Older Child Bed Wetting

I had the same problem that lasted into high school. I would definatly talk to his pediatrician about it. They gave me some medication that helped some (didn't wet as frequent) I think it was called Tofranil. He also referred me to a urologist that ran test to make sure there was nothing medically wrong. They said that my mind just did not reconize the need to go to the bathroom when I was asleep and that I would grow out of it.

Hi, J.. I am also a 32yo mom of four kiddos, ages 11, 8, 4, and 19mo (2 boys and 2 girls). My second son, age 8, has the same problem. Our old pediatrician (we recently moved) specialized in encopresis and enuresis (includes bed-wetting).

Here's some info:

"...What Are Elimination Disorders?

Elimination disorders occur in children who have problems going to the bathroom -- both defecating and urinating. Although it is not uncommon for young children to have occasional "accidents," there may be a problem if this behavior occurs repeatedly for longer than 3 months, particularly in children older than 5 years.

There are two types of elimination disorders, encopresis and enuresis.

Encopresis is the repeated passing of feces into places other than the toilet, such as in underwear or on the floor. This behavior may or may not be done on purpose.
Enuresis is the repeated passing of urine in places other than the toilet. Enuresis that occurs at night, or bed-wetting, is the most common type of elimination disorder. As with encopresis, this behavior may or may not be done on purpose..."

She (our pedi) went on to reassure us that she sees many children (boys, especially) who have bed-wetting issues up to, and even past, 10. The two most common reasons for it are:
1) The child's body is growing faster than his bladder; and/or, 2) The child is a very deep sleeper.
My son is a very, very deep sleeper.

Here's what we do:
1) He knows no big drinks in the evening, but a sip of water is ok.
2) He goes to the bathroom again right before bed (even if he just went a half hour earlier)
3) We keep a waterproof pad (that doesn't crinkle, so nobody knows) under his sheet.
4) When he's having especially bad weeks, my husband or I take him to the bathroom once in the middle of the night (our ped even suggested this).
5) On vacation, at grandparent's house, etc., he feels more comfortable wearing a Good-Nite. (You can buy cloth ones off of many cloth diaper sites to alleviate any "diaper" noise...just stick a plastic bag in for it.)

In addition, like your son, he strips and makes his bed and washes himself with no prompting. It's just become something that he (we) have accepted during this stage of his life. He will outgrow it eventually. (I will add that we know he doesn't have a bladder or kidney infection or some other medical disorder causing his enuresis. That's certainly the first thing to be sure a Dr. has eliminated.)

We've never used one, but there are bed-wetting alarms as well. You might want to check into those. I've read that many kids have had great success with them.

My best advice would be to assure your son that it's not his fault and it may take awhile to pass this phase. However, in the meantime, you can work together to figure out the best 'solution' for him. My son has learned how to be very discreet and embarrassment when out has never been an issue.

I know this is frustrating for you both, but know you're not alone. Hang in there!

Hope this helps,

M.

P.S. - My son has actually gone months and months with no accidents. We've thought his bed-wetting days ended...and then they start up again. Physical growth, stress, etc. can all attribute to it.

After reading the responses, I wanted to add that my son does not take changing his sheets as a punishment. It's just part of the process; he knows he's not in trouble. I wash them for him, but he takes them (and wet undies/jammies) down to the laundry room. He knows it's important since he has two little sisters (and we have two dogs) who are apt to crawl onto his bed the next day. I wholly agree that a child shouldn't be punished for something he cannot control; however, I see no problem with them removing their own sheets. FWIW, that's my $.02. My children also have family jobs to do around the house. I completely understand where you're coming from.

I was a bed-wetter until I was 13 and it ran in my family. I was 4 years old when I found out I had Vesicoureteral reflux. It is very important to see an Urologist and rule many things out. Here is a link that you can read and see if this is similar to you child's condition and symptoms. http://www.keepkidshealthy.com/welcome/conditions/vesicou...

The scarring on my kidneys made my pregnancies very difficult as well as other health issues. This is something that needs to be looked at so you can be safe than sorry. It's always better to rule out things than not to get them treated.

Good Luck!

Hi J.. Have you gone to see a pediatrician about this issue? I had bed wetting problems as an older kid and had to have surgery because of it. It was a growth issue for me. Your doctor might be able to give you some reasonable advice before doing anything drastic. Hope this helps!

I was a bedwetter until about 13 and my husband was until about 15. We grew both grew out of it about the time that we really started maturing. I was made to wash my own sheets, wore a wet alert monitor, not aloud to have or go to sleepovers. The punishment was embarrassing. The alert monitor just woke up everyone in the house...except me. I would be in such deep a sleep that I would not hear it or would work it into my dreams somehow. Some kids just CANNOT help it. It could be that their bladder's growth is not catching up with the rest of their body. It could be that the muscles used to hold in urine are not strong enough or trained enough to hold it in while sleeping. I would definitely talk with your pediatrician and rule out any medical problems before punishing your child for something that he can't control. I'm sorry if this seems a little harsh, but it really brings back a lot of painful memories from adolescence.

Have you talked with your doctor? There may be a medical problem underlying the bedwetting. I would avoid anything that embarrasses or punishes him, like bringing his own sheets to the laundry, if that's not a regular chore for him--at his age, it's safe to say no one wants this to stop more than he does, but he can't help it. Things like not drinking anything for awhile before bed and going to the bathroom right before bed are good ideas, but not enough if there's an underlying problem. Good luck!
T.

Hi J.. I empathize with you. We have had alot of experience with frustrated mothers and their children as our patients. You may be surprised to hear this, but chiropractic works wonders for bedwetting. I won't go into the neurological details here, but there is a very good reason why chiropractic can help. Here is a website that sites research:
http://www.icpa4kids.org/research/chiropractic/bedwetting...

Also, please use me as a resource to find a good chiropractor in your area. Have peace, J., there is help!

Get a bedwetting monitor! They are a miracle. My son was still wetting the bed at 11 and was so depressed about it. I researched on the internet and found the bedwetting store. I think the monitors are called Malem monitors. A little sensor clips to the front on their underpants and a noise wakes them up at the littlest moisture. It fixed my son's problem within 3 months.