Help.... Bed Wetting

He's too young to be worried about it. I still have to wake my 7 year old before I go to bed. I would just let him wear a pull-up at night or I have also found very usefull the waterproof pads that you put over the sheet. If they have an accident at night, you can pull the pad off and put them back in their own bed again without changing the sheets.

I don't think you should worry about it. Little boys take longer to stay dry at night - it's a developmental thing. Just put pull-ups on him and don't worry about it.

This is actually a VERY common problem!!! I have 3 kids. The oldest and youngest are fine, but the middle (9) is still wetting. I had the same problem growing up and didn't stop until I was 20!!! I use a Rx in high school. We've tried 2 different Rx's for my little one and nothing's working. Her doc has suggested we get a bed wetting alarm. They're simply very deep sleepers. The alarm is supposed to train them to wake when they have to "go". Good luck! I know it's tough!

As long as the dr. says nothing is wrong this may be one of those things you just have to deal with. The little men in my life were/are deep sleepers. Almost nothing wakes them up including feeling wet/cold or the urge to go to the bathroom. Clip pull up coupons from the paper and be glad your little guy sleeps so well.

B., actually for a boy,you'll probably find from many moms, that your son in trained early. Often little boys are 3 or even 4 before being toileted trained well. I would buy some pull-ups for him to sleep in and relax. He'll probably come out of it on his own just fine. If you continue waking him at night he will probably get in that habit and never be able to sleep through the night without using the restroom. JB

This is something he will have to out grow. Some children, especially boys, just don't have big enough bladders to make it through the night. They're usually heavy sleepers too. He can't help doing this. Get some night-time Pull Ups and make life easier for both of you.
D. - mom to 9 (2 of which were bed wetters)

Being the mother of boys, i would advise you not to fret. relax and make the best of the situation. his little bladder has not grown yet. it is honestly that simple. put him in a pull up and don't sweat the small stuff... it will drive you crazy! be mindful that he is THREE- not thirteen! don't push too hard and i promise you when his bladder grows, the bedwetting will stop on its own. while it may be frustating for you it really truly is not a big deal-focus on all the really great things he does and believe me before you know it, he will be off to college and this time in your life will be a decent memory. my oldest was six before he stopped COMPLETELY bed wetting at night. and he now a VERY accomplished self motivated, driven young man. continue your good habits of not too much to drink b4 bedtime, put a pull up (good night) on him and YOU go to sleep and don't worry about it!!

I have 2 boys 7 and 11. My 11 year old had the same problem and I spent hours talkig to the doctor and talking to other moms. The doctor said sometimes boys just sleep so soundly at that age they don't get the signal to wake up and go and then wet the bed. Two suggestions he offered was an alarm you put a sensor on his underware and the alarm pinned to their PJ's by their ear. The minute the monitor senses wet it goes off. This option was about $60. The other option is medication. I took the 3rd option: I would stop serving him liquids once dinner was finished, make sure he went before bed, put a Pull-up on him (so the bed always stayed dry). We still had wet pants about 3 times a week doing this option. It took until the year he was in kindergarten before the problem was solved he literally just grew out of the problem. I didn't make a big deal about it. He would say to me: "mommy I just don't 'hear' that I need to go during the night!" For some reason this is the way it is with some boys. My other boy didn't have this issue! Please don't make a big deal about it!! He will grow out of it! My boy hasn't wet the bed now in 5 years!!!

My first daughter is a heavy sleeper and she wet the bed until about 3 1/2. We tried a lot of things too, and told her that when she has to go in the night to wake up. That didn't work. Finally I told her to just hold her pee all night and to go when she wakes up. That worked! I was so suprised that just suggesting that she should hold it in would work. I never pressured her, because its normal for kids to need diapers in the night till they are 6. I just didn't want to keep buying them. We just kept telling her that she could do it, and she did.
Don't worry, he'll do it eventually.

my pediatrician has answered this question for me. i have a six year old who still wears pull-ups at night. the dr said that if we want to wake him up constantly through the night, that will work. but, until his bladder grows enough to hold the urine through the night, he will not be able to take care of it himself. he is a deep sleeper, so doesn't wake up. sometimes it is even impossible for me to wake him. the dr said that he has parents ask this question every single day in his practice, and it is not uncommon at all.

I have two kids and both wet to bed for along time. Until she was twelve and he was about nine. My husband had the dame problem when he was younger. I did try a night alarm. They wear it in there underpants or pull up. When it gets wet it goes off. I got it from a girlfriend that had the same problem. It worked for her but, It didn't work that great for us. My kids would sleep so soundly that the alarm did even wake them up, but I heard it in the next room. Talk to your doctor about it. They may have a better idea. Good luck! L.

I noticed a couple of replies to your request inferred, "yes, you have a bedwetter." And I think that's a little extreme. He's only three. It's VERY common for kids to be pottytrained in the daytime for quite awhile before they can make it through the night. My daughter was completely daytime dry at 2 years old but wore a pull-up at night until she was almost 4. She just couldn't wake herself up and her bladder just didn't have the ability to go that long. We would wake her up when we went to bed (11pm or so) and she would go, and she would be wet (and still asleep) if we didn't wake her by 5am. Of course then she didn't go back to sleep on those wet early mornings. It was no fun. So I just said forget it, we'll go back to pull-ups at night, thinking she would be in them forever!! But within three months she started staying dry on her own.
Don't sweat it. He's young. Just let his body grow a little more and he'll figure it out. I don't think this is something that can be forced... it just happens when it happens.

B., a child's bladder does not always develop as rapidly as we parents would like it too. Your child is completely normal. Often their bladders are just not big enough to hold their urine for the entire night and their muscles aren't strong enough to hold it in long enough for them to wake up and go to the rest room. Your child needs fluids throughout the day so witholding them may be worse than having him sleep in a pull-up until his body is physiologically ready to stay dry throughout the night. Also consider that he needs his sleep - uninterrupted sleep is so important for their brain development, this is more of a priority than sleeping in underwear. If he is dry all day long, and needs to sleep in a pull-up even for a couple of years, he is much better off doing that instead of sacrificing fluids or sleep.

Hi B.,

I don't know if what I can say will be what you want to hear, but it is our life....

Our daugther will be 6 years old next week and has the same issue...she has been daytime trained since before she was 3, however never has she been able to go all night. I even asked our pediatrician who said some children can be upwards of 8 before their body signals them at night and/or has a large enough bladder to handle those hours (no matter how little they have at bedtime) - it was not what I wanted to hear, and probably not what you wanted to hear either - but that is what can happen.

She wears goodnights underpants at night(a larger version of pull ups and has the capacity to hold that amount of urine) and it comes off first thing out of bed in the morning (I always have her go straight to the bathroom)...we have rare occasions of dry and we don't say much about it other than a reminder to go straight to take it off - just because I know it's her body not able to go that long and/or she doesn't have the control...

Our ped also said that it can be hereditary (my husband was almost 8 before he didn't have the same problem)....so I'm not sure what to suggest...other than you are not alone and my understanding is it is just their body...to help him not feel bad that he can't make it, and to save your sheets, you might try the goodnight underpants - we use the regular ones, but they also have boxer short looking ones too.

Good Luck!
M.

Hi, I am one of 14 children, my mother who had 7 boys and 7 girls, said that only the boys were bed-wetters, and that only seemed to happen when they got cold during the night.....she recomended long PJ's and warm socks just in case the blankets slipped off....Following her advice I raised 1 son who has 3 sons, none have that problem....It's worth a try !!

Honestly there's not much you can do. Boys bladders can take up to the age of 8 to fully mature.
Just limit the drinks, try the overnight pull-ups. And not making a big deal out of it. If he's dry, just a simple good job.

You can have him help you change the sheets, this is not for punishment, but instead to his body starts to learn it's "too much" work to do this and it can start to train itself.

I agree with everyone else, here. Invest in the pullups or good nights. I've only got a 9mo baby girl, but I've heard from a few friends and relatives that boys specifically tend to have a harder time of being night-time potty trained. He'll grow out of it eventually. Just be patient.

Hi B. H-

I am a mom of three myself. I have two boys, ages 9 and 7, and my little girl is 2, and is potty training. Here is the golden advice I have for you: Put "Pull-ups" or "Good-Nights" on your son and stop fretting and stressing. Children train when they are ready, and every child is ready at a different time. I have heard that boys are harder to train than girls, though that has not been my experience. Take cues from your son. In the meantime, don't even mention it to him again (he may already have a complex about it). Instead, keep limiting his beverages after dinner, praise him for his pottying accomplishments during the day, and put the training diaper on him at night. There is no shame in this for him or for you. He wakes up and you throw the training pants away. You sleep peacefully through the night (except for with your new baby)-end of story. I promise this will work. One day he will wake up with dry training pants- when his bladder and understanding meet. Also remember- I don't know any kids who have gone to kindergarten without being potty trained. Good Luck!

From Mel

Actually, bed wetting in boys at this age is very common. My second son just began staying dry at night last summer when he was turning 9. The pediatrician told me that there was nothing to worry about. We just put him in a pull-up overnight and waited until he grew out of the problem. I tried not to make a big deal out of it as there was really nothing he could do to help the situation. My daughter also had some trouble with this, but she began staying dry overnight at age 5. My oldest son and my youngest son have done well from the time they were potty-trained. (I have four children ages 12, 9, 6, and 3) I wouldn't stress too much over it and just accomodate him until he grows out of it.

There are studies proving that some little one's bladders just don't develop to hold it in overnight. I have know on people who bed wet until they are 15 or 16. It is embarrasing, but there isn't much you can do about it. One of these days, they will snap out of it. I have also heard that there are medications to help with this problem. Maybe talk to your dr about it. My twin nephews are 5 and still have problems with it. Good luck. I have a 2 yr old and he is totally potty trained except for the night time thing. I keep telling myself that at least he is potty trained and I should be thankful for that.

I echo everything others said. I have 2 boys. The youngest was daytime toileted at 3 but wore the night time pull ups and Good Nights until he was 7 yo.

My youngest is almost 7 yo and still wears Good Nights at night.

I assume the only accident is wet and not poo.

He will grow out of it. Someone once told me (about my now 11 yo), he won't graduate high school wearing pull ups at night.

So, be patient. Give him plenty of congrats for those nights he stays dry and breath your way through the wet ones.

I bought a waterproof pad for mattress protection and decided the pull ups were well worth the investment since I find it boring and irritating to change sheets every morning.

Hang in there and he will make it.

Sometimes kids just can't control themselves at night (especially boys). I have a seven year old son who still wears a Goodnights pull up to bed. Like you, I tried many things to help keep him dry at night. Sometimes he even goes three or four nights dry then it is back to being wet. My doctor said that it could happen until he is around 12 years old. We praise him if he is dry and make no mention of it if he is wet. It is not his fault.

this is not what you want to hear......but likely he needs time. it can take boys until they are 5 or 6 before they can consistently make it dry through the night. My son was potty trained at 3, but not until he turned 5 does he stay dry every night.

I have done home childcare for 12 years and I have pottytrained lots of todders...I think he will just have to outgrow. My son was completely pottytrained at 3 years and My daughter was pottytrained 98% at 22 months and just shy of her 4th birthday she has been dry for 2 weeks at night. Don't stress and wake him to tke him potty that just disrupts his sleep pattern and dos not make for a happy rested toddler during the day. Buy pullups!!! I did not want my little girl to feel ashamed for something she had no control overyet...soo from the begining we called pullups her
"night-night Panties". Hope this helps...don't worry...

Oh, B.. I'd like to tell you that there's an idea out there that could make this all go away. But, I want you to know a possible outcome: I had 3 kiddos in "5 minutes" just like you did. They're now 12, 10, and 8. The bad news is that it has only been this year that the oldest has enjoyed the reality of waking up dry. The DR told us that some kids have a delay in the chemical that wakes a person to get up and go. There is a pill for it, (the same pill given to an accident victim who suffers brain damage and can no longer generate this chemical.) However, there's always the chance that the body will become lazy and stop trying to make the chemical on its own if you take the pill. We did not find huge success with it and only tried it to go to overnight camp. The good news is that my other 2 trained almost immediately, including night training. My biggest fear was that I would be doing this times 3, so their success encouraged me a lot. There is always the possibility that he could have hidden emotions or some other psychological issue with it - we explored all of that, even disciplining him when he drank water after 7pm. Through the years, we just taught him how to change his sheets and do his laundry - accepting this as a fact of life and not shaming him as if he could help it. The DR told us puberty would cause the body to catch up and the chemical kicked in. That apparently was true for us. The cool thing is that if you contact Delve Research, you can get on a list to do bedwetter studies where you can get paid. It's a little high-maintenance but it makes the kid feel like he can do a greater good in the world by "helping other kids who have this challenge". He can also save up money for things he wants to buy. Hang in there - it does come to an end.

A friend of mine has a son who is 9 and still has accidents. My own son was almost 4 when we stopped wearing pull-ups to bed. I think they sleep so soundly they just don't wake up. I would not worry and give your boy more time to mature physically and emotionally. It sounds pretty normal.

Funny I should read this tonight because I was just at the pediatrician's office today for my sons (ages 5 and 7) regular check-ups and asked her about this. Both of my boys still wear pull-ups at night. And while it's yucky to deal with and I'd LOVE to be done with the whole mess, our ped. gave me some statistics about bedwetting that were helpful. First of all, not uncommon at all. I keep thinking my 7 year old should be outgrowing this soon (my niece was 6 when she finally stayed dry at night) but doc says that some kids take longer. Also, that if my son becomes troubled by it (right now he doesn't care, we've not put pressure on him) there are medications to use for specific events (i.e. sleepovers, summer camp, etc.) if needed. I think she said that 10% of kids wet the bed at age 5, by age 10 that drops to 5% and then it drops again by age 12. There really isn't anything more we can do, we've never had drinks after dinner (5:30) so I can't eliminate liquids, and we always do a "last call" before bedtime. My sons are really sound sleepers and trying to wake them just seemed ridiculous. Her advice was to not worry about it and his body will develop that skill over time. Good luck!

Yep, sorry, but you probably have a bedwetter. And there isn't really much you can do. I have 7 year olds who still wet the bed. They don't wake up even if they are wet. We use the goodnites, also, so that helps with sheets. He is just going to have to outgrow it. Our peditrician also said they don't even consider it an issue at all until they are over 8, especially boys. Just hang in there!

B.,
I'm not sure if you should worry too much about this. I don't think it's uncommon for boys espescially to have a hard time making it through the night. My son is 3 and he has no trouble through the day. I put him in those "good nights" night time pants at night, and they keep the bed dry. Some nights he makes it, and some he doesn't, but I figure as he develops, his bladder function and control will as well.

Also, if your son is a deep sleeper, that could be part of it. He may not be aware enough to realize that he has to go. You also might want to think of cutting off liquids a few hours before bedtime so he isn't going down with a full bladder.

Just some ideas!
T.
mom to great 3 and 5 yr olds.

Hello B.,

IN response to bedwetting problems...he is 3 years old. It takes more maturity for little bladders to hold it all night long. Day time is a different story. He is awake and aware. He will get there. In the mean time you have to keep doing what you're doing. If you feel you need to get him up through the night, you may have to set an alarm. You may have to purchase the pull-ups for at night.
In the mean time continue with the positive actions. You are doing a great job. If you can't wait or are extremely concerned you might consult with a urologist. There are medications that they can give to help with night time bedwetting. Having worked with a urologist before and having a son that was a bedwetter, this has been my experience.
He did quit wetting the bed. He is now 25! So, I hope he has! LOL. Well, best wishes working with your little one.

I agree with the others, my son is 10 and still wears goodnights. I part of my son's problem is that he is a very heavy sleeper. The only time he didn't have problems was when he broke his arm and it kept waking him up, other then that it's still just about every night. I have tried limiting drinks, waking him up (which is terrible with a heavy sleeper). I have just surrendered to the fact that it's not going to happen until he's ready.

B.,
There may not be anything that you can do. His bladder just may not be large enough yet to make it through the night. Many children, boys and girls, are not even potty trained during the day at 3. Since he is only 3 I would just buy good nites or pull ups for the time being. I had one who was completely potty trained, day and night, before 3 and one who was closer to 4 before she could go through the night. If he were 5 or 6 then you could consider taking him to a doctor but at 3 I wouldn't stress it, especially with 2 other little ones.

Unfortunately that is not an uncommon problem. We had a lot of problem with our oldest boy (he is now 14). When he was around that age he was completely trained during the day and at night he would wet and not know it. I had asked his doctor about it and she said not to worry. That it was not a concern until after he was 5 years old. So we did training pants every night until he was 5 then talked again with the doctor and she perscribed a pill that he took before bed and within a week of taking the pill he stoped bedwetting. He was on the pill for about 6 to 8 mo. We would try to ween him off the pill several times and eventually it worked. Hope this is heplful. Not sure what your take on medication with this sort of thing, but it was very successfull for our family.

I know you probably don't want to hear this but it is totally normal for your son to be having problems. It is harder for boys to be able to make it through the night. It is normal up to the age of 6 for them to be wetting the bed. My son is 5 and he has just in the last 6 months stopped wetting the bed. He still has accidents rarely but he was doing it pretty regularly before. I would continue to limit his intake after a certain time like 2-3 hours before bed, and make sure he potties before bed. It could take him awhile to master this, b/c physically he just can't control it yet. I also used diapers or pull-ups just at night until my son stayed dry consistently. I know it is frustrating, but hang in there. When he is ready he'll be able to stay dry or wake himself up when he has to go.

I don't think their bladder is strong enough to make it through the night until they are 4. My daughter is 4 and I still have her in pull ups at night. She just does not wake up to use the bathroom. I am fine waiting until she is ready.

Don't worry, I'm sure he's normal! These things can take LOTS of time! Everything I've heard about potty training says it is a development that has to happen in the brain, just like walking, beginning to talk, etc. And I'm sure the night-training is an even bigger cognitive development. Sometimes my 3 yr old is dry and ready to potty in the morning, sometimes he's wet... We personally aren't pushing anything in regards to potty training. He still goes #2 in his pull-up and will absolutely not go on the toilet. But that's fine with us--we don't have the energy to worry ourselves about it. We know everything will happen in time, and this way, we won't have stressed a lot about it!

Good luck!

Ironically, my MIL just told me the exact story about her youngest son. If possible, see a urologist. In their case, they were told that the signals weren't getting to his brain to wake him up when he needed to pee at night. So he took some medication for a year, and that completely elimitated it. It wasn't a behavioral thing though. He was very embarrased but couldn't do anything about it. Waking him up may be the only thing that will work (short of meds - if there are some that will work) until he grows out of it. good luck!

Hi!
I'm a mommy of boys that are 4 years old a 21 months old. I did not try to potty train my 4 year old at night until just a few weeks ago. And my husband has to set his alarm for 1:30 AM every night to wake him up, if he does this our 4 year old stays dry during the night. Even though your boy is potty trained during the day he might not be ready to be potty trained at night. I would just put him in night-time pull-ups or good nites and stop stressing about your boy not being potty trained at night right now. And then in a few months try it again.

L.

Bedwetting is hereditary, did you or your husband have a problem? The problem is that the kiddos sleep so soundly that their brain does not recognize the signal that they need to get up and go. My nine year old had a problem up until about 10 months ago, my 6 year old has been dry all night ever since he was potty trained. We put my son in Overnights to keep the bedding dry for years. Almost a year ago we bought a device on-line that is an alarm that wakes the kiddo up when they start to wet. This device trains the brain to do what it should be doing. I was not very excited about trying this thing but I am now a believer. After about a month my son was dry every night and hasn't had an accident in about 10 months. Don't forget, it is not the childs fault, there is a lot of shame that goes along with this problem.

Hope this helps.

Please don't wake your son up to potty during the night! He needs his sleep...that's when his body and brain grow. some children (especially boys) do not physically mature enough to be dry all night until they are 8 or 9. it is not something he can help. Get some nighttime diapers or pullups (my 5 year old uses the small sized goodnights). Don't make him feel like he "should" be dry in the morning. He'll be dry when his body is ready.

HI, I just wanted to share this story with you about my son, 12. He was daytime potty trained when he was 2 1/2, but the night time was just horrible. Every night he would wet the bed sleep through it, we would stop the drinking, wake up in the middle of the night to take him, etc. The whole 9 yards. It was so bad to him that he would not stay at a friends house, because he was embarrased. His friends did not know. I talked to the pediatrician about it and of course they were not worried about it until he was 11 or 12. One day my son, who was 9 or 10 at the time, asked me not to come in the room with him and the doctor. I thought this was strange, but I was okay with it. My son told the doctor how he felt and he wanted to do something. He is a very heavy sleeper and did not wake up for anything. The doctor and I (and of course my son) decided that we would start him on this medicine. I was not excited about it, but my son was unhappy. I do not remember the name of it, but it was all initials. He took it for about 1 1/2 months and stopped on his own and has never wet the bed since then. My son is now 12 and he is so happy he stays at a friends house almost every weekend. I think that he is trying to make up for the times that he missed.

Hi B.,
All of my four children have been dry during the day and wet at night. The children all became dry somewhere between 4 and 5. We just used a pullup until they got to small. Then on one son Goodnights. This was the best I could do.
My doctor said my children just matured slowly. This was natural and I did not panick.
Good luck,
J. K