wow, lots of feedback and I thank you all. Well, my youngest two drinks tons of fluid during the day, but my oldest not so much. He is a kid who eats very little and only really drinks during meals. We have always got the kids to pee before bed around 7:30 and there are mornings when they are dry, but for the most part wet. The three year old I am not too concerned with yet because he did just learn how to use the bathroom, like a big boy. I am not really into meds of any sort so that is not even in my radar(unless it is the only option later). I was chatting with my mother and she always had to get me up around 1:00am to use the washroom until I was 7 so I guess that is what I am going to have to do. I was surprised that there were alarms for this sort of thing. Where can they be baught?

Lesley - posted on 02/20/2009

Hi This may sound strange but do they drink enough fluids during the day ? it makes a big difference they should be having at least 8 cups of fluid a day preferably water ? 

It may be good to keep a fluid diary then you can actually see what they are drinking. Make it fun maybe a bit of a competition otherwise  you may want to see a pediatrician to ensure everything medical is ok Lesley

Melissa - posted on 02/19/2009

After ruling out any health problems, a friend of mine would limit fluids after 6pm and have them go pee before bed. Then they set an alarm for sometime in the middle of the night, like 1 or 2 am (i know! ugh) and would direct each sleepyheaded child to the potty where they would pee. He (my friend) did this for months and it finally helped the children learn muscle control. For you babies, the 3 & 5 year wetting is really not that abnormal from what I've read/heard. They could probably use a pullup at night. The 6 year old should be learning muscle control, but then again every one is different. Maybe just pullups for a few years??

Lucinda - posted on 02/18/2009

I also have 3 boys,but my eldest was the one who still wet the bed till he was 9 yrs old.I tried everything from witholding drinks at night to waking him to pee but nothing worked. He would wet one night and not the next, then not for weeks.I finally realised his problem was stress related. If something was bothering him thats when he wet. Then one. day he just stopped. I think its just something u have 2 wait out.

Annette - posted on 02/18/2009

I have a 20 year old daughter that wet the bed till she ws nearly 17 years we had tried everything from alarms, waking her up stopping her fluid intakes at night we even stopped her having ice-cream, praise but nothing worked. The hardest thing was not the bedwetting but her embrassement with having to deal with it. The thing that we found best was the nasal spray when she was 16 which the doctor prescribed and it worked straight away. The doctor kept telling us to be patient and she would eventually grow out of it. She has and she is a beautiful confident person.

Kelley-Anne - posted on 02/18/2009

I used the alarm for my son with great success. I still had to get up with him as at first he would sleep through the alarm, I am not sure how,cause it would wake the dead and the nieghbours it was so loud. It took about three weeks for him to master staying dry at night. The alarm came with a sticker incentive chart as well- silver stars for hearing the alarm and at least getting to the toilet- even if sheets got wet, and gold for drynights. When we were done, I passed the alarm around to 3 other moms in kindergarten.

Roxanne - posted on 02/18/2009

I have two boys and only one of them has had this problem. I tried everything and nothing seemed to work. Around the age of 14 it just stopped, he is 16 now and never has a problem nor does he seem to having any lasting effects to his self esteem because of this problem. The big thing is to let them know that they are not the only ones that have this problem and it is okay because there is nothing that he can do about it. When he had a sleep over to go to he wore the goodnight pullups and didn't put it on until right before going to sleep and always took his sleeping bag with him. It was one of the nylon like ones so if he did wet a little it didn't show. When he was too big for the pull ups I got him a few of the same pair of shorts. He would put a pair of dry undies and shorts in a plastic bag in the bottom of his sleeping bad. He got pretty good about quickly changing in his sleeping bag with no one knowing. Good Luck

Lucy - posted on 02/18/2009

you carnt just stop so i went and got a alarm, and set it for ten mins before bed and they learnt that when it rins is weee weee time , but it takes time my 9 year old acsionly still has accednents , but stop drinks a half an hour before bed time for your older ones .

Heather - posted on 02/18/2009

I have 3 girls... 10,7 & 5.. They all wet the bed.. I my 10 year old as done it from the frist day of school... Not sure why.. But it as been that way with all three of them... My family doctor say to wait it out.. Once they start staying at friends houses.. They will stop.. And that is true.. I see a big change in them when they stay at friends.. So give it time.. Just do the ( good nights) and bed pads..  And just wait it out.. Good luck...

Barbara - posted on 02/18/2009

My daughter who is now 26 had a problem with bed wetting until she was 16.  We tried the nasal spray and when we stopped it she started wetting again, she also slept through the alarm.  We took her to an allergist and they helped considerably.  After that she only drippled at night.  The wetting seemed to finally go away when her menstrual cycle started.

Mary - posted on 02/17/2009

Bec - that is super interesting and it makes a lot of sense. Plus extra fluids is always good. Most of us (myself included) don't stay as hydrated as we should.

Linda - posted on 02/17/2009

We just wen through this problem with my grandsons. My oldest and youngest boys also had the problem with them we just waited it out. With my grandson my son read where feeding them soda crackers at bedtime helped, not sure if it really worked or it is was the power of suggestion but between that and the promise of his favorite charector's sheet set he seems to be over it. We really were not pushig him too much on it as he has been through a lot of trama in the last two years and trauma can cause these problems also. But you might try the soda crackers, it can't hurt and if it works all the better

Bec - posted on 02/17/2009

HI my son  who is 9 wet the bed up until about 6 mths ago - i never thought he would grow out of it!! I sought the help of a urinary incontinence nurse - i really didnt want him to go onmedication if i could help it. Anyway, she ook me through this course and i discovered that one of the myths about limiting his drinking was actually causing the trouble!! I was put on a program to increase his fluids. He would take a lrge drink bottle to school and was allowed to keep it on his desk - he would drink all day and most of it was before about 4pm everyday. he still drank after that though. The idea was to icrease the size of his bladder. Apparently he would go to the toilet during teh day when he felt like he needed to, but because the bladder was never taught to get real full (like blowing a balloon) it never knew how to deal with a full capacity at night. So alongside increasing his drinking, i would also encourage him to wait another 10 - 15 mins extra before going to the toilet - this slowly increased his bladder capacity and within about 2 mths, he was able to stay dry at night.  He was also responsible for writing down what he had drunk over the day even on cereal etc and would get rewards for passing a litre etc - the incentive was on controlling his fluids rather than trying to stay dry - which he felt he had more power over.

Anyway, worked for us!!!

DoraAnn - posted on 02/17/2009

There R many children who wet the bed at night Most parents R 2 embaressed 2 talk about. Childrens bladders don't fully grow until around age 9. Until then use Goodnight pullups. Never scold  or make them feel ashamed. It's something they can't help. I would try 2 relax about it 4 a while. There R medications Doctors prescribe . Something I wouldn't rush into. Imipramine is an antidepressent that needs 2 B used with great caution. Blood levels & the heart must B monitored while on this med. Im sure their bladders will catch up 2 the rest of their body soon. In the meantime use the pullups 2 save yourself alot of work & the boys any embaressment.  A family member of mine had the same problem & has been dry 4 5yrs. now. Seemed to dry right up right around their  9th birthday... GOOD LUCK

Jessica - posted on 02/17/2009

Actually just a quick trip to a chiropractor can help alot! Alot of times a bone and I am sorry I cant remember the name of it,gets out of alinement and puts pressure on the bladder,causing accidents and bed wetting.A chiropractor can adjust this and cure the problem. Its defanitely an easy fix and worth looking into! Hope this helps!

Kate - posted on 02/17/2009

The only solution I have found after 27 years of caring for children is to wake them up and take them to the bathroom before I go to bed. The youger you start doing it the sooner they learn to wake themselves up when they need to and go on their own. Jasmine is 6 and she has been getting up herself through the night for 2 years now. And yes, no liquid after dinner except a sip if they really need it.

Marina - posted on 02/17/2009

I myself had this problem up til maybe 13 if i can remeber correctly. I hated it. It wasnt fun staying at friends house hoping i wouldnt wet their bed. I tried everything, and nothing helped. I can remember thinking it was over and then out of the blue at the age of 13 i wet the bed, and then that was it. It was gone. Til this day i have dreams where I use the restroom and wake up dry. Thats what kind of dream I would have when I was younger and wet the bed. Please do not punish your children for this, because I honestly feel they have no control. My nephew and brother have the same problem and they are 10 and 11. You just really have to wait it out. I promise you they hate it just as much as you do and it probably affects their self esteem as it did mine if they get yelled at or punished. Hopefully it wont last as long as it did for me. Good luck

Julie - posted on 02/17/2009

my boys wet the bed one till he was 12 the other is 6 and has just stopped, i dont critisize i praise him when its dry, i tried to wake him in the middle of night but he just cried and i felt bad, now he wakes me to go it takes time but its not there fault, i was a bed wetter up till i was 13, i was embaressed i know how my boys felt please be patient with them it will be all good

Catherine - posted on 02/17/2009

These are all great ideas. As a child I had a huge problem with this. My parents took me to the doctors and I was placed on medication. That did not work so they switched to a different kind. This was years ago so I am not sure what meds they were. I even wore the alarm pad that someone was talking about. Nothing did seem to help. I would not have liquids before bed and my mother would have me eat bread or popcorn, or things that would soak up some of the liquid in my stomach. To no avail nothing seemed to work. I did eventually out grow the problem. I now worry about my child having the same problem that I did. Do not get upset with your child, it only makes things worse. My mother would get  mad and I would make my bed and sleep on wet sheets to hide it from her. It will take time, be paitent. I hope this helps.

Mary - posted on 02/17/2009

Everything I have read says that it is not unusual for kids to wet the bed even up to ages 9 or 10. It's that their bladders haven't caught up with their bodies yet. My son is 8 and still does occasionally. You can limit liquids in the evening and make sure they go to the bathroom right before bed, but my best suggestion is to buy waterproof matress pads, invest in a lot of "Good Nights", and just wait it out. Whatever you do, try not to make your kids feel bad or punish them. It's not something they do on purpose. Almost all kids eventually grow out of this.

Nicole - posted on 02/17/2009

I limit liquid after dinner (none 2 hours or so before bed). I also remind them to use the bathroom atleast 2 -3 times after dinner and right before bed. What does the doctor say??? I also know people who bring their kids to the bathroom half awake before they (parents) go to bed. Good luck

Tina - posted on 02/17/2009

There is a bed wetting alarm you can get that attaches to the underwear, if the device gets wet and alarm goes off and wakes the child to go to the restroom. We had to get one for my 10 year old son. It took about a week but it's been over two years now since he stopped wetting the bed.

Lisa - posted on 02/17/2009

You may need to wake them at night before you go to bed to go potty one more time. No liquids after 5 p.m. as well. If they want a drink before bed discourage this or give them a "squiggie" as my family has come to call it. A small sip. Hope that Helps....

MaryEllen - posted on 02/17/2009

My 10 year old has the same problem and we have just started her on medication called Imipramine 5 days ago . It hasn't started to work yet but I;ve got my fingers cossed I will keep you posted.