OK - so my DS is 7 years old and he still will wet himself at night. He does not do it every night, but more nights than not. What can I do to get him trained at night? He is starting to get invitations to spend the night at friends homes and I just don't want him to get embarrased about it. Thanks for any advice! God bless!
Thank you so much for all of your answers and support. We did have to take him to his pediatrician the other day and we asked him about this issue. He did not seem worried at all about it and said that since my son is such an energy ball all day (he is like the energizer bunny times a million!) and he just passes out at night that he just sleeps hard and doesn't know that he needs to go. He is getting better about waking up and having not gone and he is very happy and has to announce it to us that he woke up dry. I am sure that this will work itself out when it is supposed to. Thank you again.
A friend of mine two of her kids, (10 and 11) are on meds that help them. They take one pill a day (I believe just one) but next time you are at the dr. ask about it. Also they make the boxer like pullups for big kids.
I wet the bed when I was his age. What helped me was my dad got up once a night and woke me up to go to the bathroom. I'm not sure how long he did it, but I think it was around midnight that he woke me up. Eventually, I got into the habit of waking up around midnight to go to the bathroom. As a mom now I realize how hard that will be for you or your husband. You might have to set an alarm. Also, kind of do the basics with him on potty training - limit his liquids after supper, make sure he goes before bed. I hope this helps!
Here are some great links, about this topic, from Parents Magazine:
http://www.parents.com/toddlers-preschoolers/sleep/bed-we...
http://www.parents.com/kids/sleep/bed-wetting/bed-wetting...
http://www.parents.com/kids/sleep/bed-wetting/dr-alan-gre...
Updated
Here are some great links, about this topic, from Parents Magazine:
http://www.parents.com/toddlers-preschoolers/sleep/bed-we...
http://www.parents.com/kids/sleep/bed-wetting/bed-wetting...
http://www.parents.com/kids/sleep/bed-wetting/dr-alan-gre...
You may not have any control over this. Check with your pediatrician for any underlying health problems, but chances are really good that this is just normal for you son at this age. Kids- and boys more than girls- often still wet the bed. This is why they make special Nightime Pull-ups for kids this age.
Encourage your son to make some changes that will help him, but definitely make sure he knows THIS IS NORMAL, and won't last forever. There are even great kids' books about it!
Some things that can help are not drinking anything at least 2 hours before bed. Setting an alarm for a middle of the night potty trip (you will have to do this with him). And, as I mentioned, the Pull-ups. I have heard that there are some supplements that may help, but have not used them.
As for sleepovers, my kids have had friends over who wore Pull-ups under their jammies, and NONE of the other kids knew or cared. Not a big deal.
My stepson, one of my daughters and my husband were bedwetters as kids, although my other kids were not. But they all outgrow it before they reach puberty.
Try not to worry! And if you don't make it a big deal, your son won't feel badly about it, and he SHOULDN'T.
He might be among the MANY kids who don't have full control yet. make it easy on yourself by layering a sheet/a waterproof pad/a sheet/a waterproof pad, etc for quick bed changes.
As for the sleepovers, I believe they make bigger kid's overnights that look like undies...not sure of the name..sorry.
No expert here, but there can be a physioligical reason why he's wetting the bed. A friend of ours expereinced this with his son. I would go to the Dr. and have him evaluated. I think they gave him some medicine to help his body recognize the signs of having to go at night. Just takes longer to develop in some. At least rule this out before thinking it's all behavioral. I'm sure other mom's have more experience than me. Good luck!
Take your child to the Pediatrician, and ask for a safe medication which will help with deep sleep. Your child cannot awaken in time to get to the bathroom, and might also have an 'immature bladder'. We did not do this in a timely manner for our youngest child (about 23 years ago - now, she is 34). When we finally brought the subject up with her doctor, he could not believe we had waited for that many years. I'm sure the medications are even better all this many years later.
I used to wet the bed too. I was 9 when I wet the bed the last time. What really made a difference for me was that I didn't get liquids especially milk before I went to bed. For some reason, no milk made a difference. That's all I've got to offer, so I hope you haven't already tried that. ;) Good luck!
Well my 5 yr. old daughter still wears pull-ups. She woke up dry for a whole week, then she was back to waking up wet. It's an off and on thing with her. Hopefully she will stop waking up wet soon. Those pull-ups are expensive.
I have the same problem with my 7 yr old and my 5 1/2 yr old. My pediatrician does not seem too concerned as of yet. I have told my boys there will be no sleep overs or group campouts until this is under control. They don't seem to upset by that so far. lol. My oldest is a deep sleeper but my youngest is just scared to get out of the top bunkbed even though we have tons of nightlights.
This is frustrating for both you and him but it's completely something beyond his control at this time. I agree with the others, limit his drinking and also eating a few hours before bed. So much of our foods (bed time snacks) such as ice-cream, cereal will also make you need to tee-tee during the night. Try hard to just reassure him that he'll outgrow this as he gets a little older. I would also try the night-time pull-ups and plastic on the bed under the sheets for some quicker changes and back to sleep easier mode.
