11 Yr Old Still Having Night-time Accidents

Here are some great links on bed wetting products and information!

http://bedwettingstore.com/
http://www.childdevelopmentinfo.com/disorders/bedwetting....

I haven't read the other replies but here's my experience - at nearly 8 years old, my son was not only not dry at night, he was having daytime accidents. Then he got an upset stomach which didn't go away after several days, so I took him to the doctor. The doc said first, take him off all milk products for several days and give him the acidodopholus (sp?) milk - local brand was Nutrish at that time. That particular day he had had cereal for breakfast, pizza for lunch, and macaroni and cheese at supper -- LOTS of milk products. Guess what. The entire problem was related to lactose intolerance, which he'd had as an infant - had to have soy formula - and after TWO DAYS off milk products and then giving him the Nutrish milk - he had no more problems, day or night. And I'd had him to a kidney specialist and everything. He's now grown and has had no problems since, and can now eat anything he wants.
Just wondered if the lactose angle had ever been considered. Good luck because I know exactly how you feel.

BLADDER INFECTIONS:
Take two tablespoons of cinnamon powder and one teaspoon of honey in a glass of lukewarm water and drink it. It destroys the germs in the bladder.

do not know if this actually works but hey anything is worth a try.

Hi -
Sawa that you aldy had a ton of replies, but wanted to suggest a homeopathic remedy that is a natural medicine and has no side effects. They carry this at health food/natural food stores (Whole Foods, Fruitful Yield) and sometimes in the natural foods or baby section of DOminicks and Jewel.
http://www.hylands.com/products/bedwetting.php

I'm a huge fan of homeopathy and use it at home for all our colds, flu, headaches, fevers, accidents and injuries, bruises, diaper rash, etc. It's so wonderful to use something natural to HEAL from the inside out, not just cover up symptoms like tylenol and other drugs do. If you want to know more about it you can email me offlist! Best wishes!

Hi H.,

If none of the natural methods work, ask your doctor for DDAVP. I have two daughters who had problems that were not growing out of it so my doctor prescribed that for them and it worked for both of them.

D.

Your son/daughter has a condition called Enuresis (say "en-yur-ee-sis"). This is the medical term for bed-wetting during sleep. Bed-wetting is fairly common. About 5 million to 7 million children wet the bed. It's more common among boys than girls.

You have to understand that bed-wetting isn't caused by drinking too much before bed time. It's not a mental or behavior problem. It doesn't happen because the child is too lazy to get out of bed to go to the bathroom. And children do not wet the bed on purpose or to irritate their parents.

If you think about it for a second on how this makes you feel, just imagine how your child feels about it. Be sensitive to his/her feelings. He/she can’t feel good at all about a condition he/she does not understand and can’t control.

Bed-wetting can lead to behavior problems because of the guilt and embarrassment a child feels. It's true that your child should take responsibility for bed-wetting (this could mean having your child help with the laundry). But your child shouldn't be made to feel guilty about something he or she can't control. It's important for your child to know that bed-wetting isn't his or her "fault." Punishing your child for wetting the bed will not solve the problem.

For more information go to: http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/children/par....

And definitely ask your kid’s doctor for the best treatment option for your child.

Hi H.,

I did not read thru all the responses, but if no one has recommended the Potty Pager, I would highly recommend it. We were told about it by our pediatrician when my daughter was having prolems several years ago. We ordered it on-line and its a small "pager" that attaches to the childs panties and vibrates when wetness is detected. My daughter was a very deep sleeper and this worked for us in a matter of weeks. We actually saw improvement within the first 3-4 days. We were thrilled with her rapid progress and that we didn't have to resort to drugs. I would recommend it to anyone struggling with this issue. Try www.pottypager.com.
Good Luck!

L.

Hi
I've seen all kinds of suggestions here. But, Desmopressin, a nasal spray, has been our miracle. My daughter is nine and she was wetting her bed every night. After a blood test to eliminate anything else, the doctor said she would grow out of it eventually. Meanwhile, the doctor prescribed the medicine and now my daughter no longer wets the bed at night. I don't know how it works but, it works. Note that it does stop working after about 8 hours so on the weekends you may want to awaken your child to go to the bathroom if they sleep late.
E.

I have experienced this with two children. I would suggest not waiting to get the medical work up to rule out anything and most likely, it's not anything physical but is a deep sleep issue. We worked with an organization in Houston (no, you do NOT need to go there in person!) called Hargitt House Foundation, a non-profit organization that specializes in eliminating bed wetting without drugs. It's a food elmination process - milk and it's byproducts, using a rewards system and retraining the brain to connect to the bladder by teaching them to sleep not so deeply (which in many cases the deep sleep is caused by the chemicals in milk and other products like turkey, etc.). Visit www.hargitthousefoundation.com for more information. Good luck!

I wet the bed until I was in my teens. My parents tried EVERYTHING. It just took growing out of it. Just please remember, it is NOT the childs fault. Always encourage the child to stay dry but NEVER make them feel ashamed or get angry if they have an accident. It's not worth it for the childs esteem....
It's a good idea to check with the doctor but it's just one of those things....

I too have a daughter who used to have the same problem and has now has stoped completely . We are hispanics and this worked for us, let your daughter soak in warm water every evning for a little while 10 min. in the tub add baking soda about a teaspoon . Afer she dries up and is ready for bed have her put a teen tiny bit of mentholatum on the soles of her feet once her feet are warm ,and cosy she can slip them off at night in her bed . The smell of the mentholatum is not very strong , so don't sweat that part .Do this every other day for a month if she doesn't want to do everyday . The main thing is for her not to step on to the cold floor , (tile ) or the wet floor after you mopped , if you have carpet not a big deal . Stay well , have a great day .

Please have her speak to a qualified counselor who may be able to get to the bottom of what is causing her to continue having night-time accidents. If a medical doctor clears her of any medical reason for these accidents. I was a victim of night time accidents. I was not allowed to express my thoughts - unless those thoughts were in agreement with the thoughts of the one in authority. I left home at 18 and have NEVER had a night-time accident again! I loved my parents and had deep respect for them but I was not given the opportunity to be my real self at home...

My pediatrician told me that children either quit wetting at night at 3,8, or 12 years of age. Don't really understand why!

I had a foster daughter for a few months who was wetting the bed at age 10. I thought it was emotional, but it just so happened I had been in a car accident so I was going to the chiropractor a few times a week. I had her adjusted a few weeks in a row and the bedwetting stopped.

The chiropractor had a chart on the wall that showed how the spine being out of alignment in different places could cause different symptoms and bedwetting was one of them. Amazing!

Hi H.,
Google enuresis and find out all about this problem. My daughter had it and the cure was and is long lasting.
D. A.

I have a son (who is almost 12) who, like your daughter, would wet the bed sometimes several nights in a row and then go for many nights (sometimes a month at a time) dry and then wet again. We had an ultrasound of his kidneys and they were normal. We took him to the bathroom every night before we went to bed and every morning before my husband left for work at 5:30 and sometimes he would still wet anyway. We limited fluids, tried the alarm underwear (he slept through it), we even tried the prescription pills for a short time. When he was 10 our doctor suggested that his problem might be caused because he was not having regular enough bowel movements. I know it sounds crazy, but he was right. We had our son take Miralax every day for one month (luckily it was summer and he had time in the morning to get up and have a bowel movement). After the month was up we weaned back the Miralax but always made sure he was having regular bowel movements and it was not long before he did not need Miralax. From the time he started having regular bowel movements he never wet the bed again. The doctor said that having full bowels prevents the bladder from being able to ever totally empty and therefore, even though his urine production did slow down at night, he still had urine in the bladder that would come out when he was in his extremely deep sleep (he too was a very deep sleeper). I am not sure if this will help you, but it was a miracle for us.

Greeting H.! It look like you got a lot of good responses here. I totally agree with a few and want to add another. In nutrition classes we were taught about pin worms and how they cause bed wetting. When my son had this problem, I got him a 2 week child's pin worm formula from the local Health Food Store; may can find some at a good mom and pop drug store. I also gave him extra fiber through oatbran muffins, etc. When his bowels were cleaned out and the parasites were gone, his problem stopped immediately. Probiotics are key also. Chiropractic adjustments are a part of total health for your child. So if I could suggest a natural way, no milk after 3; chiropractor; good probiotic; pinworm formula; fiber fiber fiber. Of course, plenty of water before 6 with that fiber! Blessings to your family.

We were told to hold off on dairy in the evenings. Ranch dressing, cheese on pizza, everything. It worked for our 14-year-old. Good luck!

My daughter had this problem until approx. 9 yrs. old. The pediatrician didn't know; he sent me to a urologist who traumatized her in the hospital. I went to University of Michigan Hospital who diagnosed her immediately with (in laymen's terms) as Infantile Bladder. In other words the brain & the bladder were not getting the message properly. He prescribed Bella Dona drops which did help. He said the children can grow out of this & usually at certain age increments. However, if they go late into their teens, then they may never grow out of it. She did grow out & has been fine ever since.

Hi H.,

You have gotten some great responses. Besides emotional issues or stress and food sensitivities, I would look into her thyroid function. The test are not accurate though most of the time. You can check her temperature yourself in the mornings and chart them. Email me if you need the particulars on this. You can easily find out this way if it is her thyroid.

You may also want to look into seeing a homeopath or try this homeopathic product called Be-Dry.

Wishing you both all the best!

C.

Hi H.,

It seems from the responses that this is a fairly common occurence. However, I would not wait. It is best to take her into the MD and get it checked out (for piece of mind) Not only could late bedwetting be related to urological problems (ie: samll bladder, urinary retention that could lead to bladder and kidney infections) it could also be a sign of diabetes. The sooner you get these ruled out the better! Then everyone will get a good nights sleep!

It may not have anything to do with growing out of it. And a doctor may not catch the problem. I have started having occational problems as an adult which I have found stems from eating foods with fruitose and or High Fruitose Corn Syrup or as they call it now ~natural flavors~ in it. It has to do with a sensitivity to fruitose which is now added to so many of our foods and the fact that it weakens the vaulve between the kidney and the bladder among other ptoblems. If I cut these foods out I am fine. Problem is Froutose or High Frutose Corn Syrup is in so many foods and now hidden as natural flavrings. If your daughter's valves had a problem from birth and she has not grown out of it and if left untreated it can cause reflux of urine back into the kindey which leads to infection and kidney damage. I know this because I now have a daughter with only one kidney- I took her to doctor after doctor until one finally got tired of me complaining and sent us to a kidney specialist. Saddly, it was too late for my daughter's kidney but we learned from the specialist that High Frutose Corn Syrup is a killer of kidneys.

I read in a parenting mag once that a spoonful of honey at bedtime will help a child sleep lighter and alleviate some of those night time accidents. If it works, it's a cheap fix!

try giving her a tablespoonful of Peanut butter right before bed. when i was younger I had the same problem as did my cousin. That was what the urologist suggested and it did help. don't know why it worked or anything, but it did for both my cousin and I.

H.,

I am going to pose some very direct questions here, but it is all in the spirit of trying to help.

First of all, is she the oldest child? Does she have a lot of responsibility for the others? Sometimes this can result in restlessness and nighttime urination.

Second question - Is it at all possible that she is dealing with guilt? Perhaps she is trying too hard to fit in at school and has done things she is not proud of. This might explain the waves of the problem. She might only do this when things are weird at school.

Another possibility on the guilt concept is that something is happening that she does not want to tell you about. Someone might be taking advantage of her. This can result in a cry for help though she might not be able to say with words what is going on.

I hope that the other advice that others have given proves to help. I would hate to think that your daughter is dealing with some more major life issue, but it does happen and so I wanted to shed some light here for you or whom ever it might help.

F. G

Hi H. A,

My brother had the same issue when he was younger and it ended up being a food allergy. He was allergic to soy bean and wheat. Once they found out he had food allergies and he stopped eating foods with these ingredients he stopped wetting the bed. They then realized that was what was causing the issue. So if her doctor says everything is working as it should be then I would suggest looking for a possible food alleregy. It might explain why it happens in waves.

I had that experience to so I know how frustrating it can be for both you and your daughter. After checking with the doctor is there is not anything medically wrong--then check on emotional stress from school etc. That is what turned out to be our problem. Once we backed off trying to get schoolwork done and stressing on it so much the problem was alleviated and our relationship as parent and child was much better. A.

Our family had the same problem, and it was at about 11 years that my daughter stopped having night-time accidents (She also went many, many daytime hours without peeing.) We had tried many things, and none worked really well--they helped just a bit. What seemed to turn the corner was something quite unexpected:
For unrelated reasons, I signed up for a women's self-defense class--sort-of beginner's karate--at the university women's center where I worked. The class liberated a bunch of self-assertive energies in me. (Kicking and punching will do that!) By the time the class was over, my kid was completely dry at night. I wouldn't have connected the two except for a massage/bodywork therapist who also did self-defense. She said that urinating is often associated with self-assertion--the conscious "marking" of territory. She felt that liberating those energies in myself helped liberate them in my daughter, who became more free to let go with the muscles of the pelvic floor, enabling her to "consciously" pee instead of holding it in until she was unconscious--asleep. It made sense because she was a very shy, timid child at the time.

This may be caused by allergies. One that is known to cause this is if she has milk after 5:00 pm.

I know that you have already received many comments but I thought I could just put mine out there. I believe that I had night accidents until about 12 and my cousin until 13. We both grew out of it in our own time. I would just say try to be sensitive and keep it on the down low. I was VERY sensitive and many people in my family were so very frustrated and I took it personally. Thank god I have never had another accident in 17years but my memories were terrible. I wish you and your daughter the best and I truly believe that you are almost at the end of this. (Oh, I did go to the doctor and nothing was wrong with me)
Funny that my 3 year old boy is already night trained, I know how much you have to go through as a mommy and I feel for your daughter. You both just wish that it was something that could be controlled!
Good Luck and stay strong and supportive, you sound like you are doing everything right!

My son had accidents up until he was about 8 yrs old. I think you are on the right track talking to the Dr. It could simply be that she grew on the outside and not the inside and thus having a smaller bladder. I would also check with your gynogolist (?) for any cycsts that may be attached to her ovaries (?). I had that problem as an adult and found out that I had the cycsts the size of eggs on my ovaries. After they were safely removed, I no longer have to make certain that I get up every few hours to go pee or stay close to a bathroom during the day. It took them 2 years to figure that one out on me. I wish you the best and keep up the great support to your daughter. She probably will not tell you as teens dont, but she really needs right now.

My niece's daughter had this problem. See the doctor he'll give her something to help the re-occurrances.

I asked a cousin about this issue because he went through it and I have a son who was taking longer than what I considered normal. The one bit of wisdom he passed along was that for him, he realized he was going to the bathroom as soon as he felt the need, without holding it for any length of time. So, he purposely started holding it for short periods of time. He found that training himself this way durring the day time hours eventually continued into the nighttime hours. I found this information helpful because my son was a child whom we jumped and ran ourselves to a bathroom as soon as he would complain. I started not reacting quite as quickly. It was one of the changes I made in our behavior and I truely believe it helped.

I had bed wetting problems too when I was younger. My mom took me to a chiropractor. They adjusted my back and stopped instantly. If I started wetting the bed again my mom would take me back and again, instant fix.

I am currently going through the same thing with my 11 1/2 yr old daughter. We went to a urologist and they recommended not to allow any milk or sugary drinks with dinner. Then to give her a laxative and wait for 3 discharges of stool. Then to give her 1 dose of Mirolax a day for 6 weeks.... they think her problem is that her bowels are clogged up and that is causing her to wet her bed.... Just a thought...

Hi H.,
Try a really experienced homeopathic physician. He should be able to help.

This is not an uncommon situation. My son did not stop wetting the bed untill age 11. My husband when young had the same problem until age 12. Patience will be your friend on this one. You can try to limit the fluids but it didn't seem to help all that much in our case. I would try to wake my son up at around 10:30PM to use the restroom again. My son was a hard sleeper to, and I did ask a doctor about it. He said its a communication issue between the brain and bladder and the fact that he is such a heavy sleeper. They told me patience and to make him as comfortable with it as possible. If he fretted about it, it would be worse. Hope this helps. We used kid size night time pull ups for awhile.

Hello my name is V.....I know what you mean and what you are going through. My daughter is now 14 going on 15, and we went throught the same accidents and all. She has out grown the problem, but maybe a couple of times there where accidents. And yes I'v read they do out grow the inicidents. I was reading up on how sometimes the bladder just hasn't grown up yet, or the muscles are not responding well. Thats when they have to be trained, just like tightning up exercises. Well, it did help my daughter and I hope this gives you some comfort. And yes I was about to take my daughter in to see the doctor about the situation, and if nothing else helps maybe to the doctor it has to be. Don't give up, they do out grown the problem.

I would first of all if not already taken care check to see if your daughter has medical problems. my daughter had a smaller bladder than normal for her age. if everything medical is fine pay attention (secretly) to her world see what is happening in her life, stress? problems with friends and boyfriends (she is not too young to notice that boys are not yucky) even your home life.. but never make a fuss with her wetting the bed. she will grow out of it so to speak.
we fixed my daughter's bladder by making her hold it for longer periods. sometimes she was miserable "you know if you have to go you have to go" but she realized that we were trying to prevent her from going in her bed at night.
just make sure that when she leaves for school in the morning she takes a really good bath and remember to wash her hair too.
wetting the bed is somewhat caused on the family genes. my brother wet the bed every night until "get this" he went into the military for basic training. he was 17.

My 11 year old will still have acciedents once in a while. They seem to go in spurts although she hasn't had one in awhile. I took her to the doctor and then an uroligist a couple years ago...nothing was physically wrong with her. They wanted to give her medication however I chose NOT to take that option as we are a holistic family who doesn't believe in just "covering" up the problem. Her dad had the same issue when he was little. They are both VERY deep sleepers...in fact when I tried the waking up in the middle of the night, she wouldn't even remember it in the morning she was still asleep even though I had her in the bathroom. We did try one of the alarms and that seemed to help...she stayed dry for quite awhile...but then it started again. Just make sure you don't get angry with her, I know it can be very frustrating on our part but it's not their fault and they WILL outgrow it. She really doesn't like the pull-ups although we do still have some in the house. Now she sleeps on one of those waterproof pads and if she does have an accident she is the one who gets up and puts everything in the washer. Good Luck!!

Hi, an old co-worker once told me that her sons were still having night time accidents when they were 11- 13 years old. She finally had a doctor tell her that her sons were allergic to dairy products and that after 3 days of no dairy the accidents stopped.
Good Luck,
B. S.

If you can stand one more suggestion.

There is a nerve in the spine that innervates the reflex.
A one time chiropractic adjustment takes care of it.
Obviously if there is infection or any other malady, those need addressed, but more often than not the medical doctors can't find anything to "treat" This is simple & quick.

A.

I have an 11 year old that still has accidents. I have mentioned it to his doctor but she states that this happens with some children and that they will eventually grow out of it. Just get a good waterproof matress pad and stick it out. You are doing everything right. Unfortunately the harsher methods may not be the best.

I have been dealing with this too. My daughter will be 11 on 5/8 and for her its every night. Still having to wear pull-ups to bed, etc. It's very embarrassing for her and we have tried everything. Her doctors have tried different meds, we have had an ultrasound of her bladder done, and have tried the no liquids after 6pm route as well. Nothing has worked for her. We have been told that sometimes it can take up to age 12 or so for things to work properly, especially for girls. We are going to try to work on it over this next year between 11 and 12 and see if her body is finally caught up. She doesn't seem to have any hormonal things going on and there is nothing mentally going on either. She does sleep really hard and I don't know if that is part of the problem too.

Good luck!

R. A.

One of my daughters struggled with this as well. Finally, an Anthroposohic Doctor told us that she was probably not able to NOT wet every single night, virtually no matter what we tried...but that probably she would stop with her first Menses. Sure enough, the day she started mentruating (at 13 years old) she never wet her bed again!
Good Luck, and my heart goes out to your daughter.

One of my daughters wore Pull-Ups EVERY night of her life until she started puberty - and then the problem stopped. We did all the tests and tried all the "rules" - (don't drink after 6, don't drink caffeine, don't..., don't..., don't...) all to no avail. I refused to medicate. Our attitude was, "Some people's eyes don't work well, so they wear glasses" and "Some people's ears don't work well, so they wear hearing aids." Your bladder doesn't work well, so you wear Pull-Ups. One recommendation - have her wear gowns (rather than pajamas) because then no one can tell that she's wearing pull-ups. Don't stress out about it. It'll pass.

Have you ever thought about Chiropractic care? There is a part of the spinal column that regulates the bladder. Chiropractors have been well known in helping children that wet the bed. Its worth a try!

We are using the undies and alarm system. It was recommended by our pediatrian. I got it at the bedwettingstore.com . It took about 1 month and my son started waking up and going on his own. He's now been without any accidents for over 30 days. I stongly recommend it. Good luck!

I wanted to add what I know about this as well as both of my sons have/had bed wetting trouble. I have heard that it is hereditary. It seems to be related to their going into a deep sleep. Try not to let the child get over tired; keep a certain bed time, etc. The scary thing is, recently I talked to the dr. because my son is going to camp and he would not prescribe the meds for me because there have been some children actually die from some meds that stop the bed wetting. He said this was rare, but not worth taking a chance for bed wetting. Here is a recommendation: when it is day time, have the child try to "hold it" when they feel like they have to go. Maybe just for an extra 30 minutes, and then go to the bathroom. This was recommended by our dr. which I believe is supposed to help them with feeling the urge, controlling it when it comes and increasing awareness of it within their body and also stretching the bladder so it doesn't have to empty when just a small amount of fluid is present.

Hey H.,

I had this problem when I was a bit younger than your daughter. My mother took me to a pediatric urologist and they got to the bottom of the issue. The doctor is the best place to start. Good Luck!

Try Melatonin. I found that it helped my 12 year old son sleep better (and wake up easier) when he needed to go to the bathroom. He rarely has accidents now.

We've been dealing with our 8yr old dd since she was potty training with this issue. We even saw a specialist. I would have never guessed this but she suggested that she has issues with constipation and that her bladder is highly sensitive. If the rectum is full, it will touch the bladder causing it to spasm and leak. Therefore, many accidents both day and night. We have been working on her diet (I hate putting kids on meds unless absolutely necessary). She eats 2 prunes a day in addition to eating healthier choices and LOTS of water. We restrict the water at night and she's been doing great for the last year or so. Try the diet changes. If she doesn't like prunes, a good fiber tablet she can chew would be a great alternative. Good luck and hope this helps.

H.,

Thanks for asking .. I am also looking for advice for two of my boys (8 and 5) .. and I read all of them and going to use some advice .. I feel like I am at the end of rope .. after already trying a lot of things .. Today was a bad day and I was just crying after everyone left the house .. it is a pile of laundry AGAIN and I don't know how to catch up with laundry and sleep ( I take them to bathroom around 11 and then wake up at 4 .. to take them again ..) and sometimes they have wet the bed in between or after 4 .. sometimes like last night .. both of them wet it before 4 and then after 4 again .. I don't know what to do .. At times I feel like screaming .. but it was good to read everyone's response .. Again .. Thanks a lot ..

i know i am a little late on this one...but, i would suggest going to the chiropractor. my whole family goes once a week to one and he is great. it seems wierd, but my mom actually still wets the bed occasionally, because she has a bladder problem that she had surgery on when she was very young. so before we went to the chiro.. she would wet like 2-3times a month... we were talking to him about my daughter when we were potty training and he got on the subject of actual adjustments for that and he started them on my mom and now she does not have them any more. if she misses her appointments for a few weeks then they come back and then she goes to him again and they go away. crazy.. but it helps. i always try to find something to help that does not involve medication for my kids and the chiropractor has kept them very healthy.

good luck with it.

is she dressed warmly for bed? does she keep herself cuddled under the blanket throughout the night or does she kick back the blanket? is there a fan in the room, or any cold draft that could be making her cold while she sleeps?
after months of having to get up 3-4 times a NIGHT this past winter i realized my husband was taking the blanket away from me every night and i kept waking up with a desire to go to the bathroom because i was so cold! we started sleeping with our own blanket and guess what? problem solved from that very night. i started sleeping through the entire night without waking up at all. sometimes it's the little things that make a difference, and she just may need a warmer pajama/socks or a heavier blanket to keep herself warm. try it for a week and see if you see an improvement, have you noticed a pattern as far as when it happens? (perhaps only during the winter, etc?)

Hey H.,

Just wanted to put my 2 cents in. A remedy that I have used is a teaspoon of honey before bedtime. Honey is also good for coughs and relaxes the body.
Also, you said you work at home, is that something that your company is hiring for. I would be interested.

SAHM of 3 children.

I have a niece with the same issues....but upon testing they found that her kidneys were not doing what they needed to be doing, so she was put on medication to fix the problem, and has been doing great every since! Good luck!

I got a book for my daughter called "Dry all Night" from the library. It is an interactive book that explains about the body and then has the child practice strengthening bladder muscles by 'holding it' while they read a story in the book. Anyway, I think it helped my daughter and it's worth a try! Also, I know that alarm devices work, but if you use one just make sure you are very supportive of your child. It is easy for them to feel alone and punished when using one. Although at her age she is already probably feeling very alone and is willing to try anything.

My sister had this problem, as did I. Mine was related to actual physical abnormalities (small bladder and 4 kidneys). My sister's was related to hormone issues. There is a certain hormone that tells our body when to produce and release the most urine. Most of us excrete this hormone during the day time, but a few people have it reversed leading to bedwetting. My sister only had this problem when she started having the beginning of her female cycle and her hormones got completely messed up. There is a spray that is prescribed by the doctor that actually helps get your body back on the right track. It is a nasal spray and I think you spray it at night. Check with your doctor. This is a really natural approach to the situation as well, but it has to be through a doctor. Don't know if anyone gave you this suggestion but it has worked for many people and you can even research it on the web.

My sister had chronic bedwetting until the age of 12. The best thing I know that you can do is. 1. Do not make a big deal of it to her. 2. Allow her to grow out of it. I know it sounds like a daunting task, but for now, just get some mattress protectors and keep doing what your doing. she will outgrow it.

I just responded to Ruth's request regarding her 8 yr old son with bedwetting. Please read that response for some information.

Hello H.,
You can call Me,"Wet The Bed Dream Girl", and I do not mean any disrespect to AnyOne by calling Myself this. I call Myself that because of a problem that I had from childhood, I imagine, that led Me up to 13 years of age before I quit wetting the bed, but I still to this day, not much lately because they put Me on Detrol LA which of course is not good for children, I'm not saying that, but as a 53 year old adult, it has helped Me to sleep through the night now, but I still have wet dreams to this day. These dreams that I have are extremely terrible and for Me they usually include a restroom, toilet or something in regards to using the restroom and even starting to use the restroom in My dreams. I think that I grew out of the lazy stage I think they call it till the age of 13. I Thank God that I grew out of it because it was not an easy thing to live with as a Child. I do not know how You can approach this with Your Baby Girl but out of 4 Children Myself I had only one Child that had a problem with bed wetting but stopped at a much earlier age. I also had to get up and take Him to the restroom many many times. As a Mother, I am a light sleeper when I have to be. With My Children I was, and that helped Me to keep and eye on My son. Maybe that was My problem early on with My bed wetting and that My parents were not aware of My sleeping habits, maybe it was caused by some kind of trauma for Me. I do not know but I no longer had to get Him up past the age of 11 years old. He didn't wet the bed up to that long, but that is how long before He got control. Maybe it has something to do with bladder control. In this case I have tried everything Myself up to not drinking past six and after I stopped drinking, I used the restroom every 2 hrs. until 11pm, going to sleep just to wake up again to use the restroom in the middle of the nite (2 to 3 times)and then again in the morning which wakes Me up. Needless to say, until Detrol LA, which helped Me to control My bladder, I got hardly any lengthy time of sleep. Now as of 6 months taking this medication, I sleep 6 1/2 hours after I stop drinking liquids at 6pm and using the restroom a few times until midnight otherwise I have been holding My bladder up to 4 hours now without accidents, without waking all through the night (2to3times) but not without the control of the liquids I take in. I am asked to not drink alot of liquids through the day. They suggest (My doctor's office) 40oz. to start with the Detrol LA to get things under control then I slowly started taking in more liquids but not like I am use to. I Hope that this information I give of Myself and the problem of bed wetting as I had as a Child helps You.

Sincerely,
Sherry

Hi H., I just read your reaponse to the messages you received and I'm not sure if anyone mentioned the possibility of Diabetes. Wetting the bed even after cutting off liquds and using restroom before bed time unfortunately won't help. Is she unusally thirsty? That's the 2nd highest sign. I pray it isn't but the test is extrmely easy and sorta painless stick of the finger. I would have her checked immediately S.

i too have an 11 year old that is having night itme accidents. We did take her to her DR, and from there a urologist. They could not find anything medically wrong with the bladder etc., so we decided to try the medication route. She has been prescribed a medication that she takes at night, and it is helping!! We also have her wear Depends Pads at night, so if she does have an accident, it does not warrant a complete bedding change.
Our Doctor said that there can be many reasons for bed wetting, and that most will out grow it. with the meds and pads, she is more comfortable spending the night with friends....noone has to know what the medeicine is for!

Hi H.,

In all honesty, I highly recommend taking her to a Naturopathic doctor. He/she will work with you to get to the root of the problem. You can go to my website (www.HealthyHabitsWellnessCenter.com) for a list of local resources.

Best of luck to you!
G.

You must contact Pacific International. They are a company that specializes in this problem. They have a specific program to help your child. They helped mine. This is called nocturnal enuresis and it's a sleep disorder. Their number is 800-477-2233. Good luck.

I've read through some of the responses -- wetting the bed is sort of heredity driven. I wet the bed well into my teens (sorry, I sleep like a log) and so did my son. We'd wake him up just before we'd go to bed, to the bathroom, and then as soon as I got up in the morning, I'd wake him up again.

Good luck. It is very frustrating and becomes even more so when "slumber" party invites begin!

I was the same way growing up. My daughter is 7 and was wetting the bed every night until our doc prescribed a nasal spray. We can regulate how much to give her, for example, right now she only needs 2 squirts and but we could go up to 4 or as little as 1. I sure wish they would have had this when I was growing up. I know my daughter feels much better, she was starting to get very upset at herself for wetting the bed and we never made a big deal out of it. Also, she is getting the age of "sleepovers" and girls scout camping outings and she didn't want to go b/c she knew she would wet the bed. I'm so grateful for the med and I know my daughter is too. The doc said it should take about 6mths and then we would start weening her off it. Our copay on the insurance is only $10--so I'm guessing it's a generic and is so worth it.

My daughter is 9 and still wets the bed almost every night. She wears pull-ups, which I highly recommend, if your daughter is receptive. They help to avoid the stress of having to wash everything each morming and of waking up soaked in urine. My daughter's doctor said that some of her patients have accidents into high school, and that they grow out of it.
I would have it checked out. If she has never had a period of 3 months of dry nights, then it is primary enuresis. If she has "regressed", it is secondary and needs to be looked into. At the very least, your pediatrician can prescribe desmopressin for the nights that she might be at a friend's house to help prevent an accident. Good luck!

My younger brother wet the bed well into his teens, we tried all the things you mentioned, we limited evening fluids, woke him up at night, etc., they checked him for kidney problems and bladder problems, no luck. Eventually, he just quit. I wonder if it might be something hereditary, my grandmother said that my father had the same problem and 2 out of my brothers 4 children also wet the bed until early teens. Happily, though, they did all "grow out of it".

A friend of mine had this problem w/ her child. She was a nurse and researched her medical books and discovered that even light milk allergies can cause this. She didn't allow her daughter to have milk after lunch time, and the bed wetting stopped that day and never re-occurred.

Good luck

Hi H.. I didn't read all of your responses but I started wetting the bed again when I was young and it turned out I was missing a urater, I needed an implant. They took tissue from my thigh and built one. Defintenly start at the doctor! It was not that tramatic, don't be scared, it can be fixed,if that's the problem. Good luck.

this is a major sign of food allergies. i would have her tested for allergies.

Hi H.,

Have you ever tried giving your daughter probiotics? Recent research has shown that lack of beneficial microflora in the gut can actually cause a chronic low grade infection and irritation in the bladder. This doesn't show up as an infection in the usual tests, so it is usually missed.

What happens is that the bladder, constantly inflamed and irritated, can't hold onto the urine. This might be cleared up by using probiotics.

This information comes from the book Gut and Psychology Syndrome, by Natasha Campbell McBride.

Be Well,

M.

I know you have had many good suggestions but I happen to know a lady who had this problem until she was 21 and her parents took her to every specialist and none were able to make any difference. She happened to find a Shaklee representative and began using their natural supplements and the problem went away. If you would like, I could put you in contact with her. wish you the best of luck!
O.