Seeking Moms - North Tonawanda,NY

My brother wet the bed at night until he was 8 and my sister wet the bed until she was 12. Luckily it was treated as no big deal.

Hi M.,

This is very normal...my step son didn't outgrow bedwetting until he was almost 13. I wouldn't worry about it, especially since you say he is a sound sleeper. My step son would sleep walk and still does sometimes (he's 16 now)...he even peed in the floor heating vent one time while sleep walking!!! EWWW! It may take a while, but bedwetting can be overcome with time.

D.
mom to 4, step mom to 1

M.,

My son wet the bed on and off for about 10 years. We tried everything cutting out fluids, taking him to the bathroom during the night, doctors checked him and found no cause, we even tried a nose spray that was supposed to stop the bed wetting. He was a very sound sleeper, we would take him to the bathroom and he wouldn't even wake up. I think no matter what we do it is something he has to grow out of. I think their bladder is not fully developed combined with being a sound sleeper is the problem. Just try to be supportive it really is not his fault. One tip is I bought waterproof crib mats and had him sleep on top of it so when he wet we would only have to change him, and remove the mat not change the sheets. I hope this helps Good luck!!

M. - I have the same issue with my 6 year old son. My husband apparently had the same issue as a kid and he told me it was because he slept so soundly. I asked our Pediatrician and he confirmed and said the same thing. Some kids sleep so soundly that they don't even realize they are relieving themselves in bed. Because of that I just keep buying Underjams or Goodnites and put a pad on the bed under his sheet just in case leaks do occur.
It happens and they'll eventually grow out of it per the docs.
All the best,
C.

Good morning, I myself was a bed wetter. I am 44 now, and neither of my children had this problem however the doctors said I have a 50 50 chance that they will. I wet the bed until I was 10 years old. My mother did every thing , nothing to drink every night after dinner. She would wake me up every 2 hours to go to the bathroom. And I would go. Which was exhausting for her, but the last time she would wake me is at 6 am, I would be able to sleep until 8 am for school. Never failed I would wet the bed between 6 and 8 am like I never went to the bathroom all night. The doctors all said I had a weak bladder and I was a very deep sleeper. I had to wait to grow out of it. Which I finally did. I used to cry and tell lmy mother I swore I was in the bathroom that is how real my dream felt that I was on the toilet, but I was so deeply sleeping I was still in bed. I used to tell her I could even feel the coldness of the toilet seat, but the whole time I was dreaming about being in the bathroom. Your son cannot help it. Please be patient, it may take a long time for him to grow out of this. The doctors told us it is hereditary, and my own father had the same problem when he was a little boy. I am sure he feels horrible and upset about it also. There was only 2 friends of mine growing up that knew about this. I couldnt have sleepovers like most kids like to do. My mom washed my bedding everyday, Its an exhausting job trying to teach him to hold it while he is sleeping, but unfortunately it is not something we can teach them. Their body will adjust at its own time frame. I know you may think I am crazy but, I have been there.

Have you tried waking him up at about 11 each night. They tell you when you start to train children.. some children need to be woken up about 11 each night. I did this with both my children at about age 2.. and until now.. they wake up on their own to go to the bathroom. You have to instill the waking up in him. I used to get ready for bed.. then go get my children up.. usually drag them half sleeping ... put them on the toilet... and they would go.. put them back to bed.. and hooray they would go right back to sleep and be dry in the a.m. Also make sure he stops drinking about 1 1/2 before bed.. make sure he goes to the bathroom before bed.. and make sure you get him up once before you go to bed... you must do this every night for about 1 month.. then see what happens.. good luck... What's happening is bed wetting is now a habit.. and you must try to break him of it.. or otherwise he will have problems as he gets older and kids find out...

Hi M., You may want to check with your Doctor as it could be a medical problem. If it is not you can just rule it out. Also limit liquids before bedtime, especially soda or tea. Some have tried to get the child up still sleeping) and walk them to the bathroom to pee or make sure he empties his bladder before bed if he drinks a lot at dinner. My best, Grandma Mary

M.,
So many boys are having the same problem around this age. My son is also one of them. We have talked to doctors and they have all said pretty much the same thing. Some kids bladders don't grow with their bodies at the same rate. My son had some issues with constipation and that inhibited the baldder expanding. If there are any medical issues, talk to you doctor. Otherwise, give your son and yourself a break. He will grow out of it eventually. My son is 8 now and he is just now beginning to stay dry at night.

May actually be a physical thing. The body can grow faster than the bladder causing bed wetting. Try walking him to the bathroom late and it may get him through the night without wetting through the pullups. Talk to his doctor about it and he will probably tell you he will grow out of it. A.

Glad to hear we're in good company! M., my son is in exactly the same place. I talked to my doctor, and he said that there is no point in trying to train him because there's nothing you--or he--can do about it. It's not "trainable" like daytime control. He also mentioned that children who sleep very soundly like your son (and mine) are still in a kind of baby-like sleep, and as they grow older their sleep will change to a more adult-like sleep and they will be able to rouse themselves or hold it in. Also, I understand that there is a kind of medication that can be administered to control bedwetting for a night so the child can go to a sleepover without embarrassment. But it only treats the symptom because, as my doctor keeps reiterating, the cause is not treatable. In a way, that takes some pressure off because I know I'm not supposed to be doing anything about it except waiting patiently. I feel like I will be buying Good Nights forever, but I'm sure it will just end one day!

My son wet the bed up till he was almost 7. Then one day he said no more pull ups and was done. He maybe has had 2 or 3 incidents since. He was 7 in July. I had him to a urologist 2 times. He also leaked during the day. He was fine. Sometimes it is just a matter of development time and patience.

Hi M.,

The "pee pee" alarm worked for us. It took about a week and my son has been dry through the night since. It has been about 4 years!!! You can find it online or your pediatrician can recommend a brand

Good Luck
Sarah

Hi, my sister had the same problems, she wet the bed on and off until she was 10. I would speak to your doctor,but be a little cautious about putting him on medicine right away. Most bet wetting problems go away on their own, children tend to out grow them. In the mean time you could put plastic bed covers on any bed he sleeps on. That was help alot.

My son, now 7, had the same problem. His issue was sleep apnea. I would search pediatric sleep apnea to see if any of the other symptoms match up with your guy, then talk to his doc. if it does.
Good luck. I know it's no fun dealing with bed wetting.

My son will be 6 at the end of the month, and he JUST stopped wearing pullups at night. Allergies, growth spurts, and being a sound sleeper can ALL contribute, as can having a family history of bed wetting...I always said I'd rather have him sleep soundly and wear pullups than to be up three or four times a night "just because"...and my pediatrician agreed with me...

Well, I would talk to your doctor if you feel you should...if nothing else to make you feel better and rule diabetes etc...BUT, it doesn't sound like an issue to me...my oldest son is 9 and no kidding this kid sleep walks to the bathroom(almost everynight)and if something is "off" like one time my husband was in the bathroom so my son walked downstairs and opened the kitchen cabinet and peed in the garbage can!! Another time I saw him, I was wayching him and I said hello(this was before I realized he was a sleepwalker) and he came over and pulled his pants down and started to pee on me!!! When he used to share a room with his younger brother and he was on the top bunk he would pee in his bed, we put him in the bottom bunk and he would be fine...I guess what I'm trying to do here is let you know, I think he's fine...have him pee before bed and make sure his path to the bathroom is clear...also I love the idea of making his bed with a waterproof cover and the remaking it underneath with another sheet a cover, so you can quickly pull off a layer and hot spend time remaking the bed...best of luck!

I had a son with the same issue. When they are such heavy sleepers they don't feel that they need to go. We put a limit to how much he could drink during dinner (nothing with caffeine) & after dinner. Also we didn't give him any ices, ice cream or fruits such as watermelon within 2 hours before bed. He had to go to the bathroom before he went to sleep & my husband or I would take him again before we went to sleep. He never really woke up so its not disturbing his sleep. I don't remember exactly how old he was when he stopped having accidents. He just suddenly started waking up dry.

Talk to your doctor about it, but my daughter is 9 and she still has to wear pull ups. She has tried everything to not wet but it still happens.
We did the no drinks after 7 thing, going potty before bed, waking her up during the night, etc. Nothing has worked for her.

You might ask your doctor about DDAVP. It's a medicine that helps them stop wetting. My son was on it when he was around 8 till about 12 yrs old. He had a wetting problem too. Doctors ran tests, found nothing wrong.

But I would start by having your doctor check for a physical reason he is still wetting, then go from there.

My daughter Maggie wet the bed at night until she was 7.
I am the mother of a 16 and 12 year old as well. My other two daughters were potty trained at 2 years old so I was VERY
concerned about Maggie. She is also a very sound sleeper and would not wake up even if she was soaked. I am happy to say she is finally over it!!! It was just in her own time-not mine.
A.

Not to worry, it's very common with boys. Two suggestions for you.
1. Cut back on his liquid intake from suppertime on. Also, be sure he goes at least twice between school and supper.
2. If it continues after a week or so of reducing the liquid intake, wake him before YOU go to bed and have him go. Yes, it disrupts his sleep, but the focus is trying to train him/his body not to go in the night.
Good luck and don't worry. My nephew who is 23 doesn't even remember this from when he was six!

My son who is a little older does still on occasion if he has a drink to close to bed time. Of course I try to limit that but we have hectic schedules and that can't be avoided all the time. My son is a very sound sleeper as well. I was told to cut off the drinks a couple of hours before bedtime and try to wake him to use the bathroom before you go to bed for the night. I was unable to do the later....Good luck.

Tell him to use bathroom before he goes to bed. Don't let him drink anything 2 hours before he goes to sleep unless he gets really thirsty, then you let him drink a little bit of water. Clean your mattress and cover up his mattress with 2 zipper-nylon mattress-covers in order to keep him clean sleeping on a sanitary mattress. You cam even lay out a large size thick towel across his bed on top of his bed sheet before you tuck him in wearing pull-ups. Psychologically speaking, it is a way of giving him an idea that it is okay to wet himself in his sleep. However, such idea is outweighed by the benefits of his sanitary and comforts. Can you imagine your child sleeping on top of a dirty smelly mattress taking chances of bed bugs biting him from frequent wetting? Can you afford changing $200 - $300 mattress every week? It is only my personal opinion. Each mom does it differently.