Steven is six and he is still in Pull-Ups at night. His Pull-Up is wet almost every morning.
HELP!
We've tried waking him up and making him go before we go to bed. Most nights, though, he has just fallen asleep right before we go to bed. We've tried limiting drinks after dinner. We've tried everything we can possibly think of and nothing works.
Once the kid falls asleep, he's out for the count. He fights going to sleep so hard that by the time he actually closes his eyes, he could sleep through a nuclear blast! I think this is why he wets. He just doesn't wake up.
Since today is the Backwards Edition of WFMW, I thought it was the perfect time to turn to the wisest Moms in the blogosphere for aid. I know you won't let me down!
Gimmie the good stuff! :o)
15 comments:
First of all, this is very, very common. For some boys, it just takes a while before their bladder is able to go through the night. You may be able to talk to your family doctor about it as there are a few medicines you could try. But mostly I'd just try to give it more time and let your son know that this is very normal and that as he gets bigger, so will his bladder, and the problem will be solved.
My husband goes to bed pretty late, so he pulls Max out of bed and sort of sleepwalks him to the bathroom.
I have this same problem with my 5-year-old girl! Her pull-ups are sometimes so soaked that I need to wash the bedding. Yuck! I will be watching for some super great ideas! :)
First off- I would switch to a product designed for overnight use, like Goodnights. You'll find that they hold a lot more than Pullups and at least you won't be washing bedding as often!
My oldest son wet every night until 5th grade. He was (and still is) a very deep sleeper and had a small bladder. We tried everything- waking him up, DDAPT (a RX that reduces the amount of urine produced), bribery... NOTHING worked.
When we was 10 we finally used a bedwetting alarm and that did the trick. But it only worked because his body was ready AND he was invested in it and ready to do the whole program.
Good luck!
I was totally that kid and it was miserable. I know that I would have stopped if I could have.
Thankfully, at some point, my body stopped sleeping so darn heavily and I was able to get through the night.
Often times, this is hereditary.
Check with your ped about options. They tend to be very familiar with this.
I had this problem with my oldest (he's now 17). I found a book at the library--wish I could remember the title. I recall the author suggesting three things. 1. exercise the sphincter muscle 2. stretch the bladder 3. use an alarm pad.
I started with exercising the sphicter muscle and that was all it took. Basically, you have him stop the flow of urine ten times while he's going pee. My son was not able to do this at all at first. It took about 3 weeks to work up to doing it 10 times and by then he was dry at night.
Bladder stretching is done by drinking liquids (during the day) and having him wait a little longer each time so he is able to hold more.
Those two things are relatively easy to try and they might do the trick.
Frazzmom - taking your advice. I had been avoiding the 'Goodnights' because they're more expensive, but really - they're designed for night. Duh! :) And I used to have one of those alarms, but sold it after having it for 10 years and not using it. Who knew I'd need it only a few months later. Sigh.
GlutenFree - I will def try those exercises!
Heather - thanks for posting this question. Oodles of great info!
We are still having this problem here too. At first it was very frustrating b/c with K it just happened soon after he was potty trained.
The Dr says it is very normal and very little can be done. It is usually a combination of deep sleep and development. They will only prescribe the meds for occasional use. (like a friend's sleepover)think I'm going to have her try to build that muscle though.
I've never heard of those exercises, I will have to have my daughter try them. Her pediatrician just told me that now at 6.5, she's old enough for us to try the alarm. She said they work very well in helping them train their brains to wake up in the night to use the potty.
Best wishes.
I just remembered something I used that made life a bit easier. I went to a medical supply store and bought 2 quilted bed pads. They were about 3 ft. x 2 ft., were waterproof on the back and absorbant on top. I just put it on top of the sheets and if the pull up soaked through, I tossed the pad into the washer. You should be able to find them online now. Try a search for quilted bed pad.
Since I am posting about my own family members, I am posting anonymously. My brother had this problem for years. My parents tried the mattress alarm thing. What a joke! Everyone else woke up but him. My sister wet the bed until she was about 6.
Apparently, some of my cousins had the same problem and at least 1 of them had surgery to stretch her bladder.
My dad said he was the only one out of his 4 brothers that did not have that problem. It does seem to be hereditary.
I encourage you to check with your ped as well but not to stress too much over it because eventually they will outgrow it.
I has issues with this growing up.. nothing worked, even the fancy alarms...I just had to grow out of it.
My son had the same problem, he was still having difficulty at 7. He finally grew out of it at about 7 1/2. There was nothing that worked, (we tried limiting before bed fluid, waking to use the bathroom etc.) so we accepted that it would probably just be a matter of time.
I invested in some big kid cloth diapers... NOT UKKY, nice new fancy leakless ones, and that was a HUGE morale boost, since even the overnight pull-ups were ineffective. He knew how to shower on his own, and make sure that the dirties went to the laundry, and I gave him lots of moral support. He felt just awful about it... but about 6 months after I finally convinced him that he was just growing still... he grew out of it. :-)
The best advice I can give, is just find system of cleanup that is easy to do, and have your son learn how to take care of it so he won't be embarrassed by having to get help changing sheets, etc.
Keep your chin up, this is not just you!!!
Our library had quite a few books to encourage older kids who still had enuresis that might be somewhat helpful to you son as well....
My brother had this problem. Found out it was stress related. A teacher.
My ds2 just got over this problem. He is 12. He'll watch when he drinks before bed. It is common & it is a bladder that isn't mature. Also could be a food algery. Most dairy I believe.
Stacie's son had the same problem. He was wetting in large amounts. Turns out that he had diabetes. That's probably not the case but with it being hereditary it can't hurt to have him checked.
Maybe this is weird but I always felt like my kids did worse in Pull ups, they can't tell the difference between those and diapers adn felt free to wet them. I've heard it's better to just go cold turkey and deal with a few messes and get it over with--that was my experience but that might not work for everyone.
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