Help My Son Keeps Wetting Himself While He Sleeps.

Our son is 4 and can only stay dry overnight on occasion. What's worked for us is that we wake him up (just enough) and walk him to the bathroom before we go to bed every night, which is somewhere around 10:30 or 11. He goes right back to sleep and almost always stays dry the rest of the night. It also seems to be helping him learn how to wake himself up if he does need to go again during the night.

Good luck!

Dear Mom,

Through experience, some children have a urinary problem. The opening is not large enough to empty the bladder and during the night, they have slips. Only your doctor can tell. Good luck Mom and keep up the good work.

There's really not a whole lot you can do. I still remember some of the kids in first grade having trouble
with that.

It's perfectly normal for relapses to happen. My daughter has had her share of relapses and she's 5. We usually ask her at night if she wants her panties or "night-night pants". Since she's 5, the "night-night pants" are getting a little on the small side for her and getting a little uncomfortable. We're looking at that as "motivation" or "incentive" for her to get up and go potty. She's been doing a great job, but there are still rare occasions where she's super-tired, where she might wet her bed because she's so pooped.

One night she wet her bed, and was so upset that she tried to clean her bed with wipes, then changed into pull-ups, came and told me her pajamas were wet. She was so upset that she was on the verge of tears thinking I was going to be mad at her. I just calmly asked what happened, and said, "Well it looks like you wet your bed - let's get it cleaned up." SHe said, "You're not mad?!" I told her no,I wasn't mad...I wasn't happy about it, but I wasn't mad. I told her that anytime she wants to go potty in the night she can come use our bathroom and she can do it anytime she wants. And the calmer I've been with her about it, it seems to work better. She's even been sick this week, and has been coming into the bathroom about 4am to potty. I keep telling her, "That's a good idea...I really like it when you use the potty during the night. You're doing such a good job!"

Okay - so here's a few things that might be worth considering trying:
**Limit drinks in the evening. If your son goes to bed at 8, I'd say nothing to drink (sips of water or something okay, but no big cups of drinks) after about 6:45-7:00 p.m. That's helped a lot with us - it was a suggestion my sister gave us (she has 2 kids).
**Encourage going potty about 2-3 times before he actually goes to bed...work that into the routine. "Okay we're going to read a book, but I need you to go potty first."
**Give him the option of pull-ups or big-boy pants, and don't make a big deal about it either way. If he complains that the pull-ups are uncomfortable, just let him know he can wear his big-boy pants, but he might have to get up and go potty in the night so his bed stays dry.

For what it's worth - and good luck!!

It is not unusual for kids wetting the bed even into older ages. Some kids sleep very deep and cannot wake themselves up. My son is 10 and still occasionally wakes up wet. If you think something is wrong with him though discuss this with your pediatrician. Please whatever you do , do not punish him. I doubt that it is behavioral. Also some kids bladders grow at different rates.

I'm guessing this is emotional. My oldest son was potty trained, never wet the bed, then he went to Kindergarten. He was only 5- at that timet he cutoff was about a month after his birthday. Right about halfway through the year he started wetting the bed. THen his teacher called. She said he was unhappy at school (he had been happy up to that point) and she thought it was just more work than he was ready for. She suggested I keep him in school, but not force the paperwork on him and then have him repeat K the next year, which I did, but he wet the bed until he was 9.

I talked to a doctor about it, we tried everything from waking him in the night to get up and go to medications, but I finally resorted to just padding on his bed and he was to get up, clean up put clean padding on and go back to bed. He seemed to do better when we were no pressuring him about it. He also quit sucking his fingers just before he quite wetting the bed.

Three months away from home for a little guy only 3 yrs old is a long time. Even if he was doing fine, he may have been a little more home sick than he was showing.
My son was very smart, he knew all the stuff he needed to know in K, but he wasn't ready for that responsibility.

If your son could help it, he would not be wetting the bed. Get some pullups and take the stress off of him. Hopefully he will stop before too long, but this is a pretty common thing for boys. (Also, might want to check with a doctor to make sure all is fine physically)

I'm a mother of three, they are 3, 8, and 9. My three year old seems to have the same problems that the older ones did when it comes to this, and it happened quite a bit. If your kids have a regular bed time (which is also very important!) make sure you cut off ANY liquids AT LEAST an hour before bed time. This gives them time to let what is already in thier bodies work through and doesn't prolong the body's natural functions for liquids. Also (and you may already do this) Insist! They use the restroom immediately before and directly after any time asleep. I've found this problem was more in the timing and training than anything else. Hope this helps! :)

Use the pull ups. Go in and wake him up a couple hours after falling asleep and have him go pee. While he was with your mom did she put have any issues with this? Just try to ease him back into the routine that was done before he left. It may have gotten a bit out of whack during his vacation!
Just out of curiosity how did you do being away from him for that long? I am trying to plan a vacation with me and my husband and cant figure out how I am going to deal being away for a week!!!!
SZ

It doesn't sound behavioral, as he is doing it in his sleep. Limit his fluid intake before bed, make sure he goes potty right before bed, and put a diaper on him just at night for now. It sounds like he just got out of his usual routine and was sick, so he is just out of whack right now. If you don't make too big a deal out of it, it will probably work itself out in due time. Maybe he is going through a growth spurt or developmental phase, maybe having bad dreams. Give yourself a break from the laundry right now, and then try putting underwear back on him at night in a couple of weeks and see how he does. If there is stress during his day, maybe it is affecting how he sleeps. Try to find out if anything is bothering him.
Good luck! R.

It doesn't sound like it's behavioral. I would say it's probably a combination of stress and being in the colder climate again. If he just potty trained this year, it would not be unusual for him to wet the bed at night with the climate change. I know of many boys that wet the bed during season changes, that's why I'm thinking climate change. And like I said, the stress of traveling and being away from you for 3 months. Just to rule out anything physical, you could always take him to his pediatrician. In the meantime, put him back in pull-ups when he goes down for a nap or at night. I don't think that it will revert his behavior to needing diapers full-time again. Obviously he is fine during the day.

A.,

This may not be behavioral, but it could be psychological. 3 months is a long time to be away from Mommy at this age. That does not rule out something physcial too.

It is not uncommon for kids this age to wet at night, but you could check with your pediatrician for a referral to a urologist, the fact that he used to be dry and now isnt might be a red flag.

M.

Please hear me. It is NOT a behavioral issue. At least not one he can control. My brother wet the bed until he was 13. Talk about a frustrated family, and a very embarrased 13 boy. tired shrinks and the whole 9 yards. FINALLY someone suggested a urinologist. My brother had a "clog" in his prostrate. He did not know it was not suppose to hurt when you urinated. He spent the night in the hospital. Was given a does of medication (10 days worth)and never wet the bed again.
If you are not ready for that yet, monitor or limit his liquid intake 2 or so hours before bedtime (my brother tried it and it made no difference)
I remember my parents thinking it was because he was such a heavy sleeper. My parents would set their alarm to wake him up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom
Seeing a urinologist cured him and let the entire family sleep better. Image no longer having to wash bed sheets.

First, know there's nothing you CAN do. It is VERY normal for occasional bed-wetting, especially in boys, to occur well into their 7th and 8th years. It's often because they sleep SOOOO heavily, they just don't wake up when their bladder is full.
Don't make him feel bad about it, or punish him, it's nothing he can help. Some parents do this and it really irritates me, because ANY pediatrician will tell you that at 4, their bodies just aren't fully matured yet, in the bed-wetting department.
Since you said it's been an every night thing, I'd do the pull-ups...not only to save YOU from laundry every single day, but so that maybe he doesn't feel quite so bad.
Even now, when my 8 yr. old son has occasional accidents, he wakes up crying. He's afraid I'm going to be mad (though I don't know why, I've never been mad...I think that's just a common fear they have). He's been rudely awoken in his sleep, and I think that has something to do with their being upset too. I wouldn't be too happy if I woke up and had wet myself, either, lol.
So just encourage him and explain to him every single night that if he wakes up & has to go potty, to do so in the big boy potty, not in his pants. But that he's going to wear the protective pants just in case he can't wake up. You may even want to wake him mid-sleep at some point, maybe before you go to bed, and force him to the bathroom. I always hated doing that because my poor kid would just cry and be so upset, not awake enough to understand what was going on.
I wish you luck!! Just encourage him, momma! This will pass, I promise!

When my daughter did this, she had a urinary tract infection. It was weird because she had no other symptoms. She didn't even run a fever! I took her to the ER on Saturday because I knew what it was, but they didn't even test her urine because she had no other symptoms. They simply sent us on our way. I took her to her ped on Monday, and it definitely was what I thought. I would call you ped and see what they say.

It is normal. Buy some overnight pullups and save the laundry. My son was dry for months then started wetting at night. He has gone potty 3 times before bed and I have woken him up by taking off his pullup and he is wet. He is obviously not meaning to wet. I talked to many people and it is normal.

Our son is the same age, 2 months older than yours. He's been potty trained for awhile now,and was even staying dry at night (I would wake him up to go once a night and he'd stay dry); however, several months back, he started being wet nearly every time he sleeps. Always at night and often times if he takes a good nap.
We just always put a diaper on him when he sleeps, now. We let him know that it's not his fault if he can't wake up to go, but that he should try to always stay dry.

Just to let you know, this has not had anything to do with regression during the waking hours...so I wouldn't worry about that for your son. I really do not believe that it's behaviorally links, but physical.

Start putting on nighttime pants and stop doing laundry! Best wishes!

Please take your son to the Dr. he could have a UTI , cut out any kind of junk drinks like Kool Aide and soda pop and anything that is not 100 % natural.Be sure he drinks plenty of water a day.Start limiting his drinking before bed and be sure he goes before bed time I would then get him up a few hours later and walk him to the potty and back to bed.Yeah it's work but mattresses are expensive and so is doing laundry constantly. I really don't think it is behavior, any child that is potty trained doesn't want to be wet again like that.

Wow what did you expect--you sent him away for three months , he probably is wondering why I got sent away and my sister didn't, and wonder when she will send me away again. He probably feels rejected and doesn't know how to express himself so he wets the bed.Give him re-assurance that you love him, don't scold or nag him,let him help with the clean up.
good luck