10 Year Old Still Wetting His Bed

At this age it is a problem for the doctor. Aside from the sheets and hygeine, that is normal. All 3 of my boys have to be told to take a shower, and USE SOAP, and WASH your hair, AND put on clean clothes. That doesn't bother me. What bothers me about this situation is his age. That is not normal for a 10 year old to wet the bed. He definately needs to go to the doctor. Studies have shown that it is probably because his bladder is not growing as fast as he is. But there is medicine that can help.
I would hesitate to punish him for something that he cannot control. Especially if he is in a deep sleep. However, I would definately make him responsible for getting up, stripping the bed, starting the washer and showereing every moring to start his day. He probably would not be so secretive if he knew he was not going to get in trouble. It's not like he wants to pee the bed and make you mad. He just can't help it. Even whether he sneaks drinks, he should be able to hold his urine. Or wake himself up with the urge to void. He doesn't wake up with the urge to void because he has already emptied the bladder in this sleep. I don't think a deep sleep would be the culprit either. At this age continued bed wetting is a sign to go to the doctor. Especially, if what you already do isn't working.
Good luck,
L.

I've heard that a couple of visits to the chiropractor can fix this condition. Sometimes the nerve that controls the bladder function can be in a bind (not to the point of pain) and a few adjustments can fix it permanently!

Just be patient with him and try to quiz him every morning. Obviously it's not his fault it's happening.

Good Luck.

Very common problem at that age, still, and even beyond.

Go to the doctor to get him checked out and discuss a routine for clean up with your son, maybe a daily routine (wake up, shower - with soap -, put on clean clothes, check bed, if wet then take to laundry).

Check out www.bedwettingstore.com for things to help you deal better with the wetness (mattress pads, the right kind, make a huge difference) and maybe you'll find some tips you haven't heard.

Please take him to a doctor and ask them to measure his anti-diuretic hormone levels (ADH or often referred to as vasopressin). He could be sneaking drinks because he's truly thirsty. If that hormone level is low, his kidneys physically CANNOT hold onto the water. You don't mention the amount of urinary frequency during the day, but if it's more than a few times, then he may have that issue. The doctor can prescribe a sythetic hormone that will help with that problem. I had the bedwetting problem as a child until I was almost 10 and it was combination of low levels of the hormone I mentioned above, deep sleep and a dairy allergy. So, you might want to consider removing dairy from his diet for a few weeks and see if that helps. It really isn't his fault, but at this age it is his responsibility to at least let you know that the sheets need cleaning or even bring the sheets to the laundry room for you. So, I would be careful how you frame that discussion (inducing shame for this isn't good for overall self esteem, which can be at it's lowest during these pre-pubescent years). Also, you might consider using the nightimes or adult diapers for him to avoid the sheet problem.

I had a friend in the same situation. They found out the little boys bladder was not fully developed. They also attributed some of the incidents to stress. He is hiding it from you which means he is embarressed and he knows it is wrong. Here are some tricks that seemed to work for them. 1. no liquids an hour before bed. 2. make sure he empties his bladder before climbing in for the night. 3. Make sure he is getting plenty of exercise during the day. This exercise helps relieve stress along with all the other benifits. 4. Daily showers needed or not. 5. Lastly they would wake him up an hour after he went to bed to go to the bathroom. It was frustrating at first but it helped and he started waking on his own to go to the bathroom and then eventually he stopped wetting the bed. It took about 3 months.

T.,
There are alot of reason for nighttime bed wetting. Alot of kids sleep so deeply that they dont realize that they have to get up to the bathroom at night. Have you thought about going to see a urologist to rule out any type of physical problem. Also you can go on line to look for bedwetting alarms. They are devices that you attach to you kids underwear that alram really loudly at the first hint of wettness. This will prompt you and your kid to get up to use the bathroom at night. It helps to retrain your kid to notice when he has the urge to go to the bathroom. I would first start with a visit to the doctor to make sure that there isnt an physical reason for this. I know that is the last thing you probably want to hear.. but you may also get some insight into what you can do as well. Good luck

Hi T.,

This is a very sensitive subject for me. I was a bedwetter until I was 18 years old! My mother was well into her 20's as was my grandmother. My son is 9 and is still wet probably 99% of the time. Here is the response I have given so many other moms. I am not saying this will be your son at all, just giving you our experiences.

"I don't really have any help for you other than to let you know that you are not alone. My son has been a bedwetter since day one, and can tell you that with him the only thing anyone wants to do is give him one of those alarms you wear on your underwear. I had one as a child and my problem got worse so I do not reccomend them at all.

Anyway, bedwetting can be caused by numerous things. Not enough of the hormone that "shuts down" urine production at night, too small of a bladder, an over-active bladder, and on and on. Do understand though that typical bedwetting is not considered a problem until children are about 8 years old (and even then, NOT a big deal until AFTER puberty)!

The urologist we saw said to cut way back on caffine, chocolate, carbonation, and citrus...cut out liquids after 4pm and only small amounts with dinner...make sure he uses the bathroom EVERY 2 hours and sits/stands for at least 2 minutes every time (to make sure the bladder is completly empty), and most importantly that the problem would not change if the child did not think it was a problem. My son is also 9 and wets the bed nearly every night. I have a waterproof protector on his bed and I wash sheets daily (as goodnights are WAY TOO expensive to use every night). My son does not feel his bedwetting is a problem so he is not ready to make an effort to change. So as much as I push, he will not use the restroom every 2 hours, he will not stay in there for 2 minutes, he sneaks drinks well into the evening...so I have stopped fighting. I figure as long as nothing is medically wrong (and we have had many tests), and he is OK with it...eventually he will decide that this is not what big boys do. Until then, I have choosen not to fight this battle.

Sorry I'm not much help. Just wanted to let you know what our experiences have been. Hope you get some answers."

Anyway, hope that helps. My daughter is 7 and has been dry 99% of the time since she was probably 3 or 4. I guess what I am saying is that it is different for everyone.