6 year old girl wetting the bed

[EmmaNZ]

I need advice please. My dd is 6 and still wakes up wet almost every single morning. We have her in pull-ups but they leak more often than I would like. My husband is beginning to get cross that she is still not dry at night. Our just turned 4 year old boy has been dry at night for months now and that has fuelled things.

 

What can I do? I think the issue is two-fold. Partly I think she is a heavy sleeper and just doesn't wake up. But I believe there is also a laziness issue - can't be bothered to get up, knows she has a pull-up on, just stays in bed. I think she mostly wets early in the morning rather than in the middle of the night.

 

Ant advice? I don't want to see her getting told off all the time, but it is starting so I need to do something. I am 32ish weeks pregnant with number 5 at the moment, so wet sheets every morning for weeks is just going to send me over the edge!!

[MotherMayI]

I don't have much advice, but my 9yo ds still has many wet nights. I know he is a very deep sleeper, and I believe his body just needs to mature more. My 4yo dd is dry every night and has been for over a year. Comparing is not helpful, and hurts the older child in my opinion. If your dd seems to be having issues in the morning-perhaps your dh can set the alarm and escort her to the bathroom, then put her back to bed? That is all I have:tongue_smilie: I know it is frustrating. :grouphug:

[bettyandbob]

Don't get angry. It will not help, but it will hurt your relatuuionship with your dd. many, many dc wet until the beginning of adolescence.

 

Put her mattress in a plastic cover.

Clean up her diet (consider the feingold diet or at least removing all artificial colors, favors and preservatives)

Clean up her diet 2 (do an elimination diet to find and remove allergens, even things your doctor say are only minor allergens and are important to remove) Dairy is often a problem for kids who wet the bed

Bath nightly to remove airborne allergens.

Removal of as many allergens as possibly brought wetting down from nightly to a few times a week in our house.

Consider chiropractic--in our house this brought wetting sown further to once a week or less -- at age 10

Teach your dd to be responsible. Have help strip the bed and get her things in the laundry.

Be patient and wait. NO ANGER ever.

Edited June 10, 2012 by betty

[Gisel_le]

My daughter was also still wetting the bed at age 6. We bought her one of those alarms that attach to her panties. As soon as it senses wetness, it makes this awful, loud noise. She woke up and finished going on the potty. It trained her very well and it didn't take too long either.

 

:grouphug:'s. I know how frustrating it is!

[Bear23]

I am having similar problems with my DS8. No medical problems but still wets the bed. WHY? I sure wish I knew but there is family history (father side) of this up until tween years. We have a routine and if I stick to it he's good. I use to get angry can called him lazy but DH and I talked and I am better about after talking to him and MD about it. Daytime was tricky because he was in school and the teacher said they have to pay $1 (teacher class money) to use the bathroom. So he would just go in his pants. So frusterating but they finally let him go whenever needs. Night time we follow the read, pee, sleep and I get up at Midnight and 0500 and he's good. I have him take his bedding to the laundry room and clean the bed with Clorox wipes and then makes his bed with new sheets. I was the soiled one. He helps load the washer if its ready for a new load.

[edeemarie]

We has the same issue in our house a couple of years ago. We had the wake ds up before we went to bed (most times I don't even think he was awake-deep sleepers!). We also eliminated artificial food coloring (red #40 especially) and tried to limit drinks after dinner. Walmart sells reusable / washable pads in the incontinence section of the store for about $7. We bought several of this so that if there was an accident they could just change the pad and not have to change the whole set of sheets. I know it can be super frustrating and I remember getting really upset, but it will eventually pass.

:grouphug:

[Pamela H in Texas]

JMO (without reading other responses)...

 

First, lose the pull-up. If she is being lazy because she has it on, she'll stop.

 

Second, she needs to be responsible for this. It isn't her fault, but it is her responsibility. That also will help if some of this is just willful.

 

Third, I think it is fine to use the myriad of options this thread is likely to bring (honey, peanut butter, diet, chiropractor, etc) EXCEPT 1) do not limit fluids in the evening and 2) do not wake her at 11pm (or whatever). Those things are actually counter-productive.

 

Fourth, I absolutely agree that if the above doesn't work FAST, it is likely a sleep issue. We used the Enuresis Treatment Center (you do it over the phone/fax/email) and let me tell you that I *so* wish I had done so when my son was your daughter's age (by 8, at least!) rather than waiting so long for him to "grow out of it" (just because a symptom, the bedwetting, ends, doesn't mean the problem that caused it ended!). It *is* expensive; but if I had another bedwetter, I'd *find* a way to make it happen, no different than I'd find cancer treatment or mental health treatment. This issue *does* cause problems down the line even if Mom and Dad handle it perfectly (ie, not getting punitive, enabling, etc).

 

Anyway, I feel very strongly about this and get a bit emotional on these threads. I really wish I had understood better what my son had been going through and done more sooner.

[DawnM]

My son wet his bed until around age 11. He just couldn't get up. We tried the alarm thing, we tried pull ups, we tried everything.

 

He is now 14 and hasn't had a wet night in years......some kids just wet the bed.

[CalicoKat]

I need advice please. My dd is 6 and still wakes up wet almost every single morning. We have her in pull-ups but they leak more often than I would like. My husband is beginning to get cross that she is still not dry at night. Our just turned 4 year old boy has been dry at night for months now and that has fuelled things.

 

What can I do? I think the issue is two-fold. Partly I think she is a heavy sleeper and just doesn't wake up. But I believe there is also a laziness issue - can't be bothered to get up, knows she has a pull-up on, just stays in bed. I think she mostly wets early in the morning rather than in the middle of the night.

 

Ant advice? I don't want to see her getting told off all the time, but it is starting so I need to do something. I am 32ish weeks pregnant with number 5 at the moment, so wet sheets every morning for weeks is just going to send me over the edge!!

 

There are Good Nights Pull-ups that are made for those bigger bladders and long nights. That's what we use for our almost 7 year old son. He could sleep in a lake of pee and won't wake until he's had his 10 hrs of sleep. Eventually he will be dry at night. It will happen.

[ChristusG]

Night time bed-wetting is *extremely* common. My DD#2 is 5 years old and still wets every single night. Her doctor is not concerned. I keep having to stress to DH that it is NOT a problem and the CANNOT help it. Her body just needs time to mature....and this happens to lots of children. He tells her to just try really hard to not wet her pull up during the night. :confused: How? She's asleep.

[amo_mea_filiis.]

http://www.tranquilityproducts.com/dealers/products/maximum/overnight.htm

 

Quit getting mad about it! That's just wrong, period.

 

If she is leaking through the diapers, *you* have her in the wrong size.

 

Buy the above diapers (call for some samples), protect the bed with some washable mattress covers.

 

It's not laziness. Kids wet the bed. You and your husband need to apologize for being mean and "cross" with her. Don't compare her with a sibling. Teach her to help start laundry, and that's it.

 

When dd was 2, she got up one morning, put on princess panties and that was that, day and night. My son is 7.5 years old and has been dry an average of once per year since he was born. I protect his bed, clean the sheets, and am never EVER mad at him for it.

 

If you want details on mattress protection, let me know.

[EmmaNZ]

Thanks to everybody for the thoughts and replies. I think we are already doing many of the things anyway. Her diet is 'clean' as much as I can do. I don't want to lift her - I have no experience, but do agree that it sounds counterproductive. It is interesting that others have found this to work.

 

Just wanted to clarify - it isn't me getting angry, it's DH. I am happy to just wait it out. Unfortunately, I don't think my DH is going to be willing to wait much longer, and no matter how many times I tell him that this is normal and ok I know he won't really listen - hence why I asked the question. I want to help her to be dry as easily as possible before he starts making her upset.

 

I realise this is a difficult, and sensitive issue, and that feelings run high! I suppose that is a product of the fact that there is no one-size-fits-all solution.

[amo_mea_filiis.]

He is not willing to wait much longer? How does that work? She pees while asleep, out of her control. Tell him to do some research.

 

His anger at a young child is mean. I would never allow my son's father to be mean or angry about his bedwetting.

[ssavings]

Can you have your DH talk to the doctor? Maybe if a professional explained that its normal, he'd relax.

 

There's nothing that can be done about a normal developmental stage. Not every child goes through it, but some do.

 

Anger is a cruel responce to something that is probably hard for her to deal with anyway!

[Acorn]

Your dh should talk to a pediatrician and do some research. I remember feeling frustrated when my son was not potty-trained at 3.5 and it seemed like every other kid was by then. Well further questioning, most of the parents I know didn't count night-time in their definition of "potty-trained". I didn't realize the difference.

 

We did just wait it out for my son and by 6 years 2 months, it finally happened.

 

I would try to find a better fitting pull-up. We used cloth diapers by Snap-ez. Good luck.

[OrganicAnn]

I can also run in the family. Maybe your DH has unresolved issues about his own childhood and his parents reaction potty training or night training.

 

I would say to do more, but if your DD is really a heavy sleeper then that is a big part of the problem. My DD is a heavy slepper. She can sleep through a fire detector going off in her room.

 

They all eventually grow out of it.

[AngieW in Texas]

Until my dd was 8yo, she was wet all but 8-10 nights/year her entire life. We tried EVERYTHING - eliminating dairy, eliminating juice, no liquids after 6pm, holding it as long as possible during the day (to increase bladder size), going to the bathroom every 3 hours around the clock (and yes, that meant setting an alarm to get up during the night), ... The doctor had us try DDAVP, but it had no effect at all, even on the maximum dosage. We were referred to a urologist who had us try metamucil in case she was actually constipated and that was dulling the "need to use the bathroom" feeling. Nothing had even the slightest effect.

 

I finally decided to try the alarm from SleepDry. The first week was awful, because the alarm went off 2-3 times every night. She slept right through the alarm. I had to go wake her up every time. By the end of the week, she was waking up with the alarm and was in the bathroom when I got to her.

 

The second week the alarm went off 1-2 times every night. That was an improvement. She was also in the bathroom already by the time I got to her every night.

 

She had a couple of dry nights the 3rd week and the alarm never went off more than once at night.

 

The 4th week was completely dry.

 

There was one wet night the 5th week.

 

She kept the alarm on for another 6 weeks with no wet nights. After that she only had two more incidents and those were both when she was miserably sick and were about one year apart.

 

I highly recommend trying an alarm.

[gardenmom5]

Have you discussed this with her ped? there are physiological reasons SOME children are not dry by six. I would strongly urge you to have her examined to make sure nothing is medically wrong before censuring her for being "lazy". some kids ARE physically incapable of waking up - even if they know they need to go, they still can't wake up.

 

have you examined what she drinks before bed? have you tried the 'training pads' that sense wettness and blare an alarm to wake a heavily sleeping child?

 

eta: one trick to make the nighttime dealing with the wet - waterproof sheet, mattress pad, sheet, waterproof sheet, mattress pad, sheet. that way, the top layer only need to stripped at night and everyone can go back to bed sooner.

Edited June 10, 2012 by gardenmom5

[didadeewiththree]

After a time or two of my youngest wetting the bed, I would wake him up in the middle of the night, and on those nights, he didn't wet the bed. After doing this for awhile, I think his body became trained to wake up around that same time, and before long he was waking up on his own. Now it still may happen occasionally, but it's usually when something is off in his bedtime routine.

[Momof3littles]

Many peds consider it very normal up until 7 or 8 or later and won't recommend intervention until then.

 

That said, there was a recent study out suggesting constipation can be a significant contributor to nighttime wetting. Kids can be constipated without appearing to be; their bowels can stretch out over time and hold more and more stool, so you may see them go but they may still be backed up. It doesn't always appear super hard either. The kids in the study ranged from 5-15 years of age.

 

On the constipation issue from Science Daily:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120127135757.htm

From the above article-

 

Reporting online in the journal Urology, researchers found that 30 children and adolescents who sought treatment for bedwetting all had large amounts of stool in their rectums, despite the majority having normal bowel habits. After treatment with laxative therapy, 25 of the children (83 percent) were cured of bedwetting within three months.

 

statistics on bedwetting, possible causes:

http://children.webmd.com/features/bedwetting-causes

Edited June 10, 2012 by Momof3littles

[Samiam]

Consider a chiropractor. Really!

 

My middle DS went the bed until he was 6. While I wasn't angry, it was frustrating. I tried not to show that to DS, but I am sure he picked up on it occasionally. I mean, having to wash an entire bedding set every single day (and it was MY bed). We tried to do the "limit water" "wake up at midnight and we were often too late". Didn't want to do any meds. It's also becomes an issue for the child...they are old enough now to know they shouldn't be doing that, and it's something they are shameful about even if you do handly it calmly and graciously.

 

Heard someone else tell me they had the issue and went to a chiro. Decide to give it a shot. After about 2 weeks of chiro (2x a week)...the bed wetting slowed...meaning only 2-3 times a week. After 2 months....STOPPED. He has not wet the bed ever again. EVER. Chiro care is the ONLY thing that we changed at that time, so I know that is what helped. We stopped after 2 months, since he wasn't wetting and it was expensive for us. If I had the $$$ though, I'd have everyone in my house do regular Chiro visits. I think it really does solve a host of issues.

 

Why? Here's the thinking. Many children's spines are messed up, just a bit. All the falling, tumbling, rough housing, it jostles their spines, and nerves get pinched just enough to deaden the sensations just "enough". Apparently (and it's been a 3 years since we've dealt with this now, so my info might be bit off), it's common because of where the sensory nerves that communicate "have to go potty" are located, coming from the spine, and the nature of a child's daily life, this area is commonly affected. So then you add sleeping, when the child is not conscious, thus not paying attention to what their body is telling them, and then because the spine/nerves are essentially "whispering" instead of speaking loudly, because of being out of alignment.....equals wetting the bed.

 

I would really recommend the chiro to ANYONE who is having this issue. It's SOLVES the problem, not just deals with it, like pull-ups, etc. Those things are only dealing with the issue, not making it go away.

 

P.S. Today's modern chiro care is not the old school "yank the head one way to hear the pop". It's much more gentle and they use this machine that blows a puff of air on the neck that causes the spine to adjust. Not scary, not gross to see :). Find a chiro that offers this service.

[AnthemLights]

Until my dd was 8yo, she was wet all but 8-10 nights/year her entire life. We tried EVERYTHING - eliminating dairy, eliminating juice, no liquids after 6pm, holding it as long as possible during the day (to increase bladder size), going to the bathroom every 3 hours around the clock (and yes, that meant setting an alarm to get up during the night), ... The doctor had us try DDAVP, but it had no effect at all, even on the maximum dosage. We were referred to a urologist who had us try metamucil in case she was actually constipated and that was dulling the "need to use the bathroom" feeling. Nothing had even the slightest effect.

 

I finally decided to try the alarm from SleepDry. The first week was awful, because the alarm went off 2-3 times every night. She slept right through the alarm. I had to go wake her up every time. By the end of the week, she was waking up with the alarm and was in the bathroom when I got to her.

 

The second week the alarm went off 1-2 times every night. That was an improvement. She was also in the bathroom already by the time I got to her every night.

 

She had a couple of dry nights the 3rd week and the alarm never went off more than once at night.

 

The 4th week was completely dry.

 

There was one wet night the 5th week.

 

She kept the alarm on for another 6 weeks with no wet nights. After that she only had two more incidents and those were both when she was miserably sick and were about one year apart.

 

I highly recommend trying an alarm.

 

:iagree: Another vote for the alarm. We used Rodger's Bedwetting Alarm System. My son was six years old and wetting the bed almost every night. A very, very heavy sleeper. He loved the alarm...thought it was really cool. It worked in 2-3 weeks. It might not be the answer for everyone, but I think it's worth a shot.

[gracesteacher]

Sleep apnea can also be a cause. Sleep apnea is not the same for kids as it is for adults. Diabetes is something else that can cause it.

My daughter does it. We have never said anything to her about it and she is VERY frustrated by it herself. When we took her to a counsellor for an incident where she was touched inappropriately that kid touching her didnt bother her as much has she cant make her body function the way everyone else in the house does

[Ellie]

I would be very, very reluctant to blame your dd's bedwetting on "laziness." That's just a really bad character attribute.

 

Have you checked with her doctor?

 

My older dd wet her bed until she was 5yo. She was very upset by it, especially after spending the weekend with a friend who had a younger dd who did not wet the bed, and so dd began to really beat herself up over it.

 

I took dd to the doctor, and he prescribed tofranil (sp?). Dd took it for 10 days, then the dosage was cut in half; 10 more days, dosage cut in half again, 10 more days. She never wet the bed again.

 

Does your dd drink milk? Sometimes this can be the culprit.

[5LittleMonkeys]

First, tell your dh to back off. Tell him to stop spending his time being mad and taking it out on your dd and use that time to educate himself. I'm not suggesting you cause a rift in your marriage, but you need to protect your dd from his anger and frustration because it could prolong the issue and damage their relationship.

 

You've gotten great advice, so I won't repeat it. Just be patient, and tell your dd that it's not a big deal...she isn't bad or broken...and that she will eventually grow out of it.:grouphug:

[ktgrok]

For all those saying " he just won't get up at night", realize they shouldn't have to get up at night. The body is supposed to release hormones that slow the production of urine overnight, while they are sleeping, so they will not have to go. If it doesn't do this yet, they will need to go, and of course will we the bed. It is a hormonal issue, not a willful issue. No one wants to lay in bed cold and soggy.

[wapiti]

For some kids supplementing with magensium citrate can help.

 

FWIW, two of my kids finally ditched pullups around age 6. One of them still has bedwetting occasionally (though he has a lot of medical history that could be related).

 

I'd probably mention it to the ped at the next regular well-check up. Certainly, it's possible to have medical issues involved, though they probably don't go hunting for them until after 7-8. I'm not sure what has your dh so upset - is he the one washing the sheets?

[EKS]

What can I do? I think the issue is two-fold. Partly I think she is a heavy sleeper and just doesn't wake up. But I believe there is also a laziness issue - can't be bothered to get up, knows she has a pull-up on, just stays in bed. I think she mostly wets early in the morning rather than in the middle of the night.

 

 

I decided that the bolded was my older son's issue when he was about 5. I finally told him that the pull ups didn't work any more and that he had to use the toilet instead. And that was that. There was no more wetting the bed after that.

 

But if you've already tried this, or she wants to not have to wear a pull up, I would think that this is not the issue.

Edited June 11, 2012 by EKS

[myfunnybunch]

:grouphug: Please, please don't view this as a laziness issue. That causes shame over something the child cannot help.

 

My ds9 is also a heavy sleeper and still wets the bed most nights. He sleeps so deeply that all of his muscles relax, and he simply doesn't wake up. His pediatrician says this is normal in some children, especially boys.

 

Start by taking your dd to the pediatrician. There are many options to help deal with bedwetting until the body matures enough to stay dry at night, ranging from continuing to wear pull-ups to medication. If your dh is having a hard time understanding why this is happening, it might be helpful for him to come along too.

 

:grouphug:

 

Cat

[Soror]

Fwiw bedwetting is also associated w/ food intolerances and allergies. I have certainly seen that with my own and other people's children.

[catz]

My neighbors daughter had regular accidents until age 10. This is a very bright girl - she's highly gifted. Her doctor just said she had slow development in this particular area. Her parents tried all sorts of holistic things and ultimately waiting it out is what got it to end. She's 12 now.

 

My son wet the bed occasionally at age 6 and 7 if he was overtired or had too much to drink before bed. I really don't think it's super unusual at that age yet. My daughter was night trained by age 4. Both kids are super bright. It's a mechanics thing.

 

Please consider just getting her the correct size night pull up and letting it go unless you suspect something malicious and want to make the rounds with some doctors.

[Hope in God]

This may sound strange but the bedwetting could be due to a food allergy. The most comon culprit is dairy. My friend's 6 year old will wet the bed (and wet her pants while awake) if she has ANY dairy in her diet. Taking all dairy out keeps her dry day and night.

My husband also had this problem as a child and his parents had to take dairy out of his diet too and it completely cleared up the problem.

 

You could try a 21 day trial (apparently it takes 21 days for dairy to get completely out of a person's system).

[Dealea86]

I had problems with bedwetting as a child and adolescent. I remember dreaming that I needed to find a bathroom because I had to pee. Then (still dreaming) I would find one and.... It wasn't laziness. I was so horribly embarrassed by it.

 

FWIW, I did have a dairy problem and my mom only eliminated milk (I still ate cheese, ice cream, butter, etc). That probably contributed to things. I also had surgery twice to see if I had a bladder problem. My bladder was considerably smaller than the average bladder of a child my size. So there was more than one problem contributing to it.

 

(I also had accidents during the day for a very long time. The attitude of some of my teachers to my bladder problems and my humiliation before my classmates continues to be one of my top reasons for homeschooling my own children.)

[petepie2]

My DD hasn't wet the bed since she was 3 years old. MY DS, who's almost 6, wets the bed every night. It is not helpful to compare your kids.

 

Strangely, my DS didn't wet the bed at all for 6 months, from the time he was 3.5 until he was 4. At age 4 he gave up his naps, and then the bedwetting began and hasn't stopped. It drove me crazy. He would even wet his pants during any occasional naps he might happen to take. I even had him tested for diabetes (negative). I eventually decided to get over it. We switched to GoodNites pullups and rarely have a problem with leakage unless he drinks a lot of water before going to bed. My 4 yr old DS also wets the bed. As a matter of fact, a couple of weeks ago he fell asleep in my lap. During the 20 minutes he was sleeping, he peed all over me. I had to wake him up. He was clueless..... I'm not going to stress about it....

 

I would put her in a different pullup and then maybe start looking into some of the suggestions mentioned in this thread. Above all, be patient and by no means be angry with her.

[yslek]

For my dd this was also food allergy related. In her case, corn. (Corn takes many forms--such as maltodextrin, distilled vinegar, dextrose, food starch--and is in just about everything. :glare:) Some friends of mine have a ds who was wetting the bed every single night (age 9 or 10) until they eliminated soy. So it's not always dairy. L (age 6) has frequent bedwetting problems, and we think it's probably food-related, though we're not sure which food. He's very bothered by it. I have taught him how to clean himself & his bed up with wipes & put soiled clothing/bedding in a bucket I keep for that purpose. Not to be mean, just as a matter-of-fact, here's-how-we-deal-with-accidents thing. :grouphug: These types of issues are just frustrating all around.

[SKL]

Have you tried letting her sleep in the same undies she wears during the day? I did that with both of my kids shortly after they day trained, and they had very few night accidents after that. I think kids are conditioned to feel like a diaper/pull-up is to be peed in - especially when they aren't even conscious to remember the goal of staying dry. If you have an inkling that your daughter is able to get up and go pee, I'd try losing the pull-ups for a week or two.

 

I bought a waterproof, flannel-covered pad to go over the sheets. Thus if anyone peed, I could just wash the pad and not have to change the sheets etc.

 

I agree with having her help clean up after an accident. I would not consider this punitive, just responsible. It might even make her feel better if she really can't contol the bedwetting.

 

Is there any reason she doesn't want to get up in the night? Is she afraid of the dark/monsters? Are the floors cold? Is she close enough to the bathroom to navigate there while half-asleep? Do you practice what she should do if she wakes up needing to pee?

 

I also think it's odd that your dh is so upset about this. It almost sounds like he's taking it personally. It makes me suspect he has a bit of a skeleton in his family closet about bedwetting - and if so, you need to know, given that the really difficult problems run in families.

[Guest IndieMama]

For our daughter, it was artificial food coloring in her diet. She is very sensitive to the stuff, and when we eliminated it, the night time accidents stopped immediately.

[KrissiK]

My daughter is 6 and wets the bed most nights as well. She's horribly embarrassed. Hates it! I don't make a big deal out of it. She's had her adenoids out, which has helped her snoring, but not the bedwetting. Here doctor isn't concerned. So, we're just going to wait and see.

[MomatHWTK]

You can purchase incontinence pads (similar to what is used in hospitals) to put under the sheets to supplement pull-ups.

[Edit to cut down on cyber-footprint]

Edited June 14, 2012 by MomatHWTK

[Melissa in Australia]

we had great success with getting our child up at 11pm and walking him to the toilet. He never really woke up completely, we would even pull his pants down and stand there holding him at the toilet. after about a month he would start getting himself up at 11 pm and going to the toilet. It was just a matter of training him to come out of a deep sleep at that time.

[BigMamaBird]

Not a whole lot of advice, just wanted to let you know you're not alone.:grouphug: My 6 y/o dd still occasionally wets the bed too. Dh and I are night owls so we wake her up and take her to the bathroom around 11 or 12 when we go to bed. That seems to help.

 

I also think that laziness was an issue with her so we did a Dry Morning Chart. Every morning she woke up dry she got a sticker. Once the chart was full we took her to dinner at Chuck E. Cheese.

 

There's also something I'm skeptical about but am open to any idea. I read an article that talked about Chiropractic care helping with nighttime bed wetting. We've had her under care for about three months and while the problem isn't completely resolved, it has helped.

[blondeviolin]

As a child who wet the bed until extremely old (10+), I would caution you to be very sensitive about this. My mom was (because she was a late wetter too) but I still was very embarrassed that everyone in my family wore underwear to bed and I was stuck with GoodNites. It's hard to hide at sleepovers, it's awkward with your siblings (who even know)... It just stinks.

 

At our house, we are very matter-of-fact about my kids wearing nighttime diapers. FWIW, my oldest is six and still wears a pull-up to bed. She gets a treat if she comes and tells me if her diaper's wet or dry (so I know), but it's not based on if the diaper is dry. She just can't help it being dry.

 

Definitely check into constipation since it can cause issues. My oldest has had a good run of being dry, and then gets constipated (with no "my tummy hurts" or anything) and then she's wet every night for a while.

[fraidycat]

My advice is to first look to your DD's diet.

 

My DD9 still wets, depending on how careful we are with her diet.

 

I took her to a Naturopath, and he told us that dairy is most often the culprit. She now drinks almond milk, but we're not militant about other dairy...so if she has ice cream or too much cheese, she will probably wet. Switching to almond milk has helped a lot, for sure though.

 

She sleeps with one of these on her bed at all times: (over the sheet)

 

http://www.amazon.com/Priva-Ultra-Waterproof-Sheet-Protector/dp/B000FOA7C2/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1339370846&sr=8-6

 

I also find that it helps if I get her up and walk her to the bathroom before I go to bed (around midnight). She's a very deep sleeper and doesn't ever remember me getting her up, but I'm not good about always getting her up, especially since she is getting better as time goes on.

 

I've also done some research and have found that gluten intolerance can cause night time enuresis, but if we're careful about keeping DD away from dairy, she seems to do fine.

 

In any case, it is NOT her fault. Do not allow anyone to show or voice disappointment that she wets the bed. We are very matter of fact about it around here - it's just part of our life. To keep it simple, we do not have top sheets or comforters on DD's bed. Just the pad and easily washable blankets. DD just puts the wet stuff (pad, pajamas, blanket) in the laundry room in the morning and remakes her bed with a new pad and blanket. I wash the laundry and life goes on, with rarely any mention of it at all, unless DD seems to be dairy loading in her snacks or whatever - and even then, I'll just mention that she's had enough milk products for that day. She knows the deal, then I just have to try to remember that night to get her up for a middle of the night bathroom trip.

[MiniBlondes]

My little girl just turned 7 and she is a bed wetter. We cut off her liquids around 7:30. She goes before bed and I take her again before I go to bed around midnight. I usually just kinda push her in there and force her to sit. It's usually quite comical because she's in the middle of a dream and will do/say some really funny stuff. I used to take her again between 3-5am but I cut that one out about a month ago and she's only had 2 accidents since.

 

Her issue is that she's a heavy sleeper and she just sleeps right through it. She's also been known to vomit in her sleep and never wake up as well.

[GSOchristie]

For my 5 year old, it is laziness. He doesn't often have accidents, but one morning recently he told me, without any prompting from me, "when I pee in my bed, I know I'm doing it, I just am too tired to walk to the potty.":glare: I, however, was a really late bed wetter, consistently until I was 9 years old. Back in the day, they didn't have pull ups, so I just slept on one of those incontinence pads. I would never sleep over at anyone's house, because I was terrified I would wet the bed. My parents never made a big deal about it, I changed the pad and my pj's in the night, and went back to sleep. My brother was also a bed wetter until he was 8 or 9. I know it sucks to be up in the middle of the night, every night :(.

[swellmomma]

My oldest son ds13 still wets the bed. Ped is not concerned, said it is extremely normal and that he himself wet until 14. dd4 also still wets the bed. Both are very heavy sleepers and developmentally their bladders just aren't there. Getting angry will not help tha situation, they just can't help it.

 

With oldest I have tried everything, when he goes to camp etc he takes medication that is supposed to stop him from wetting. It works about 50% of the time. Which is better than the almost guarantee that he will wet without it, but not great for his self esteem if it fails. dd4 turns 5 in sept and still has 4-5 daytime accidents a day too so I am not surprised about nighttime wetting.

 

Some kids just need time to let their bodies mature. limiting drinks, alarms, meds, wakingup in the night etc do not make a difference.

Edited June 11, 2012 by swellmomma