Help with 8 Year Old Still Wetting Bed - Significantly

Oh this is so hard on everyone. It must be so embarrassing for him. It's easy to get frustrated. There's lot of good advice, but I would add that you need to let him know you love him and he'll grow out of it eventually. If you find a treatment that works, well great. But in the mean time a waterproof mattress cover and a spare set of sheets, blanket, pajamas near by at night will help to make things manageable.

H.,
If the nutritionist thinks he has issues w/ dairy he needs to be completely off. It does not do good to be off partially. You will not see any improvement until he is. That means all meals and snacks and that also includes all milk proteins like whey and casein. The occasional pizza and ice cream needs to be substituted w/ soy cheese and soy ice cream. Then see how he is in a month. Otherwise, expect the same results. Oh, and just so you know, lactose-free is not the same. The labels are very confusing. A.

Do not drive yourself crazy eliminating foods, getting testing, etc.. Research it, many, many boys (and girls) have this problem and they do grow out of it. My son was probably 13+ before he grew out of it. My dad was the same way, and I had issues, but not that severe. Of my four boys two had this problem. The other was about 8 or 10 when he stopped. I did use the alarms, which woke me not him. Then I used one that vibrates when he was older and that did help the one, but the other just took longer. Just do not punish him, help him to understand that the alarms might work, but never to be upset by it. Mine both wet the bed in the early morning hours around 5am, after being dry all night. Do yourself a favor and let them wear Pull-ups they are a Godsend! If you want to work with an alarm, be prepared for sleep dreprivation on both parts.

About me: SAHM homeschooling last three, one boy in USAF, one boy going into USN, 2 boys ages 17, 16 at home and one girl, 15.

One of two things will help. First most people think that if they have a bed wetter they should give them less to drink before bed when in fact you should bring it up. Next i would take him out of pull ups and put a water proof mattress cover on his bed. We bought one at Sears it looks and feels just like a sheet. We actually used it as a sheet. Buy two and have them ready on the end off his bed and ready to put on with a spare blanket. Make it his job to change sheet if he wets the bed. The reason you want to give him more water is because if you have to pee at night a little it won't wake you up and you just pee on yourself. If you drink a whole glass of water it hits you at once and some or most of the time it will be enough to wake you up. If not the being in wet sheets will. Make it his job to change the sheets so if there is anything he can do to help he will because it's also annoying to him not just you because you have to change his bed or pay for pull ups.
NEXT if this doesn't work it will help in the long run I wet the bed until i was 12yrs old and these things helped me. The doctors don't believe there is a prob. until they are 12yrs old that normally means immature bladder control.

i second wendywooho. if you are eliminating dairy, do it for another reason, but wetting the bed late is a purely genetic thing, it's the way his body is wired right now.

Looks like you have just about all the advice you need, but having been through this with one son, I can not stress enough that the problem if it continues into pre-teen years is generally genetic. If you ask carefully, you are likely to find your husband, one of your fathers or grandparents who also had the problem. Restricting water and fluids, and trying dietary and nutritional manipulations will have no effect and are not the answer, nor really the alarms, though we also tried most of these things. PLEASE BE AWARE THAT DVAAP WILL WORK but is VERY DANGEROUS TO USE CONTINUOSLY. Conscientious pediatricians will ONLY prescribe this for an occasional SINGLE extremely important overnight event of a child. You have the "luxury" of pull-ups and many adult-sized products which we did not, as we had to improvise with clunky Depends type garments unlike even these are now. We had a system which was handled completely by our son: his mattress was covered in a completely waterproof soft fabric sheet described by someone else, with "hospital-type" second layering and blue chuck and top sheet. A separate comforter and pillow and sleepshirt were always folded nearby on a chair. Whenever he awoke and found himself wet, he pulled all of the wet items off and could readily lay back down on a dry surface after dumping all linens and wet comforter (and sometimes even pillow!)in the tub until morning. In the morning he simply threw everything in the washing machine and came up for breakfast. He switched the load to the dryer after breakfast and brushing teeth and headed to school. It was merely a part of his day which transpired w/o comment. He was not totally dry at night until about 13-14. It was a long haul and alot of wash, but he managed this well and we told him he was doing a great job, and although it was a major pain to deal with, it would eventually taper and then disappear. For sleepovers at another house, I would speak to the mother privately, if she was willing to have him on the necessary basis, provide her a waterproof sheet to place on her mattress and be certain my son wore the most protective "pull up" item. Sometimes he woke to wet linens but hid the fact from his friend when changing in the morning and had the relief of knowing he had not wrecked someone else's mattress and that the mother would keep his secret and just wash everything. OUR DOCTORS ONLY ALLOWED DVAAP USE FOR A 2NIGHT BOY SCOUT CAMPING EVENT AND A 3NIGHT FIELD TRIP; even for these we had to beg them. Everything else can be managed in other ways. Hang in there, but you DO have ny sympathies, it is a tough go!

Hello, you have a lot of good responses. I know many do not believe in medication but after trying everything (diet, diaries, monitoring water intake and output, charts to count the dry and wet nights, etc.) meds was the only thing that worked with my step son. He was so frustrated every morning as was I from doing laundry. I took him to the doctor and of course my step son is ADHD so bed wetting is one of many side symptoms. His ADHD meds were supposed to eliminate the bed wetting but due to the severity of his ADHD and bed wetting he needed more. He was soaking a whole king size bed, head to toe and side to side and this was with wearing a pull up or a depends. They put him on DDAVP and in 3 months he quit wetting the bed. We are on almost 2 months of dry mornings. The doctor did say that the meds do not make them stop it is developmental but I feel the meds helped. His self esteem is through the roof now. He's happy and we are happy. He is 12 years old almost 13.
Our daughter is 8 and still wets the bed. She does not care as much as our son did so I can not take her in. Our doctor said he will not prescribe meds for this if the child is not bothered. Since she does not care then I will let it go and continue to wash her sheets everyday and count my blessings on the days she wakes up dry.
I wish you the best of luck. I say talk to your doctor about your options. Good Luck!

I have two half brothers who wet the bed until they were 13 or 14 years old. It was actually genetic, their father did the same thing as a child. My mother tried everything to get it to stop and nothing worked, she finally just gave up and they continued to wear pull-ups for many years (by the way, they were wetting the bed before pull-ups even existed, and my mother was very happy when they came out). They are now 23 and 24 years old and they haven't wet the bed in about 10 years. Your son may have to just grow out of it.

Some kids just don't outgrow it until VERY late in life. My step brother wet the bed til he was 16+! My half brother still does about once a month and he is 19! My husband did until he was 16 or 17, too! And he's not related to my brothers! If the pull ups aren't working, you can try depends. That is what my husband used all the way up. I know it sounds weird, but its better than washing the sheets every day (which is what my mom did!)! Sometimes they are just heavey sleepers, and sometimes its that their bladder doesn't develop as fast as others. I did read somewhere, that instead of holding off on fluids before bed, to let them drink alot, that way the urge to go will be stronger and may wake them up. If they haven't had much to drink, the urge may not be a strong, and it may not be felt enough to wake them. It can't hurt to try for a couple nights to see if it helps! Good luck! I am lucky that my 5 year old hasn't inherited it from his dad, at least not to that extent. He goes about 1-2 times a month. Much better than every night! I hope you find something that works, but if you don't, remember that its not his fault and is just something that will take time. If you can, try not to make a big deal, or get aggrevated w/him, because it is shameful enough for them, and even causes low self esteem sometimes! Its very frustrating for the child too! (even if they aren't doing the laundry!)

I had the same problem with my then 8yo boy. I also was not sure that he would hear the bed alarm, but I was wrong. We went with a copany, Pacific International, to help him with this his bedwetting. It worked within 6 months! Check out this website http://www.stopwetting.com/ I hope that t his helps you and your boys.

Hypnotherapy helps in over coming bed wetting. I am a counsellor also a Hypnotherapist.I have been able to help a few children to remain dry while sleeping. I am not sure if you know about hypnosis so I will give some info about it.Hypnosis has been historically surrounded by an aura of mysticism. Because of all forms of media immense amount of misinformation about hypnosis has been circulated and perpetuated. Hypnosis today has gained respect, dignity, and worldwide interest, holding a recognized place in behavioral science and medicine.
The term "hypnosis" is derived from the Greek word hypnos , meaning "sleep." Hypnotherapists typically use exercises that bring about deep relaxation and an altered state of consciousness like a meditative state . Many people routinely experience this trance-like state while they are watching television or sitting at a red light. A person in a trance or deeply focused state is unusually responsive to an idea or image, but this does not mean that a hypnotist can control his or her mind and free will. On the contrary, hypnosis can actually teach people how to master their own states of awareness. By doing so they can affect their own bodily functions and psychological responses.
If you consider giving it a try.Check if there are any therapists around where you live.I offer my services in Haymarket.
With warm regards
S. (Sarojini Alva)

Yes, my step son wet the bed when he was 8 as well..I thought, "He is WAY too old for this!" But he would also have 'accidents' at school, too...so I chalked it up to the stress of a new step-mom, house, etc...and maybe he was a little out of his comfort zone. However, it happened at night as well, so I thought it could be a small bladder..? Any way, I wouldn't give him anything to drik 2 hours before bedtime, made him use the bathroom before he went to sleep, then (*most importantly*)I would wake him up 2 hours after sleeping (before I went to bed) and had him use the bathroom again. This allowed his relaxed bladder to rid the rest of the urine, and he would sleep the rest of the night with no problems. I think it also disrupted his deep sleep, so he could get used to feeling he had to go, and after 2 weeks of this he was able to get up on his own when he had to go.

I know that not alot of people like to admit that they wet the bed. But I did until i was like 9. You battle with your son sounds alot like the one with me and my mother. Because i was a hard sleeper, and could not wake myself up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom.. My mother had to cut out everything i would have to drink after dinner. She would give me a drink with dinner and then I would get only a sip if i really needed something after that. I also had to use the bathroom about three times before bed. 1 hour before bed then 1/2 hour before bed then right before i went to bed. I dont know if this helps at all but it worked for me. :) good luck.

I would suggest taking your child to a chiropractor in order to evaluate the situation. I am a chiropractor and alot of issues and problems that children and adults may encounter are due to misalignments in the spine. Children play and jump around constantly and fall while playing that can cause misaligments in the spine that can also cause the body to function improperly. I would suggest an alternative medical approach to the problem. If you are interested in an evalution, please give us a call.

Dr. E. B., D.C.
14904 Jefferson Davis Hwy., #301
Woodbridge,VA 22191
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www.virginiafamilychiropractic.com

Hi H.! Whenever I see this question I always respond, simply to let other moms know they're not alone. My 7 1/2 year old daughter still wets the bed and I've decided to just let is go (we've tried numerous things unsuccessfully) My pediatrician mentioned that we produce a hormone that condenses our urine at night to help us be able to hold it. Some kids just don't produce enough (or any) until they are a little older. She is not worried AT ALL about my daughter, which helped put me at ease a little. So hang in there!

K.

My daughter (now 20) had a similar profile. Our pediatrician ended up diagnosing sleep apnea and recommended that she have both her tonsils and adnoids removed to alleviate the sleep apnea. With sleep apnea, breathing actually stops (very briefly!) and, in reponse, the sphincter muscles of the bladder can release. This was a life changing diagnosis for her and, in fact, eliminated the bed-wetting. She began to sleep more restfully and was heatlhier and happier. I thought the pediatrician was a genius! Good luck.

Bed wetting is a common problem especially for boys. You are correct to say that he sleeps so soundly, he does not know he is urinating. Do not punish him. He can't help it. My brother wet the bed til he was nine. Have you tried prohibiting any drinking after supper? And be sure he uses the toilet before going to bed. He should out grow this. AF

Hi H., My 17 1/2 year old just wet the bed the other night. This happens about once a year at this point. Maybe twice. I know he doesn't do it on purpose, so he pulls the sheets off and I do the laundry. It is frustrating, and I don't know anyone else with this problem. We got some meds one time from the Doctor, they didn't work at all. I like the idea of drinking a lot at night to see if that pressure wakes him up more than a little. A friend told me she wet her bed in college one time and that was it. She never did it again. One thing we did was self-talk at night. I am going to sleep well and be dry etc. Stuff i found on the internet.
Good Luck, it will pass eventually.
L.

Has your doctor sent him to a Urologist? I have had the same experience with my son, and was told if they still bedwet by the age of 5 that there might be something wrong with their bladder. I am sorry but a nutrionist will not know if your son has a problem like that. He needs testing done.

You might want to try homeopathics. However, an evaluation needs to be conducted to pick the right one. There are 35 different remedies in my list for this. Other characteristics of the person help to narrow it down. I am in Dublin, VA if you are interested in a homeopathic evaluation.

L. Cheek, MD
28 Town Center Drive
Dublin, VA 24084
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www.sevenpillarstotalhealth.com