HELP! My son age 7 is still wetting the bed MOST nights. We have him ware nighttime pull-ups, however they leak most nights. It is very hard on his self-esteem. He is an extremely bright boy, one of the top in his first grade class, yet this is one problem we can't seem to fix. He refers to himself as having "bladder problems." He saw a commercial the other day for medication for older adults with bladder problems, and asked if he could get some to help him. I keep reassuring him he doesn't have bladder problems, and that he will grow out of it. But I am beginning to worry if there is more wrong. Any suggestions????
take him to see a dr. that is what I would do. alot of times it is phycological maybe something going on at home,school,church bullies who know or he might just have a weak system so that is why you should take him to get it all check out.
God Bless
My daughter did not stay dry at night until age 8 1/2. She still has a very weak bladder, and often we need to stop on the way home from a restaurant for her to go! (this is after we have her go to the bathroom before leaving!) If your son has a history of going often, his body likely just can't handle it through the many hours of the night.
definintely take him to your dr. and express your, and his, concerns. Our ped. prescribed a nasal spray for my daughter to use at bedtime when she was 7, almost eight, and it worked very well, plus it is non-addicting, and your child can use it just some nights (say, a sleepover or after a long day when you know he would be too tired to wake himself), or use it every night. That is what we did. After a period of time on that, you stop and try a week without and see if they have improved. After 6 months my daughter had not, but now she is just fine 95% of the time, which has been wonderful.
We almost lookeid into getting an enuresis alarm, but our ped. did not think it would be effective for my child given her personality. So ask your dr. what they would recommend.
And tell your son not to be worried--it will stop eventually.
My son is now ten. I beleive he stopped wetting the bed at 8 1/2 to 9 yrs. I took him to the urologist and the doc said his bladder was still a bit underdeveloped. He also prescribed a nose spray that he would use before bedtime which helps with the over production of urine. Another thing I noticed with my son is he is a very heavy sleeper which wont allow him to wake up when he feels like he needs to pee. You may have to wake up and get him to the bathroom. Make sure he pee's before he goes to bed. Also, no drinking an hour before bedtime. No running and playin (physically) close to bedtime so he wont want to drink alot because of thirst. I know its frustrating and expensive because of all the laundry. In time, he wont have any more accidetnts. Give him lots of hugs and tell him its ok, it as an accident. I know my son was self concious. I told him it was our secret and noone needed to know. Good luck and make sure you get him checked out at the doctor......
Is he a deep sleeper? Have you tried waking him up before you go to bed to have him use the bathroom? If you feel you've ruled out most things, talk to your doctor. He might have a bladder problem that can be helped. My nephew has a small bladder and this caused him to wet the bed long past the normal age but they only found out in talking with their doctor.
At what time do you stop giving him liquids? I find an hour before bed my son is hydrated enough. Within 45 minutes to an hour he goes potty to empty his bladder right before bed. If he's drinking a lot in the evening, make sure he's getting enough to drink during the day, especially at school. And, no sodas, they're nothing but sugar and caffiene which is a diuretic. And, if changing these things doesn't work, definitly get a doctor's opinion. There are lots of kids at that age with "bladder issues".
I know a lot of kids that wet the bed and it may be a medical problem but you also need to make him stop drinking after dinner. I would not let him have anything to drink and make sure he goes to the bathroom before bed. My sister's son was bed wetting and she started getting up at 1AM and having him use the bathroom also. I hope this helps.
My six year old was leaking through nighttime pullups as well. We stopped letting him have his water by his bed. It has helped.
I did not realize that children's bladders don't grow as fast as their bodies do sometimes. You might want to let him know that he is not the only one his age with this issue. That is what I keep telling my 6 year old. If it weren't true then they wouldn't make nighttime PullUps for big kids (up through age 12)!
Hi Amy,
My youngest who is now 13 had a similar challenge with bed wetting. I would suggest speaking with your pediatrician first to rule out any serious medical conditions.
My son by the age of 10 had grown out of his bed wetting. While very frustrating for all involved, there will be light at the end of the tunnel. It will take extra effort on the part of you and your spouse and your son.
First you will need to limit liquids before bed...nothing but a sip or two after 7 pm. Most likely your son is a deep sleeper otherwise the alarm in the brain that alerts a person that they have to go would wake him. You will need to wake him yourself before you turn in for the night, and if you or your spouse wakes during the night to releive yourself, go and wake your son as well, then again when you wake in the morning. It will take some time, but you will train your son to wake on his own over time. Then before you know it he will have success!!!
Be patient, positive, and loving with him always. Even at such a young age he knows that this is not the norm.
From my family to yours, we wish you and yours all the best.
Vicky
My son had the same problem until he was 8 or 9. He didn't wet the bed every night but at least 2 or 3 times a week. He did "out grow" the bed wetting. I talked to other parents at the time and found out that it seems to happen in boys. He also did not potty train very well either. My sister is now going through it with my nephew. Try to cut off all drinks two hours before bed and make sure he goes to the bathroom before bed. Hope this helps and good luck.
Hi Amy! I know dealing with a bed wetter is quite frustrating at times but it will pass. I was a bedwetter myself as a child and my mom did everything to humiliate me and punish me for it, but it did not help. One of my boys had this problem and I learned that it is a biological problem concerning with nerve responses between the brain and the bladder that will resolve as the child nears puberty, probably in the 5th or 6th grade(that was true for me I remember). Does he have a tendency to not realize he needs to go at the last moment during the day? This is common too. Don't make a big deal about it and let him know that others deal with this too. You probably have restricted his fluid intake after 6:30. Perhaps you could wake him before you go to bed and have him use the potty. This worked for my brother-in-law's son. Hope this helps - Sarah W.
Wow, I feel like I could have been the one to write that! In fact, not too long ago I wrote the same kind of request on here! My son turns 7 tomorrow and we have tried everything that you can think of! For awhile, waking him up at about 1:30 AM to go potty worked, but then, all of a sudden, it just stopped working and we were changing the sheets every night. I'm so tired of washing sheets and remaking the bed! People told me to take the pull-up away because that was his excuse to not get up in the middle of the night, but they couldn't have been more wrong because he would wet the bed and just sleep right through it.
Anyway, just wanted you to know that you are definitely not alone in this! If I figure something out, I'll let you know! Good luck!
Amy-
My suggestion would be to find a good pediatric chiropractor in your area to take him to. My husband is a chiropractor and we have many patients with this problem. Sometimes if their pelvis is out of alignment the adjustments can solve the problem pretty quickly. Obviously cutting of any liquids a few hours before bed may help as well. If you can figure out what time it is happening and set an alarm like 1/2 hour before that and make him get up and go to the bathroom that will fix it as well. We have seen great results with the adjustments, however, and that may be the long term solution you are searching for.
Best wishes for a dry night for both of you.
Angela
Well, my son has the same problem. He just turned eight. We don't put him in pull ups or anything. If he pees he pees.It isn't every night though. My doctor told me that he will grow out of it as well. That seems to ring true sometimes. The other thing that I was told was that people produce a hormone that has the brain tell the bladder to stop producing urine while you sleep. I can't really give you advice on how to make it stop because I don't think there really is anything. Unless you buy an alarm. I also noticed that if I don't make a big deal out of it it doesn't happen as much. This probably wasn't much help but maybe ask the doc about the hormone thing......
I have the same concerns with my almost 6 year old. I'm told my dad took a long time to get over it too, and so I believe there's hope.
I'm sure you're already limiting liquids after dinnertime, and having him go potty before bed. Another thing my pediatrician told me is to try waking him up at the same time each night (say 11pm) and having him go potty. After 2 weeks of this, his biological clock will adjust and he will wake himself up at that time.
I think those alarms they sell in catalogs like "Leaps and Bounds" really do work, though they are pricey. Still, $70 for an alarm in exchange for not having to buy pull ups anymore (not to mention peace of mind for you and your child) seems worthwhile.
I used to work with gifted and/or bright children. Avoid talking about his "problem" -- our making it a big deal at it. For some kids, it is just a fact of life during their childhood. No shame. No problem. They will grow out of it.
Of course, making a regular ol' physical with your doctor is a good idea -- & discuss -- just to be on the safe side that there isn't an underlying medical problem. But he should check out okay. My husband, as a boy, (and now our 7 yr. old daughter) has accidents -- frequently. The tinest change in our routine -- even great changes -- Christmas time -- vacations and so forth....she'll have many many accidents. We taught her how to change her sheet herself. We bought one of those blue little cloth things on the internet (not the throw away kind -- we tried those -- they make noise when you move).......and
basically, after the doctor said she was fine & it is pretty much genetic.....we let it go. She tries not to drink too much before bed, but if you are thirsty -- you're thirsty. She pottys before bed & we just hope for the best. My husband felt so bad for her because our 5 year old would tease (we stopped that), that he would wake our 7 yr. old up every night at 11 just to help her out. He's done this for months at a time -- but she is so sleepy -- she doesn't remember. It did cut down on the accidents, though.
From friends who have had this problem, they tell me -- eventually, all kids grow out of it. Good news -- my husband doesn't have the problem any more:)Hoping our 7 yr. old grows out of it soon......sleepovers will eventually pop their head in her social world.
Tara
My son wet the bed and wore pullups,they leaked and he never wanted anyone to know about his problem. He stopped at age 10. I thought he would never stop. We tried pills ( when friends were staying over) and they didn't even work. The pediatrician told me that if it didn't stop by age 7 kids usually will wet the bed until puberty,especially if their dads, uncles, etc were bed wetters. Don't make a big deal out of it ,because they are so embarrassed, they truely can't help it.I have two other children and they never were bed wetters. It will stop ,hang in there.
Kathy
Any child who is 7 and still wetting the bed needs to be checked by a physician. He could have either a physical or a psychological problem.
Buy a "pee-pee" alarm that wakes him as soon as he starts to pee in bed. I got one for my son and it worked wonders!!! Check out this site www.bedwettingstore.com. I would recommend the book they sell too "Seven Steps to Nighttime Dryness".
Basically the alarm trains his brain to wake him instead of wetting the bed. Limiting liquids or you waking doesn't help his brain learn.
I'm sure he will grow out of it but if you want a faster solution, try the alarm. My son wet the bed every night. We started using the alarm and he was dry after 20 nights ....that's less then a month!!
I would take him to the dr. so the dr. will be able to reassure your son that he does not have a health issue; that now he needs to just work on this himself and no longer has excuses (you never know, he might have health issues) - worth checking out. Peace of mind for him and yourself. I used to ask my daughter every 10 minutes...need to go to the bathroom? She got into her own habit and just started going. Since your son is older, I would even go wake him in the middle of the night and ask him? Set your alarm and help him. Do this for 1 week and see what happens. Good luck - just hope this helps and maybe others have some more advice for you. This has to be really hard on him too - giving him support right now is what he needs and some help in the middle of the night. I bet this helps if you are consistent for one week.