Almost 4 Year Old Bedwetting

Walmart and target have those boxer style underpants. They are called Goodnights I think, in the section with the pull ups are.

They make these overnight diaper/pants that look like shorts that you might try. They are on the diaper isle usually towards the end and I think they are called overnights. Best of luck to you!

Hi D., It can be an allergic response. Our neighbors' child had the same problem and it turned out it was a response to something he was eating. When the item was not in his diet, he stopped.

Having raised 3 boys, I have a few ideas. Of course the obvious thoughts are that he's sleeping late or had a drink too late in the evening. The weather has been pleasantly cool the past few days. We would have this problem on cold nights- there's something about cold air and little boys. Have you perhaps had windows open at night?
Two of my boys had to wear the pull-ups even as a 6 year old. One hadn't quite mastered staying dry at night (he was such a sound sleeper) The other son had been dry at night but it started all over again when he started school. Perhaps there is some new stress in your son's life.
I did use the cotton training pants with my oldest son MANY years ago, but couldn't find them over size 18 months even then. I suggest a plastic mattress protector or pull-ups.

That is fairly common. I would simply reduce his beverages before bedtime and make sure he goes potty before bedtime. I don't think you need to revert to pull ups or training pants. Every kid boy or girl will have a bed wetting accident or two through about 7 years old. Maybe he is having bad dreams? He'll ceratinly go back to his normal behavior, just help him by making sure he does not drink anything before bed. Goood Luck.

http://www.pull-ups.com/na/pull-ups-bigkids-finishingup-n...

here is an article from pull ups website. they say they do not call it bedwetting until past 5 yrs old.
good luck!

also i read the responses with the mattress pad cover my mom bought me some from a medical supply store that are actually for adults and they are larger. these work great for my 3 almost 4 year old b/c he moves alot in his sleep. I have put my son in pullups at night i say until i use the rest of what i have up. it makes it easier on all of us with cleaning up the bed. i worry he will get sick b/c when he wets the bed, he sleeps through it and is sleeping in a big wet mess which i worry makes him too cold.

My daughter went through this, she potty trained at night first. As an infant she would have a dry diaper at night. Then at age 5, she started wetting the bed. The doctor said it was probably a combination of starting school causing her to be more tired so she slept more soundly at night, and her bladder not growing as fast as her body. I tried putting her to bed earlier and restriction liquids at night to no avail.
So... we got a mattress protector and I kept fresh bedding and clothes laid out for her so she could take care of the clean-up herself, which helped her not be so embarrassed. It took about 2 years before it stopped being an every night thing, then it became an occasional thing until about age 10.
I understood how she felt because I was an occasional bed wetter too until about age 10, and trust me, it's not any more fun for the child than it is for you! :~)
A. :~D

It probably is just a natural phase and will pass with patience and time. However, there are a few medical reasons this may occur so you should get your child a check up and mention this to your child's doctor.

My daughter does this. will go months no problems, then several night accidents, then fine again. Just stages. I think there are lots of reaons for it. She is not diabetic, but she is a guzzler of liquids through out the day and it seems her body decides to release it at night when she is sleeping hard. She tends to dothis prior to a growth spurt too. Why? I have no idea. Maybe it makes her sleep harder. anyway, when she has the first accident, I clean her up, then for the next 3 nights I wake her up at 1:00am and have her go. Of course, I have her go right before bed etc.. and this keep subsequent accidents at bay and less laundry, self esteem issues etc. She usually tells me, "Ok, you don't have to wake me tonight mom. I'll take care of it myself." Then I leave her be. This way she has some control and yet I do help her over the humps with little fuss or muss. Hope this helps you. :)

My daughter is 5 and is wetting at night. I bought her those little night pull up things that look like shorts. No big deal. She will do better when she is able. In the meantime, we limit her fluids at night and make sure she pees before she gets in bed. I think many times that parents over-think this stuff. Sometimes they just are not ready. Their bladders (and brains)are not mature.

Hi D.,
It is not at all unusual for a little boy to do this. try to see if something has changed in his little life recently- if someone has said or done anything to hurt his feelings- could be something very minor- but big to him.
then, I would restrict his liquids after 4 30 or 5 pm- and no later than 6 pm depending on what time he goes to bed. If he is in bed early- try keeping him up half hour or hour longer and be sure he goes before he goes to bed.
He may have to go back to the sleeping pull ups for a little while. But just tell him it is so in case he needs to go and does not wake up then his bed won;'t be wet and smelly-

good luck and blessings

Hi there,

Same scenario with my daughter when she was five. I took her in and she was Type 1 Diabetic. Take him in ASAP to get checked. Is he also drinking alot of water?

Good luck,
DH

D.,
I agree with all the advice...If you see it happening frequently, then yes get him tested. But we experienced a similar situation with our son. Potty trained at 2yrold at night first and never had an accident and then had a few of them (in a series of 2 or 3 nights) over the last couple years. This is what we surmised. If he is extremely tired - and I mean deep, deep sleep he would have an accident. If he was under the weather (say allergies or something) and we were giving him vit C supplements to help his immune system - that too can cause them to have an accident. Like the other posts, we just put a small mattress protector down (under the sheet and mattress cover), so he doesn't even feel it. I used the one I had from his crib mattress and just cut the edges off of it, so it's a nice size and hasn't been a problem.

Take care...

Recent constantly changing weather may be a contributing factor. Whenever it turns cool & wet, children have trouble telling that they have to "go" until it's too late & will have problems at night also.
I believe I saw training pants at WalMart while shopping for one of my "extra" kids (It takes a tribe to raise a child & everyone knows my door is always open.) recently.
Something else that will help is to make sure he drinks nothing after 7pm.
I wish you luck & would like to assure you that this, like many trials to come, will pass.

Make sure you have a protective cover on the mattress.

Have a change of clothes, an extra blanket and pillow near by. This gives him some power and control and he won't feel like such a baby. Praise him on how well he handled himself. (He won't be having to wake you up either.)

Tell him that when he wets the bed, he may get undressed and put his clothes in the bathtub. (Urine is sterile and he doesn't have to bathe.) He could wipe himself off with a wipe if he wants to. Then, he puts his dry clothes on and may sleep on the floor with the new blanket and pillow. You will clean everything up in the morning.

I put my son in overnight pull-ups for big kids. My boy hated it. I told him if he could go for 3 nights in a row dry, then he could wear underwear at night until he had another accident; then he had to wear the pull-ups for 3 dry nights again. He only wore those pull-ups once. But, at this point he was already 5, I think.

Your boy isn't even 4 yet. I would just make sure he isn't drinking anything like tea too close to bed time, etc. Make sure he goes to the bathroom before he goes to bed. Also, make sure he's getting a nap in the daytime. When my 4 year old doesn't get enough sleep - he's too tired to wake up and that is when he has his accidents. But, both my boys on their occasional accidents take care of the basics themselves. I know I have to spray some vinegar on the mattress when I see those clothes in the bathtub. But, with my boys it is usually too much tea or too little sleep!

They still sell those cotton, padded underwear. I bought mine at Babies R Us, I think.

Good for you in recognizing it's not something he can control! That being said, don't punish him by putting him back in "diapers". My son, who is 5 now, had never wet the bed until he was 3, and has only done it 3 or 4 times since then. It's almost always because of a bad dream (his aunt let him watch a scary movie), or his subconscious trying to deal with a difficult situation (daddy going out of town for several months on a job, or staying in a new place).
We have matress proctectors that have the cotton pad on top, and the plastic on the underside (you can find them at Walmart) in case of an accident, and we have a night time ritual of having a small sip of water and then going to the bathroom before bed. We don't allow him anything else to drink after dinner, which is usually 2 hours before bedtime. We also tell him it's ok to get up in the night to go to the bathroom, but he has to go straight back to bed afterwards. I will usually tuck him back in, and try to alleviate any fears that might have woke him. Hope this helps you with your little man!

Definitely don't go back to pullups. It would be a huge setback emotionally. Make certain your child goes to the bathroom before he goes to bed. Even if he thinks he doesn't need to go. I always say, "Just Try, or "Sometimes it surprises you." My suggestion is to put two waterproof mattress pads over the fitted sheet of his bed. If he wets, it will make cleanup a lot better. Take the wet pad off, and you will avoid having to clean up so much in the middle of the night if this happens again. Some kids do wet the bed in the night and it is not abnormal, especially if they are extra tired. Our 4 YRO does once in a while.