Bed Wetting - Brandon, SD

I am glad to read about this-I too have a son(9yr.) who is still wetting the bed at night. We too have tried everything we can think of-nothing to drink after 6:00,getting him up at night,rewards for a period of time(1 week) dry, we were told of a book from the library to have him read,chiropractor adjustments. We are at a loss and I do not want to put him on any medications because what I have read says that once stopped he will begin wetting again.I am not negative to him about this because I know he is a very hard sleeper and I know he wants to stop!Would love to hear advice too! K. H.

My son is 6 & still wears the goodnites ( a version of pull ups for bigger kids) when he goes to bed. I have asked teachers & doctors about this, and they all have said not to worry about it yet. So, I don't worry too much about it but do wish I didn't have to buy the expensive goodnites. I even went as far as asking his developmental pediatrician & he wasn't concerned about it at all.

I'm going to agree with Tami. Check out the chiropractor. I wet the bed for years...my mother tried everything, including a pad that hooked up to electrodes and would buzz loudly whenever the pad got wet. It wasn't until a few years later, I think I was 14, and went to a chiropractor. He took one look at my xrays and asked point-blank if I'd ever had problems wetting the bed. My mom nearly hit the floor. Of course, that wasn't our "regular" chiropractor that discovered it, so you may have to do a lot of research to find the right one.

Good luck, and remember that it IS embarrassing for your child and they need your love and support, even though it is a lot more work. The smiles and hugs pay for it tenfold. :)

My second child had this problem, and I took him to our family chiropractor, It works wonders!!! and no meds! or electric pads. As our Dr explained to me, the nerves in his pelvic area were not getting the right messages from the kidneys to the bladder. It took 3 adjustments and no more bedwetting.

I always made it a practice to take my kids first to the chiropractor then to the medical dr, 9 times out 10 what ever was wrong would be corrected, from ear infection to tonsils, colds colic ect.

the only ones you have to deal with are the medical drs, who of course will poo poo you taking them for an adjustment, but now 26 yrs later I think they are more open and tend to work together.

Our first chiropractor had 7 kids right along the same ages as our 5. Same with the present dr I go to. and my kids now being adults all continue to check with a chiropractor first or in some cases as last resort!

Your daughter is probably just a very sound sleeper. Let her wear her Goodnights as long as she needs to, and don't make a big deal out of it or it will just make her feel embarrassed. This is a common problem, and not a big deal. She will grow out of it eventually. Don't put her on medicine for it.

I would let her wear Pull_Up. A lot of children are not physically able to hold it in for that long (8-10 hours) until they are about 7. This is not a training issue. It is a biological issue.

C.,
You can keep using the pull ups and your daughter may grow out of her problem, but, a friendly call to your doctor or public health nurse can be helpful. I'd check with the medical people and see the MD to make sure there is nothing physically wrong with your dtr.

Do you have a night light in the room? If so you may want to turn it off. I have had several friends that had bed wetting problems when they were young and the doctors told their parents to take out the night lights and it worked. I also tried that with my own daughter and it did work. I would leave the light on long enough for her to go to sleep then I would turn it off. I always had one on in the bathroom and in the hall so if she woke up she wouldn't be too scared. I really don't know why night lights make kids react like that, but turning them off did the trick.

I did not have any problems with my dgtr, however, my 6 year-old son is not dry at night. We use pull-ups or diapers(especially if he drinks alot before he goes to bed) Although many may disagree with me, I do not limit the fluids before bedtime-because if they are thirsty-they are thirsty. The Pediatrician told us not to worry about this as his bladder will eventually develop & grow so that it can hold enough fluid to get him through the night. (They also said this is more common than we know in both boys & girls- maybe not your friends kids but many kids out there do have this issue.) I had a co-worker who's son wasn't dry at night until he was 8 years old. I'm just being patient for now & will check with our pediatrician each year to see if we need to do anything else. I hope this helps-

Have any of your other children had this problem or perhaps their cousins?
I am asking because a small urethra is a genetic concern in my family and when our children are (finally!) asleep, they sleep like the dead, so they don't get the brain signals they do during the day to go to the bathroom.
You may want to have your doctor check this out.
Or, if you don't mind the pullups, just let her grow out of it.
Whatever you do, DON'T try to shame her out of wetting the bed at night. She can't control it any more than you can control the dreams you have.
In the big scheme of things, it really won't matter if your child stops wetting the bed at 5 or if it is later. it is more important that she knows that you love her!
Maureen
About me: I was a single working mother of 2 (now grown) One was dry at night at the age of 3, and the other wore pullups until they were 11. (She took after her mother.)

Hi C.

My son is 8 and still has problems bedwetting. He will outgrow it eventually and until then we dont make a big deal of it and we just make sure to have pullups on hand.

Check with your doctor. My daughter went threw this when she was 4 so I know how frustrating it is for both you and her. My doctor gave my daughter a nose spray that we did every night and it worked. After two weeks of using the spray she has not had an accident since. She no longer uses it so I cant tell you the name of it, but if you don't have insurance it is spendy. Also try the chiropractor, I have heard that works.;

I wouldn't worry about the bed wetting so much some kids do take a longer time before there bladder are ready for the night or some kids sleep so sound that the sleep threw that urge to wake up and go. I have a almost 7 year old Daughter that is still wearing pullups to bed because she still has accidents and i hate having to wake them up and change them and there bedding so pullups are easier. I also asked my kids doctor about it and she said it is normal for some kids to bed wet. You might want to see what your daughter doctor says about but iI wouldn't worry about it to much I hope I helped.K.

C. L,

Our son wet the bed until last year. He is now 6 1/2 years old. He is a heavy sleeper, and wouldn't get up when he had to go. He sleeps in a twin sized bed that we got a plastic cover for, and it works just fine. We found that not letting him drink any liquids after 7:00 pm and going to the bathroom before bed worked really good. He has now stopped wetting the bed completely. I have also read articles about bed-wetting and they state that some children's bladders don't grow as fast as the rest of their body, so that's why some children have accidents longer than others. Don't stress over it. Your child will stop in time.

A.

Hi,
I have heard that for some children artificial colors and flavors can contribute to bed wetting. Seemed to be the case with our son and I know of two others. One family had it tracked down to yellow 5. Best of luck, S.
http://www.YesToSuccess.net/S. helping families for over 11 years

My daughter is almost 7 and still has occasional accidents at night. I have found a bedtime routine helps some. She also had reflux (urinary reflux that involves the kidneys) which I am not sure if that is a part of it or not. It might help to see a urologist, especially if she is still having accidents during the day. From all the research I have done it appears there is little to help the nighttime bed wetting and is something they will eventually outgrow. We saw a great pediatric urologist and would be happy to give you the name if you would like.

Start using nitetimes. CVS pharmacy sells the generic brand so they don't cost quite as much. I at one point had one in nitetimes and two in diapers. My oldest just wore nitetimes and then when he was in the 4th grade he just quit. My brother was the same way, they just grow out of it. Now my youngest son is in the fourth grade and yes, he still wears nitetimes. We did have them seen by a doctor to make sure there was nothing medically wrong. Other then that, they just have to grow out of it. Some are quicker then oters. But the nitetimes save on laundry and everything. I was washing all the time too until they came out with these. And my oldest would alot of times in one night wet his bed, his sisters and then ours. So it is hard, but bare with them, they can't help it. Also once my oldest got to be 10-11, one night a week we started to not have him wear a nitetime and once he got used to that, he started to increase it himself.

Have you talked with your pediatrician? A friend of mine has a daughter who had a similar problem. Her bladder, kidneys, bowels, etc were apparently slow to grow. Basically her capacity to "hold it" didn't keep up with her age and size. She was prescribed a medication that worked beautifully for about 5 years until her body had stabilized itself.

She's just not physically ready. Her bladder is immature. Totally normal and common. My daughter had a friend at her 6th birthday sleepover bring a pullup.

I've heard it is actually bad to wake them up in the middle of the night can't remember why but it was bad.

I would save everyone the hassle, and time and just throw a pull up on her til the problem's gone. It may take a week it may take a few years. It's nothing your daughter has any control over. You can't make her quit and she's not doing it on purpose. She physically can't help it.

If she is having any accidents during the day now that is different and you should talk to your pediatrician right away, that's not normal.

My brother wet the bed til like 10years old or something.

I have got some new advice for you. My oldest child had the same problem. Except he started wetting the bed after he had been potty trained for quite awhile.

I took him to a chiropractor who had brochures about bed wetting and I had talked to him about it before. He had found something that was a little out of wack. He put it back in place. My son never wet the bed again.

I told my neighbor who's son was wetting the bed. She took him there as well, but after a month or so he would wet the bed again. She didn't feel it was worth the effort or money to bring him to the chiropractor once a month.

Be selective before hiring a chiropractor. Get references from at least 2 friends before you see one. Do find out what they charge in advance.

Remember, your child is not wetting the bed on purpose. That is the LAST thing anyone would want to do. Be calm, and reassure her (and yourself) that this will end one day.

Good luck! :)

C.,

My stepsons were chronic bedwetters, one is 10 and one is 9... sounds very similar to your daughter. After being told by numerous doctors that they will "grow out of it" I got annoyed, and after the 3rd doctor prescribed them with DDAVP... not sure if you have heard of this, it is a medication typically used in surgery patients to keep them from producing uring. Doctors have now started prescribing this in children who bed wet, it was at first meant to be a temporary fix for when children had an overnight outing, or went to camp, but it has become more main streem.... this is not a cure, if they go off the medication they start wetting again. After much internet research I found a company called Pacific International (I don't have the number with me right now, but could get it if you are interested) Their philosiphy is that it is not a medical problem it is a sleep abnormaility that needs to be corrected. They have a consultant come to the house and meet wtih you and the child and start them on a program sleeping with a wetness alarm, you fill out a report card of times the alarm goes off, and how big the spot was. You wake the child and have them go to the bathroom and change the alarm pad that they wet on, and send them back to bed. I don't really know how it works, but it does. it took my sons about 3 months, but they are dry now, and I thank Pacific International for this every day. My oldest was wetting sometimes 3 times a night and it was getting to be a lot of upkeep on the laundry... this program is somewhat costly, but they do allow you to pay monthly. I think it worked out to about 60.00 a month for each kid...Let me know if you want more information and I can get you a website or a number to call.

You may want to consider food allergies playing a role. I am assuming that all other developmental milestones are appropriate,here. Food allergies, especially to eggs and dairy, as well as a magnesium deficiency, are linked to bed wetting in otherwise healthy kids. My son, upon entering kindergarten and out of the relative food safety of my home, development marked behavioral changes and started wetting the bed. Upon further research and testing, we discovered that he was allergic to, among other things, eggs. We were good at avoiding for a while, but last summer on vacation let it go and saw behavioral changes, bed wetting, fevers---all exacerbated reactions to those darn eggs again.
Tired of avoiding, I found an NAET practitioner (allergy elimination technique) and now my son is egg and milk allergy free! He can eat them without symptoms. Yeah! Life is good again. If you ask me, allergies are a root cause of many ailments in both young and old. Check in to it!