Bedwetting?
By jolenegreen
@jolenegreen (1209)
United States
June 7, 2007 7:13am CST
My 3 yr old has been potty trained for a long time now. He dont wear any diapers at all.....except to bed. Sometimes he wets sooo much while he sleeps that he will soak himself right up to his neck. Does anyone know how to stop this? He usually dont drink nothing past 7pm and goes to bed anywhere between 9pm-10pm. ANy tips would be great! Thanks
12 people like this
28 responses
@wmaharper (2316)
• United States
7 Jun 07
My oldest does this sometimes too. I find that if I don't allow him to drink after 6 or so he's usually better, but since you're doing this already, I'd make sure he has an opportunity to go to the bathroom before he goes to bed,they sell special diapers, jsut for bedtime, that hold a lot more liquid, I would look into these as well. My son doesn't fit into size 6 anymore, so we have to use pullups, and he's usually dry when he wakes up, but when he does pee, he is soaking wet, (so is his bed, and all of his blankets and even his PIllow!) It is frustrating, but i'm sure they'll figure it out soon.
2 people like this
@jolenegreen (1209)
• United States
7 Jun 07
Thanks for your response. SOmedays Trenton will go all night and be dry in the morning. I tell him how proud I am of him and what a good boy he is!
1 person likes this
@6in12years (305)
• United States
7 Jun 07
I wouldn't praise him for staying dry at night, b/c it's not in his control and he might begin to feel badly about the nights he doesn't stay dry. Instead, I'd just handle it matter of factly and wait for him to mature a little more.
2 people like this
@jolenegreen (1209)
• United States
8 Jun 07
I never really thought of that...Thank you!
1 person likes this
@dlkuku (1935)
• United States
7 Jun 07
My older daughter wet the bed when she was little, no matter what I did, no drinks after 7, peeing before bed, nothing worked. Some kids just wet the bed, my cousin's daughter was the same way, she even got one of those alarms for her and it didn't help.
I think that some children just have either weak bladders or sleep heavy. The good news is they do grow out of it, my daughter grew out of it by the time she was seven. But every child is different, and your little boy may stop sooner than that.
2 people like this
@mummymo (23706)
•
7 Jun 07
Hi jolene - it is really nice to meet you and make a new friend! I have had some experience with this through my son who is now 13! Up until he was 8 he wet the bed almost every single night and I tried everything to help the situation such as no drinks in the evening (which I later found out from a health proffessional can actually aggravate the situation), lift him to the toilet during the night, made him eat raisins before bedtime(strange I know but someone told me it would work) but nothing helped! Eventually when he was 8 I got an alarm with a sensor you attacht to a pad they sleep on, when it gets wet an alarm sounds. This didn't even wake him and I was very skeptical about how it could help if it didn't even waken him, but within a week he had almost stopped completely, within a month wet beds were a thing of the past! It seems that some children, espescially boys, when they fall into a deep sleep their brains don't recognise the feeling of a bladder being full, the alarm, although it might not waken them teaches the brain to recognise the feeling and thus enables them ti wake up enough to control their bladder or to get yp and go to the toilet. Hope some of this helps, I've included a link to a site that might help you! Good Luck! xxx
http://www.patient.co.uk/showdoc/40002178/
1 person likes this
@jolenegreen (1209)
• United States
8 Jun 07
Thank for the link I will save it and take a look at it. Im not too worried becuase he is sooo young but it would be nice to have a child out of diapers, LOL.
1 person likes this
@sunshine4 (8703)
• United States
7 Jun 07
I have read that if you give your child a box of raisins to eat before they go to bed they won't wet the bed. Could be an old wise tale, but it might be worth a try.
2 people like this
@warriorsdaughter (791)
• United States
7 Jun 07
Our family was bedwetters after being potty trained and some of us did it clear through grade school. My mom didn't stop til 6th grade. I stopped in 2nd grade thanks to my grandma. She offered me a quarter a day for not wetting the bed. To a kid back then that was alot of gum and candy I could buy. My 13 yr old stopped when he was 11 yrs old.
Do you keep a night light on? Can he see his way to the bathroom at night? I was scared of the dark and wouldn't get out of bed, so I wet the bed and hollared for my mom afterwards. Do you have him go to the bathroom before bed?
We tried a nasal spray for my 13 yr old, but it didn't work for us. He has alot of emotional problems though so it may work for you. You have to see your dr. to get the prescription. The other thing you could do is get the disposable pads to line his bed with so he is not wetting on the sheets all the time. Saves you in having to wash sheets all the time.
At 3 though I wouldn't worry too much about it as being a problem unless he continues it in grade school.
I wish you luck...we will be facng this problem again I am sure if we can ever get our 2 yr. old potty trained! He is about 1/4 of the way so far.
1 person likes this
@warriorsdaughter (791)
• United States
8 Jun 07
I did a search on the internet to read up on bedwetting. Most of the sites listed 5-14 yr olds wetting the beds still. I didn't take write the links down there are so many of them, but you might try searching and see if you can find any good tips and info out. He is still young and alot of kids that are potty trained still wet the bed for a while. They aren't awake to know they have to go.
They do have other things out there like alarm systems that you hook to your child, I am not sure how they work but something on the lines of when they start to wet the sensor will feel the wetness and go off causing the child to wake up. Attempting to train the bladder. Can't say I would attempt something like that. But another option for you.
Your right....a shame, shame! How on earth do you have any quality time with your hubby if your 3 yr old is still sleeping with you? The only time our 2 yr old is in bed with us is if a bad storm is going on. Other then that he is in his own toddler bed in his room. Same as the baby, own room in the crib. Bad habit to start and break. We learned from our 1st child and it was very hard to break the habit. Its bad enough sleeping with my hubby who hogs 3/4 of the bed, let alone a child in there too....lol I would never get any sleep I would be afraid of rolling over on him and smashing him.
1 person likes this
@jolenegreen (1209)
• United States
8 Jun 07
I am not too worried about it but I was just wondering how to train him not to do it? U know? I wasnt sure if he was too old or too young. He is my first so I am new to it. At his grandmas there is no night light and the batheroom is downstairs, so I dont think he would be getting up to go to potty in the middle of the night. At my house...he still sleeps with us (i know, shame shame), so he could just wake me up if he has to go. In fact, I tell him to before we go to bed....but I dont think he ever wakes up, I think he just sleeps right threw it. I know I dont get up in the middle of the night to potty (?)
Thanks for the tips!
1 person likes this
@MJLami (1173)
• United States
7 Jun 07
I have no idea if there is such a thing any longer but my younger brother was a bedwetter. Whatever my mother tried failed. She finally got him a plastic mattress pad with a buzzer that went off and woke him whenever he started bedwetting. It seemed to work where everything else failed. He would be in such a sound sleep he had no idea it was happening.
2 people like this
@Foxxee (3651)
• United States
7 Jun 07
My daughter had the same problem. We never had her in diapers though, not at that age anyway. It could cause confusion from what I hear. Anyway, my sister said to stop letting her drink anything past 7:00P and I did just that, but she still had some accidents. I finally just asked a doctor and he said kids shouldn't drink at all after 6:00P. I had to fight with her on that one, but it worked out. I make sure she drinks her last glass of water or milk at 6:00P. Sometimes I will let her have a sip of water right before bed, but other then that, it has worked for me. So I would try stopping him from drinking around 6:00, not 7:00 and see if that helps at all. I would also not use diapers, it could cause confusion and he feels it's okay to wet in a diaper and that could also be one reason why he just keeps going in them at night. Or another thing could be, he is scared at night to use the bathroom. DO you keep the bathroom light on for him during the night? It might help.
ANd you don't want the mattress getting messed up, just put plastic over it, under the sheets, just in case. It may take time for him to get the hang of it, after all he stil is pretty young. Just work with him.
Good luck!
1 person likes this
@KrisNY (7590)
• United States
7 Jun 07
I would try getting up each night and waking him up to use the bathroom- Would he have a hard time falling back asleep? How does he do in the daytime? If he isn't drinking at night- I think the only you can do it wake him up- Maybe he will get into that habit of waking if he needs to go potty at night- I know my daughter who is 10 still gets up at night to go-
1 person likes this
@speedy1279 (2665)
• United States
7 Jun 07
Do you make him go to the bathroom right before bed? So that way is bladder is empty. My daughter who 3 1/2 has been completely potty trained, even at night, since she was about 2 1/2. So I guess for about a year now. I think every child is different. But you seem to be doing everything we did, with the exception that we make her go to the bathroom right before she goes to bed, so that way her bladder is empty. She has only had 4 accidents in the past year. Well I hope that helps, keep at it. Oh, have you talked to the doctor about it? You may want to talk to your doctor about it. Your doctor may have some good advice for you. Best of luck!!!
1 person likes this
@jolenegreen (1209)
• United States
7 Jun 07
Well...I only have him home with me 2 nights a week, due to working overnights...he stays with his granmother most the nights. :( When I do have him, yes I make him go potty before he goes to bed. I will ask her to see of she is doing it or not? She prolly really dont care becuase Im sure she rather have him in diapers than have to clean sheets every night. Thanks for your post. I will ask her about it
1 person likes this
@whywiki (6066)
• Canada
7 Jun 07
My brother peed his bed until he was ten. I can remember my parents stressing out about it and the doctor telling them not to worry he'll outgrow it. My parents put a rubber sheet on the bed under his sheets and left clean sheets in his room for when he wet the bed. He eventually grew out of it and is a perfectly normal well adjusted adult.
1 person likes this
@Sherry12 (2472)
• United States
7 Jun 07
He's still pretty young. I wouldn't worry about it. Just put lots of padding on his bed and continue to let him wear a diaper at night. Make sure he uses the bathroom before he goes to bed and you're doing good by not letting him drink past 7. I wish I could help more, I know it is a mess for you to clean up in the morning, but I think he will outgrow it.
1 person likes this
@jolenegreen (1209)
• United States
7 Jun 07
Thats what I figured was he was still quite young. But I wasnt sure how old we start training them to not pee at night. This is my firstborn so I am pretty new to this part, LOL. Thank you for your response
@6in12years (305)
• United States
7 Jun 07
Time. It's not in his control. If he continues to wet the bed to age 6 or after, you might consider an alarm.The purpose is to associate the need to urinate with waking up, and thus train his brain to wake him up to go at night. Most kids, though, grow out of it much sooner. It's VERY common for 3yos to still wear diapers at night.
1 person likes this
@jolenegreen (1209)
• United States
8 Jun 07
Thank you. This is what I thought but like I said before I wasnt sure. Thank again!
@toe_ster (770)
• United States
7 Jun 07
The only advice I would give is to try and wake him in the night snd make him go potty again. I have two different potty trained boys. My older will wake in thenight whining but not really awake, and I know it is because he has to potty. When he gets up in the morning the first thing he does is run to the bathroom and potty. My younger one will sleep through the night and get up and wait a few hours sometimes before he will go. We have had two incidences of him wetting the bed and he slept right through. I always make them potty before bed. Youcould try those.Good luck.
1 person likes this
@pumpkinjam (8763)
• United Kingdom
7 Jun 07
My oldest child still wet the bed when he started school. He mainly did it on a Sunday night, which would be when he came back to me from his dad. He still had accidents during the day occassionally as well.
He was 3 when he went to nursery and was still have accidents, he stopped but then started again once he started school, then stopped for the rest of the year until he changed year group again. He has grown out of it now but he is 7 and still has the occassional bed time accident. I thought there could have been something wrong with his bladder but there wasn't.
Have you taken your son to the doctor about it? Then any kind of water infection could be treated or ruled out.
I used a star chart with my son, he would get rewarded after having a dry bed for 7 nights in a row. It worked for him but then it might be just that he was ready then and not before.
Hope I've helped. I know it can be really frustrating. BTW, I was still wetting the bed at 12 because of water/bladder infections so get him sorted out ASAP if it is that kind of thing.
@pumpkinjam (8763)
• United Kingdom
8 Jun 07
I just noticed that you say you work nights and you only have your son two nights. Now, please don't take this the wrong way but do you think that might actually be part of the problem? Not necessarily being away from you but having seperate routines for different nights. Do you notice whether it is worse onthe first night he comes back to you? It's just that with mine, he would be fine and then, on a sunday night, he would wet the bed because that was the night he came back to me from his dad so his routine was changed. I know it's stil a routine in a way because he does the same thing on the same days but children tend to be better with a daily routine and some find it really hard to adjust from one thing to another no matter how often they do it.
I don't know if there would be anything you could do if this is the case except possible asking someone to stay with you so he can stay in his own bed every night. Even if you can only do this for one or two weeks, it might be worth doing it even if it's just to see if that is the situation.
@rapolu_cs (1184)
• India
9 Jun 07
Hi ,i can understand your problem and even me too facing the same with my 2yr young son and iam also in search of tips and i let you know if anything or anyway i get succed . Have a good day.
@AmbiePam (92714)
• United States
7 Jun 07
If you want you could talk to his doctor. I'd also cut down the drinks to 6pm, but maybe that is not possible. But don't worry too much. Bed wetting is a common issue and I'm not ashamed to say that I did that as a child. It won't hurt to talk to the doctor, but more than likely it is just a part of growing up. Just make sure you put plastic over his mattress and anywhere else he might sleep. Good luck!
1 person likes this
@Modestah (11179)
• United States
29 Jul 07
I know it is a scary thought, but try putting him down without any diaper on. Sometimes the pressure of the diaper can cause children to wet.
I would lay down a couple thicknesses of towel before doing this.
If the trouble persists I would contact his pediatrician and have them rule out juvenile diabetes or other ailments.
@Ravrockin (281)
• India
30 Jun 07
i think you should strickly & forced him to wear diapers this is the proper age do this
@beautyqueen26 (16030)
• United States
5 Jul 07
When my daughter was wearing cloth diapers she would wet the bed almost every night. For some reason the cloh diapers weren't sufficient for overnight us, so we switched to regular disposable diapers.
We still use the diapers for overnight, too, but rarely face the bed wetting issue. Most likely your child simply needs a larger size diaper. Most kids twist and turn in their sleep so the diaper can easily ride up causing gaps for leaks.
This idea totally worked for us. Also, try the Walmart brand. Most times they are cheaper than the name brand competitor and provide a roomier fit. Experiment until you find a brand that works for you. Best of luck.
