6 year old wetting bed

e1234

Mon, Aug 06 2007, 8:27 am

my six year old son still wets his bed almost every night.

is this something I should worry about or will he just grow out of it?
I keep thinking he will grow out of it but now that it's more often then not - I wonder..

amother

Mon, Aug 06 2007, 10:54 am

this is very common unfortunately.(and hereditary)my 8 yr. old son still wets his bed as well. my ped. told me it can even go on until the teenage yrs! my ped. recommended the sleep dry alarm. it is amazing! it really works. basicly u hook it on to your childs underwear and the minute thre is any moisture, an alarm sounds to wake them up to use the bathroom. I know that some kids do go on medication as well. I personally am not ready to take taht route yet. I know how frusturating this is. good luck!

Mon, Aug 06 2007, 2:38 pm

AFAIK over 10% of boys wet at night at the age of 5, and around 5% at the age of 10. It is very common...
Was he ever dry or has he always been wetting?
Are there others in the family who wet the bed till later in childhood? It does seem to run in families....
It might be worth sending a urine sample, mainly to rule out a urine infection...
The most important reason to treat bedwetting is to minimize the embarrassment and anxiety of the child and the frustration experienced by the parents. Children should be instructed not to drink to excess with the evening meal and to minimize fluid intake after supper.
My sister's son was wetting the bed till around the age of 8. She ended up using the alarm and it worked well. It can be very effective in older children, but child (and parents) have to be motivated.
HTH. Is there a clinic where you live that deals with this? If so, maybe get a referral.

greenfire

Mon, Aug 06 2007, 2:45 pm

yes keep away from the liquids after a certain time of day ... and also you have to keep waking him up and help him be aware ... you do need to check with the doc to make sure he has no problem ... and then go ahead ... good luck

has he ever been trained at night - did something happen to regress ... just a thought ...

e1234

Tue, Aug 07 2007, 2:43 am

he's never really been trained though he has had some better times and some worse...

he's the oldest so dont' know if it runs in the family (I hope not)
My 4 year old Daughter after him is pretty good...

I guess I'll just wait it out..

amother

Sun, Aug 26 2007, 8:27 pm

amother wrote:

my ped. recommended the sleep dry alarm. it is amazing! it really works. basicly u hook it on to your childs underwear and the minute thre is any moisture, an alarm sounds to wake them up to use the bathroom.

this doesn't work for everyone as it only alerts them after the fact. I know this from experience with it.

greenfire wrote:

yes keep away from the liquids after a certain time of day.

definately good advice.

Jo wrote:

Are there others in the family who wet the bed till later in childhood? It does seem to run in families.... .

I know this to be true, but it won't necessarily happen.

Some advice:
Have him go to the bathroom before bed.
When he has to go when he's awake, have him hold it for a little while so his bladder learns to hold it in.
Encourage/praise him when he wakes up dry.
Ask him if anything happened with him at school, friends, home life to see if something changed that bothered him (if this is new).
Did you try the "Good nights" diapers?

HindaRochel

Mon, Aug 27 2007, 1:19 am

Actually don't withhold liquids. THis causes the problem it is meant to cure. Obviously don't drink to access, but not drinking makes the urine more acidic and makes accidents more likely.

Keep the kidney area covered, have the child go to the bathroom before bed, but this is a no brainer.

Most kids who wet the bed, who aren't suffering from some trauma, are very heavy sleepers. Waking them at night sometimes helps, but again, if you are taking them to the bathroom half-a-sleep you are just reenforcing the idea of peeing in their sleep.

After a certain age give them the task of changing the bed. This isn't punisment, it shouldn't be relayed in that form, just, you are now old enough, here are the sheets, here's how to use the washer and dryer.