Help for my bedwetting boys

[DesertBlossom]

My boys are 6 and 9 and wake up dry once in a blue moon. Maybe even less often! My 9 year old for YEARS would pee as soon as he fell asleep for a nap even. If he fell asleep in the car, we immediately pulled over to put a diaper on him or he would wet all over his car seat. I felt like for him, he just slept so deeply that he relaxed and let everything go. I think (hope?) that for my 6 year old it's more a learned behavior. He wore orthopedic braces until he was 4, so I knew it'd be hard for him if he did wake up in the night to hobble to the bathroom. I just never tried with him. (Coincidentally, my youngest DS has stayed dry since he potty trained at 3.)

 

I've been frustrated because I don't feel like either one has tried to stay dry. They often go get a giant glass of water right before bed, and if I remind them not to, they act like they could die of thirst at any moment. I even tried offering them 50 cents for every day they were dry because that's what the Underjams cost me, but that didn't seem to help. They often completely soak through their Underjams and all over the sheets even. So I warned them that I wasn't going to buy any more Underjams. When they ran out, that was it.  That was about a month ago.

 

I do feel like they pee less at night now.  But we're still washing sheets at least 3-4 times a week. And that's with me waking them up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. DS still woke up today wet after I got him out of bed at 2am to go to the bathroom. I'm not sure if me waking them up is helping or not, because I don't feel like it's teaching them to wake up on their own. If I'm don't wake them up, they'd be wetting every single night. Neither one of them wakes up when they pee. They just lay in it all night. 

 

I haven't talked to the doctor yet. I forgot last time I took DS9, but that was over a year ago anyway.  I did take DS9 to a chiropractor a while back. He did several weeks of adjustments, but we saw no change whatsoever.  I do have a bedwetting alarm, but neither of them will wear it. I don't know if I just need to insist on that, or what.

 

I'm getting so tired of washing sheets and making beds. (they do help with that part though) Part of me wants to go back to Underjams. But I really am afraid that with Underjams there is no motivation whatsoever to learn to stay dry. So I'm torn-- I feel like this could go on forever. But I want to help them learn to stay dry or wake up to go to the bathroom, but this is wearing on me.

[EmseB]

We used a bedwetting alarm for my oldest. It took 3-4 weeks, but it worked. It's not just about waking them up when they wet, it's about training their brain not to release urine while they are sleeping.

[MyThreeSons]

I know it's frustrating to you -- and probably them, too -- but you really need to keep the emotions out of it. They are not doing this *to* you. There are lots of threads on WTM about this issue -- you are not alone. 

 

Shaming, threatening, bribing -- none of that will work. And it's not even a matter of "it will stop when they want it to stop". There are physiological factors at work here and they need to be dealt with. Alarms work well for some, but not for others. Some have great success with chiropractic or diet adjustments. Cutting back on water before bedtime rarely works. Waking kids up before you go to bed rarely works. Some kids just need to outgrow it.

 

This is coming from a Mom who was *this* close to having a son who was still wetting the bed when he was old enough to have his driver's permit. One of my husband's younger brothers wet well into his teen years. So I really do get it. 

 

With my son who wet the longest, I am not sure what finally broke the cycle. He injured his knee and was in a toe-to-hip cast for several weeks. During that time, he was put on DDAVP because getting that cast wet would have been a huge problem. We had only used the med for things like camp or sleepovers before. 

 

 

[EmseB]

also, my kids are both responsible for their own potty mess laundry. I help make the top bunk, but that's about it.

[AnnE-girl]

We're not completely passed it yet, but we finally ditched the nighttime pull-up a couple of months ago for DS8. DH takes DS to the bathroom when he goes to bed about two hours after DS. He was setting his alarm for a second bathroom trip in the middle of the night, but DS has started getting himself up if he needs that one. It's not perfect, but we've gone from an almost nightly soaked pull-up with frequent leaks to an accident maybe once or twice a week.

[Cottonwood]

My son wet soaked his bed multiple times a night till he was 6. I finally got a bed wetting alarm and in 2 weeks of using it, he was done. Google how they work. I can't recommend it enough. I was convinced my son was going to be the exception and was blown away at how quickly it worked. He hasn't wet his bed since.

[Okra]

For us, age 11 was the magic age.  I know it's frustrating.  You can't say they aren't trying, but they are sleeping.  

 

Our boys just had to outgrow it.  Growing out of it was the final magic bullet, nothing else.

 

These are a few things I would do.  

 

First, every single day, my boys would put their sheets in the washer themselves.  I would put them in the dryer sometime during the day, and then they would make the bed.  

 

Also, I would not allow water before bed.  If they are "dying" of thirst, I would have them measure out maybe a 1/4 cup of water, and that is it.  

 

I know it's frustrating, but do not let your emotions in, do not yell at them.  Just be robotic and stoic.  I would tell them, people are all made differently. One day they will stop wetting the bed.  Really.  Until then it's just going to some extra washing, and they will need to pitch in.

[Jerico]

We used an alarm. It turns out my middle son was just too comfy/lazy to get out of bed. He always peed right after putting him down and then in the morning- and thats when he would leak everywhere.

[Cinder]

We had success with an alarm when ds was about 9yo. Like a pp mentioned, his brain needed to be retrained to recognize that urge to go. He used to hold it during the day and by the time he went to bed he was such a heavy sleeper that the urge didn't wake him up. Plus with the holding I don't think his brain was processing the signals properly. It took a few weeks of all of us getting up and not ds but eventually he started to get up and even to recognize when he needed to go during the day. After he started going more during the day he started needing to go less frequently at night. It took a couple months before he was consistently dry at night.

 

Hang in there! :grouphug:

[DesertBlossom]

I do keep emotions out of it, especially in front of my boys. And like I said, I knew that it wasn't "normal" for a kid to pee within minutes of falling asleep for a nap, so I never made him feel bad for it. To the point that I needed to gently remind him not to advertise the fact that he wore Underjams because other kids probably wouldn't be so nice about it.  But he didn't feel any shame from me.

 

I think my boys are as annoyed about washing sheets as I am, because they try to hide the fact they are wet. DS6 is on the top bunk of a triple bunk bed and it's a PITB to get the sheets off and put back on. So often I have to track down their pajamas and do a feel/sniff test because they will tell me they are dry, but aren't. And in some cases, if they pee early enough in the night, it's almost dry by morning and I think  they genuinely thought they were dry.

 

I'm paranoid about my house smelling like pee.

 

I will insist on wearing the alarm. Is it worth getting a 2nd one and having them wear them simultaneously? They share a room-- will having 2 alarms going off in the night confuse the training process?

[wapiti]

What works for us:  magnesium and/or D-mannose supplementation

[Sherri in MI]

We had bedwetting in our family.  2 generations.  I recommend doing some research on bedwetting and talking to their pediatritian about it.  There are physiological causes.  According to my research there are two potential causes:  a sleeping disorder that causes them to not wake up when they have to urinate and/or the growth of their bladder does not keep pace with the growth of their bodies and their bodies' production of urine during the night.  They usually outgrow it.  Alarms helps some.  Medication helps others. 

[VeganCupcake]

Constipation is a common cause of bedwetting. Very large stools and stool leakage are signs of constipation in children. Even with no external signs of constipation, kids can have distended colons that interfere with the workings of the bladder. 

 

http://www.webmd.com/children/news/20120130/study-constipation-may-cause-bedwetting

[MyThreeSons]

I will insist on wearing the alarm. Is it worth getting a 2nd one and having them wear them simultaneously? They share a room-- will having 2 alarms going off in the night confuse the training process?

 

As I remember it, the alarm we used had both an audible alarm and a vibration component. My son needed both stimuli to wake up, and even then it didn't always wake him. 

[EmseB]

I do keep emotions out of it, especially in front of my boys. And like I said, I knew that it wasn't "normal" for a kid to pee within minutes of falling asleep for a nap, so I never made him feel bad for it. To the point that I needed to gently remind him not to advertise the fact that he wore Underjams because other kids probably wouldn't be so nice about it.  But he didn't feel any shame from me.

 

I think my boys are as annoyed about washing sheets as I am, because they try to hide the fact they are wet. DS6 is on the top bunk of a triple bunk bed and it's a PITB to get the sheets off and put back on. So often I have to track down their pajamas and do a feel/sniff test because they will tell me they are dry, but aren't. And in some cases, if they pee early enough in the night, it's almost dry by morning and I think  they genuinely thought they were dry.

 

I'm paranoid about my house smelling like pee.

 

I will insist on wearing the alarm. Is it worth getting a 2nd one and having them wear them simultaneously? They share a room-- will having 2 alarms going off in the night confuse the training process?

 

I think I would do one boy at a time.  Logistically for us, two at the same would have been a nightmare because we were getting up twice a night with just the one boy for a little while.  The alarm didn't wake him up.  We had to put a baby monitor in their room so that the alarm would wake us up and we could get him out of bed.  I wouldn't have even wanted to climb up to the 3rd bunk, it was hard enough getting him down from a regular bunk bed and we toyed with the idea of having him sleep in our room on a cot during the whole process because getting him up when the alarm went off was a bear.

[MercyA]

I liked this old TV movie related to bedwetting:

 

 

 

Wow, Michael Landon, Melissa Sue Anderson (Mary from Little House), and Brian Keith (from The Parent Trap).  Quite the lineup!   :)

 

OP, have you eliminated food dyes?  I know a family whose children wet the bed whenever they had orange-colored food.  It's not surprising.  The active ingredient in AZO Urinary Tract Relief medication is a type of orange dye.  It actually numbs the urinary tract.

 

The bedwetting alarm has worked well for another family I know.

 

Good luck! 

[umsami]

DS1 had many years of bedwetting issues.  WE didn't figure what was going on until the encopresis started and some soiling.  SO we went to a pediatric urologist.  Turns out, it was years of chronic constipation.  We used Miralax 2x/day for a few months and it finally resolved.  Even today, about a year or so later, if he has an accident, we know he's having constipation issues.  

 

Bedwetting alarms didn't work for us because the issue was not deep sleep.  

 

 

Google "encopresis"...it's chronic constipation...and actually quite a common cause of bed wetting.  

 

Oh, I'll add...there's no shame.  DS knows that if he has an accident to put his sheets in front of the washer and go take a shower.  Nothing else is said about it.  We leave it at that.  

[DesertBlossom]

It's definitely not a constipation issue. He's actually prone to chronic diarrhea. We aren't as good about food dyes lately, but for years we were good about eliminating hfcs, which also meant less food dyes in our food.

 

He made the comment the other day that he never (rarely) uses the bathroom at school, so I think he holds it just fine.

 

Because it started so young where he peed almost immediately after falling asleep, I have assumed it was because he was a heavy aleeper. He is very difficult to wake up and wouldn't even remember it in the morning, which is why we abandoned the alarm years ago when we tried it. Since they ran out of underjams and I have been waking him up, it is easier now.

 

I think maybe I just need to insist ont he alarm.

[Tess in the Burbs]

Well, my 13 year old wets almost every night.  We have seen multiple Drs.  We have tried the alarms, cutting food dyes, waking him up, medication.  At this point, they all tell me it points to high intelligence and it will be better before college.  I have heard this for years.  Nothing has worked.  DS is sad about it.  He is missing summer camp with his Trail Life group this year b/c of it.  But even doubling the medication he was wet in the morning.  Dr does believe constipation is an issue.  We are treating that as well.  No improvement on the bed wetting though.  

 

I have stressed about this for so long.  Nothing we have tried has improved or worked.  At this point we do the best we can so he can participate in weekend scout activities.  He is very good about using an overnight pant and bagging it to bring home without tent mates knowing.  I wish the medicine worked.  He does laundry every day.  He learned at 7 years old to do laundry.  he is responsible for his bedding.  We purchase mats from bedwetting store online as they really seem to soak up the most.  

 

I don't shame my son.  Even the alarm didn't work.  And double medicine doesn't work.  We just pray at some point it will resolve and be over.  And I do hope it's before college!

[EmseB]

It's definitely not a constipation issue. He's actually prone to chronic diarrhea. We aren't as good about food dyes lately, but for years we were good about eliminating hfcs, which also meant less food dyes in our food.

 

He made the comment the other day that he never (rarely) uses the bathroom at school, so I think he holds it just fine.

 

Because it started so young where he peed almost immediately after falling asleep, I have assumed it was because he was a heavy aleeper. He is very difficult to wake up and wouldn't even remember it in the morning, which is why we abandoned the alarm years ago when we tried it. Since they ran out of underjams and I have been waking him up, it is easier now.

 

I think maybe I just need to insist ont he alarm.

 

Even if he doesn't remember the wake up, the point of it is not the waking when wet (although that's part of it).  The point is that the alarm startles the brain and makes his sphincter stop the flow of urine.   Eventually the brain is supposed to be trained that the sphincter tightens up to hold the urine in when the kid is sleeping.  Knowing that really helped me stick with the alarm even when it seemed like it was an exercise in futility.  The insert said it would take 4-6 weeks and it was right about 3-4 weeks for us.

 

Also, OP I'm sure you've had this checked out, but just FYI for anyone who is reading, diarrhea or "leakage" can be  a sign of constipation, believe it or not.  The colon gets backed up and the only thing that can get out is the liquid.  Sorry that sounds really gross. :ack2:

[Tammyla]

Tiny cups for night time...They won't solve the issue, but they might be better than a giant cup.  Do you double-sheet or even triple set the beds with a water protective layer between?  I would also consider the constipation possibility  and try adding something to work on that like prune juice etc.

[DesertBlossom]

It's definitely not constipation issue. He actually has a fructose intolerance. Fructose gives him diarrhea, so he tends towards looser stools if we're not vigilant about it.

 

I haven't double sheeted the bed. I just realized both mattresses smell, despite mattress protectors. I will probably double up on them now.o

 

I recongize this is an issue out of their control. I do get a bit a frustrated at things like wet underwear left on the floor to soak into the carpet, or Underjams that sneak into the wash and make a mess. They even resist showering after they wake up soaking wet.

 

And while I recognize that it's a developmental thing, I worry that the Underjams make it so they don't really care. Once, years ago, I realized DS peed in his Underjam BEFORE he went to bed and fell asleep. I don't think he does it anymore, but I worry that the convenience of peeing in an Underjams while laying in bed is greater than the desire to learn to stay dry.

[CaffeineDiary]

Not a "solution" per se, but I'm a big believer in "Stay up late yourself and, as you go to bed, wake up the kid and walk him to the bathroom and have him pee."  Definitely reduces the incidence.

 

Note: don't be mean about it.  The kid can't help it.  Just help him until he grows out of it.

 

[MercyA]

Who rated this topic 1 star and why?  I really don't get why some "asking for advice" threads receive low ratings.  Hopefully it was just a mistake.

[DesertBlossom]

Not a "solution" per se, but I'm a big believer in "Stay up late yourself and, as you go to bed, wake up the kid and walk him to the bathroom and have him pee."  Definitely reduces the incidence.

 

Note: don't be mean about it.  The kid can't help it.  Just help him until he grows out of it.

 

This is part of my struggle though. Last night I did wake both of the boys up at 2am. Both of them were dry and went to the bathroom. Both were wet by morning.

 

I worry that the Underjams remove some incentive to want to be dry. At least in underwear, they've quit guzzling water right before bed.  

 

I guess I am trying to decide if I should insist on the alarm and try that for a few months, or give up and go back to Underjams for the time being.

[sarasue7272]

For anyone else with this problem:

http://www.amazon.com/Its-Accident-Breakthrough-Solutions-Constipation/dp/076277360X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1430854582&sr=8-2&keywords=No+Accident

This is a good book that explains the connection between bed wetting and constipation. I had no idea my son was constipated until the NP had a suspicion and did an X-ray. Now at 7 if he wets the bed it's my cue to get on top of supplements, water, and peeing frequently enough.

 

I have a few mattress protectors like this:

http://www.amazon.com/Priva-Absorbent-Washes-Waterproof-Protector/dp/B000FOA7C2/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1430854876&sr=8-6&keywords=Waterproof+mattress+protector

Then I don't have to change bunk bed sheets, just toss it in the washer. I have crib size on twin beds, but I think they come in all sizes.

 

I get a product called KidsNPets from Walmart that gets the smell out better than anything I've ever tried. It works great on blood,too. It's with the stain remover.

 

Also, if my boys drink milk at dinner, they absolutely flood the bed. And my 4 year old is in a pull-up but he will soak right through it.

 

Constantly cleaning up pee is so frustrating. I just tried to be nonchalant about it, fake it till you make it and all. It doesn't bother me much anymore. Although I don't deal with it every day now.

[Peaceful Isle]

My boys use some sort of pull up at night until they are five. My nine year old will once in a while have an accident and he is so embarrassed when he does. I try not to make a big deal about it.

 

Maybe you could set up a reward system, just in case part of the reason is because of convenience, like you said.

 

I am sure your boys will grow out of it. It is honestly not the worst thing in the world.

[Cottonwood]

If you sent the alarm route, I'd do one at the time. Because you have to get up with it too, and because of the audible signal. I think there's a possibility if two were using it simultaneously, the wrong boy might wake to the audible alarm despite there being no vibration for him. They have a very high success rate iirc.

[City Mouse]

My son wet regularly until right around his 12 BDay. My brother was a late bedwetter who just stopped one day when he was about 12, so I never did anything. I provided disposable pants for as long as he wanted them. Sometimes he would choose not to wear them and wet anyway. He would wake up n the morning and take the wet sheets to the laundry room. We had several sets of sheets so that if I did not get the sheets all the way to the dryer before bedtime, there were other clean sheets that could be used. The only time I ever expressed ant displeasure was if he failed to take care of his sheets, and the. I made sure that he knew I was upset because he had not done his chore- not that he had wet the bed.

 

Also, Underjams brand pants never worked for my son. They are are cut shorter in front and would leak more often. We preferred the store brand from Krogers. Also. If they leak frequently, you might need to go up a size for increased absorbency.

 

I will admit that I was very happy when he stopped just as I was going to have to start looking for adult size pants.

[Ausmumof3]

It's definitely not a constipation issue. He's actually prone to chronic diarrhea. We aren't as good about food dyes lately, but for years we were good about eliminating hfcs, which also meant less food dyes in our food.

 

He made the comment the other day that he never (rarely) uses the bathroom at school, so I think he holds it just fine.

 

Because it started so young where he peed almost immediately after falling asleep, I have assumed it was because he was a heavy aleeper. He is very difficult to wake up and wouldn't even remember it in the morning, which is why we abandoned the alarm years ago when we tried it. Since they ran out of underjams and I have been waking him up, it is easier now.

 

I think maybe I just need to insist ont he alarm.

It might not be what you are dealing with, but chronic diahroea can be caused by constipation. Basically there's a blockage and only liquidy stool can pass. Tmi I know.

 

Also I did read that most kids don't outgrow bedwetting while they are in night nappies so it's well worth getting rid of them.

 

The medical advice is not to limit drinks at bedtime as it can make it worse somehow. What I try to do with ours though is encourage a lot of water drinking early in the day so they aren't thirsty at night.

[Reefgazer]

Stop sweating it.  Really.  It likely will resolve on it's own when the boys are ready, without alarms, medication, or being woken up in the middle of the night (which just trains them to pee in their sleep and interrupts their sleep).  In the meantime, take steps to protect the sheets and bedding so you aren't buried in laundry every day.

 

I'm a professional bedwetter mom and I come from a long line of professional bedwetters, LOL!  Several of my cousins wet the bed until their late tweens, I wet the bed until 11, DD wet the bed until 10 1/2, and DS still wets at night at 10.  All of us stopped on our own between the ages of 10-13, and staying dry for us happened suddenly - as in, within a month.  Stopping wetting seems to be connected to the onset of puberty for us, which makes sense to me because a kid's production of anti-diuretic hormone has to be ramped up enough to stop the wetting overnight at any age.  One night they'll be dry and then go wet again, then a few weeks later, they'll be dry again, and a few weeks later, 3 nights in a row, and then finally, no more wetting.  Trust me when I tell you it's not a matter of trying; no tween wants to wet the bed, lest their secret be found out; they really can't help it.  Making them lie in it won't stop it and will just bury you in laundry.  Withholding diapers won't shame them into it, either.  An alarm will just interrupt precious sleep.  Nor is a chiropractor going to adjust them out of it. 

 

In the meantime, don't torture them or yourself with no diapers.  If they were soaking through the diapers that means the diapers are too small for them and their bladder size.  We had this problem with DS when he outgrew the largest sized diapers on the market (he is a very big 10 year old).  Go buy extra absorbent teen diapers (the kind they use for the severely disabled) from North Shore Care Supply and you won't have wet beds anymore.  The customer service reps are wonderful and will send you free samples so that you can find the size, fit, and material your kids prefer.  They ship quickly.  Just get the kids the diapers and you won't even think about it or about laundry anymore; one day you'll just be pleasantly surprised when they stop. 

[HeWillSoar]

I haven't read all the posts but I agree with Reefgazer.  I had a bedwetter.  HAD!   He finally grew out of it on his own.  I totally feel you when you say how much you hate washing sheets and all that.  I did too!!!!  It's a lot of extra work!!!  We would wake him in the middle of the night (and sometimes we just couldn't wake him because he slept so heavily) to use the bathroom and he'd still wet the bed.  If your boys are willing to wear pull-ups, then do it.  My son refused to wear them, and for years we were washing sheets almost daily.  Your boys will grow out of it but I really do feel your pain. 

 

Just wanted to add that I understand you wanting to have them learn to not wet by going without the underjams, but I think for some kids they just can't do it.  My other two boys went straight from diapers to underwear.  I didn't believe in using pull-ups.  One of them wet the bed a few times at first, and the other one never wet the bed.  I thought it would be the same with the next boy and I did the same method, only it didn't work with him.  Then when I decided that pull-ups would be our answer, he refused to wear them.  So wetting the bed night after night didn't teach him anything because he was not physically able to stop that.  I never made a big deal out of it--we just dealt with it. 

[amo_mea_filiis.]

Mine is 10 and 6 months into treatment under a urologist.

 

He takes .2mg DDAVP orally and was sleeping with an alarm, but the alarm died so I have to get a new one.

 

He still hasn't had an entire dry month so I may ask to go up a bit on the med.

 

I was always very strict about mattress protection. Several layers is the key.

 

Zip around allergy cover, disposable pads, twin size fitted waterproof cover, more disposable pads, washable pads, sheet.

 

We usually just wash the sheet and washable pads. Once in a while we toss the next layer of disposable pads. I do a sniff check until I get a clean layer.

 

If you go the alarm route, make sure the alarm is the kind that attaches to the underwear and not the pad type (they have to pee too much before it reaches the pad and signals the alarm). I would alarm the older first and see how it goes.

 

ETA: mine absolutely used diapers instead of getting up to pee. Once we ditched diapers, I could see how often he was truly wetting. Also, make sure you're tracking.

[lots of little ducklings]

Constipation is a common cause of bedwetting. Very large stools and stool leakage are signs of constipation in children. Even with no external signs of constipation, kids can have distended colons that interfere with the workings of the bladder. 

 

http://www.webmd.com/children/news/20120130/study-constipation-may-cause-bedwetting

 

 

For anyone else with this problem:

http://www.amazon.com/Its-Accident-Breakthrough-Solutions-Constipation/dp/076277360X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1430854582&sr=8-2&keywords=No+Accident

This is a good book that explains the connection between bed wetting and constipation. I had no idea my son was constipated until the NP had a suspicion and did an X-ray. Now at 7 if he wets the bed it's my cue to get on top of supplements, water, and peeing frequently enough.

 

I have a few mattress protectors like this:

http://www.amazon.com/Priva-Absorbent-Washes-Waterproof-Protector/dp/B000FOA7C2/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1430854876&sr=8-6&keywords=Waterproof+mattress+protector

Then I don't have to change bunk bed sheets, just toss it in the washer. I have crib size on twin beds, but I think they come in all sizes.

 

I get a product called KidsNPets from Walmart that gets the smell out better than anything I've ever tried. It works great on blood,too. It's with the stain remover.

 

Also, if my boys drink milk at dinner, they absolutely flood the bed. And my 4 year old is in a pull-up but he will soak right through it.

 

Constantly cleaning up pee is so frustrating. I just tried to be nonchalant about it, fake it till you make it and all. It doesn't bother me much anymore. Although I don't deal with it every day now.

 

 

It might not be what you are dealing with, but chronic diahroea can be caused by constipation. Basically there's a blockage and only liquidy stool can pass. Tmi I know.

 

Also I did read that most kids don't outgrow bedwetting while they are in night nappies so it's well worth getting rid of them.

 

The medical advice is not to limit drinks at bedtime as it can make it worse somehow. What I try to do with ours though is encourage a lot of water drinking early in the day so they aren't thirsty at night.

 

I definitely agree on the constipation issue…. have your child x-rayed specifically to search for a stool burden.  Even if you are absolutely convinced your child is NOT constipated or even suffers the opposite problem.   "It's No Accident" is an incredibly helpful book (redundant, but helpful.. and, hey, the redundancy just means you can skim through it in a couple of sittings. ;)  )  

 

In my own experience, my dd6 suffered severe constipation from birth through 3 years old; we thought we had it under control when, at age 5, an x-ray (done by an orthopedist, so having nothing to do with Gastroenterology or Urology) revealed that she was severely blocked up.  I'm so thankful the technician noticed it and notified me, because dd was having regular bowel movements at the time.  

 

Ds7, meanwhile, always had the opposite problem: diarrhea.  But he also had bedwetting almost every night until dh started waking him 2x nightly for the bathroom a few months ago (and even then he would bed wet if the timing was off).  DS also was rushing urgently to the potty ALL THE TIME during the day.  And had skid marks and damp spots in his undies.  All signs of an underlying constipation issue.  Soooo… on a whim I decided to follow the recommendations of "It's No Accident."  (Basically, a mega-clean-out, plus dietary changes, etc.).  We are two and half weeks into it, but I am cautiously optimistic. No bedwetting for over a week, no urgent rushes, and honestly, he's happier.  More energetic.    And pooping a #4 on the Bristol Stool Scale.  :D   How's that for tmi?

[lots of little ducklings]

Oh, and in the meantime…. 

 

Back when he was constantly bed-wetting, we found that layer-caking ds's bed was a sanity saver.  Mattress protector+sheet+washable protectors+sheet+washable protectors+sheet.  Three sheets meant we didn't have to re-make the bed at 2am.  Just strip and stagger back to sleep.  And for us, three sheets (ie. two accidents per night) was often necessary.  That's how bad ds's wetting was.  Which is why, with his sudden improvement, I'm pretty convinced this constipation thing has merit.  

[Susan in TN]

(((DesertBlossom)))

 

I was about to order one of those bed alarm things for ds last summer when he was 9 1/2. But then for some unknown reason he just stopped wetting the bed at night. We never mentioned the alarm to him, so I don't think that was it, but you might consider putting an alarm in your Amazon wish list and see what happens :).

[fraidycat]

Nocturnal enuresis is a medical condition. It's not a matter of "not trying to stay dry", or whether or not they have a big glass of water at bedtime. Offering to pay them and having them fail is shaming to them whether you show emotion or not. I've made my own share of missteps on this parenting a bedwetter journey myself, so no judgement intended with that statement, just a little perspective.

 

I HIGHLY recommend these mattress protection pads if you want to do away with disposable pants. I don't know why they say 300 washes. Ours have most definitely been through the wash more than 300 times in the several years we've had them with no sign of wearing out any time soon. My wetter seems to finally be growing out if the need for them with more dry nights than wet now. I just laid the pad on top of the sheets - it stays where it should, protects the sheets, and absorbs everything. Very easy clean up in the morning - wetter gets up, takes pad and top blanket to bathroom, lays pad out to put wet clothes and blanket on, fold it all in on itself, shower, carry wet items to laundry easily because outside of pad is dry. Sheets only need to be changed on regular bedding change schedule. Way less hassle, in my opinion.

[Ottakee]

I agree with the x rays for constipation. Super easy to rule out but our ufologist checks for that first any time.there are wetting issues.....day or night.

 

You can check local medical supply stores that might have more options for you if they outgrow the underjams. We ended up going with the small size adult products from Walmart. They are used a great deal with the elderly or disabled so they hold a lot which really helps with keeping their clothes and bedding dry.

[prairiewindmomma]

We couldn't get the disposable chux to stay put at night, so we went with the cloth chux as a backup to pull-ups.  Ours have probably been washed 1000 times over the years; better than that than having to strip beds every night.

 

DDAVP can be a huge help; figuring out the right dose can take a couple of weeks, but it's straightforward after that.