Bed Wetting - Bothell, WA

This may sound strange, but if either you or her daddy wet the bed (or both of you) she is going to have more of a problem with it. Most experts say to just ride it out (becuase her bladder isn't really fully developed so it's trying to play catch up with the rest of her). One of my friends said that she had success getting up in the middle of the night and getting her little girl up to try to go pottie. Keep us posted on what you find. And Good Luck!

Hi K.,
This is my first time to respond to anyone. I found with my children 12, 7, 3, that they sleep heavier on some nights than others. My middle dtr was in night time pull ups well into the 4s, she would go days at a time wake up and use the bathroom or be dry all night then 2 or 3 days of wet. One night she told me "I dont need those anymore mommy" and she has been dry since.

S. A

K., You have a new baby? Do you think your little girl may be reacting to that? When you are so small, sharing Mom with someone else can be very stressful. Try praising her for being your big girl. I'm sure life is crazy but find some alone time with her. Do you have a bedtime routine that includes cuddling and reading s favorite book?

I think you give a clue when you mention a younger sibling?
How long ago did the new baby arrive?

My four year old son wears a Pull Up at night because his bladder doesn't tell his brain that he has to pee. He does fine in the daytime, so I am simply not going to stress about it and with the Pull Up on, I rarely have to worry about even leaks. You could talk to your doctor, but I would give it time.
S. R.

To K.,
I use Nikky big kid nighttime panties for my daughters. They are alot like a pull-up, they have a pad in them that helps if they pee a little but can be washed in your washer and reused. In other countries, especially Japan, they use these because all you do is rinse them out in the sink and then wash them with your other laundry. No land fill garbage and if they are not wet, just put on regular panties for the day and it's all good. A Portland company www.babyworks.com sells them, they are $22.00 for one pair, but think of the cost long term with sibling use and better for the environmental concern. I have used them for both of my girls and they prefer them to regular pullups because they are soft and made of fabric with a waterproof exterior.
K.

Something you could try...even though this is somewhat tiresome and tedious is to have set times that you get up with her at night to "remind" her to go to the bathroom. Also, would make sure you aren't giving her any fluids at least an hour or so before bed. It takes at least 15-1/2 hr for body to digest fluids/food. I did this with my son. It wasn't easy. I'm a single mother as well, so this was a bit harder to do. My son is almost 5 now. I started trying to potty train him when he was about 2. He regressed several times. Many factors can cause them to regress. A lot of our problems were that him and I kept moving. I noticed how bad that stressed him out. Now that we have been settled in the same place for over a year, he's done great. Hope this helps. Good luck! ~B.

I'm a firm believer in NOT using pull-ups/diapers at night on a potty trained child. That way, they WILL wake up and remember the incident (as well as other details... did they drink too much before bedtime? Forget to potty before bedtime? Or were they dreaming and didn't wake up?)

Of course, be ready with clean sheets, a quick mini-shower, and lots of love and support.

I should mention that I had girls. It worked for us without any problems.
I hope this helps.

I had this same issue with my oldest daughter when she was 5 years old. I took her to the doctor to rule out any physical issues that could be causing it, and the doctor told me that there were no physical reasons why it was occurring, but that changes in her life could be the cause. There had indeed been some major changes in her life at that point, and I felt fairly helpless and frustrated at that point. I tried a star chart, which I was afraid might be cruel, since it was happening during her sleep, but I didn't know what else to do. Well, it worked! I gave her a star for each dry night, promising her a trip to Baskin Robbins for ice cream when she got 30 stars. She did not get 30 stars in a row, but by the end of it all, she had no more accidents. Since you have a new little one, you might also check out some of the many books and resources available at your local library to help older siblings adjust to a new brother or sister. Keep up the good work, Mama! :)

My son is 8 years old, and he has a 6 and a 3 year old brother. He still wets the bed at night, and there's nothing we can do about it. It comes from my husband, who wet the bed when he was young, too. It's not because he's trying to get attention or anything. His body just isn't as sensitive to his bladder at night, and I may have to deal with this for a couple more years. Rather than getting irritated in the mornings when I have to do a load of laundry (sometimes several nights in a row), we just asked him if he would be comfortable wearing some "Good Nights" pullups at night, so he doesn't have to be embarrassed about wetting the bed. It makes it so much more pleasant for all of us, and is a LOT less irritating for me, who was the one always having to clean it up every time (my husband goes to work at 5:00 in the morning). So try that, and it should help at least the stress of the messes in the morning. I am told that they eventually grow out of it.

My daughter wet the bed until about age 6 - maybe once every week or two. Her pediatrician said it was nothing to worry about, that it is developmentally normal - though maybe not typical. We gave her the choice of wearing pull-ups at night - and she did until about age 5. Then we made sure to have another bed (or nest of blankets on the floor) ready for her to move into so it didn't disrupt anyone's night too much to change sheets - we did not invite her into our bed, just to make sure it did not become a positive thing. But we never made a big deal of it or made her feel bad either. And she finally outgrew it.

I have a 4 year old son who also potty trained early, but he continues to wet, sometimes quite heavily, at night. He wears Pull Ups to bed. I specifically asked my pediatrician about this at his 4 year appointment and she said not to even worry about night time wetting until he's 7. I got the full explanation of why (which I don't remember), but it made sense. So, I'd say it's neither a control/behavioral or medical issue. It's simply normal development.

Hi K.,

My 9 yr old daughter and I also have the same problem your daughter has. We don't feel it coming either. I don't know the cause of it and wish I did. My suggestions are to have her stop drinking liquids at dinnertime or at least 2 hours before going to bed. If there's still a problem, you may have to make an adjustment of that time. Also, get a waterproof mattress pad. They're not really that expensive and a lot cheaper than buying a new mattress. I'm sure you're always making her go (or try to go) to the bathroom before going to bed. Another thing is to limit the amount of soda pop, carbonated beverages or caffienated items she drinks. These items will either make her body retain water or will work as a diaretic and make her need to urinate more often. My best advice I can give you is to be supportive and don't blame her for her lack of control. Just work with it and help her adjust to what her body needs. You also will want to contact her teachers when she's in school and let them know that when she says she needs to go to the bathroom, they need to let her go. That will keep her from suffering a lot of embarrassment. She needs to understand what her body requires and what she needs to do. I hope these suggestions help and am interested to know if anyone else out there has any other ideas.

My niece wet the bed off and on until she was almost six. She, too, said she just didn't "feel it coming." Lots of children wet the bed until they're older. I don't think it's a control or medical issue. I think some children sleep more soundly than others. I wouldn't make a big deal out of it. Just keep a plastic lining over the mattress and resign yourself to washing the bed sheets when it happens. Also, limit the amount of liquids before bed, i.e., no liquids after 6 pm and have her go to the bathroom right before you tuck her in. My daughter, who is 8, just had a little girlfriend spend the night recently, and the mom said, "This is her 1st sleepover and she may not make it through the night." So, not to worry. It's perfectly normal and natural.

I was concerned that though my daughter was bone dry during the day from the age of 2, she still needed pull-ups at night at the age of 6. When I asked my pediatrician about it, she answered, "My daughter is 7 and still needs pull-ups at night." She went on to explain that some children sleep so soundly that they don't "hear" the signal to their brain that they need to go to the bathroom. That was true in my daughter's case who slept like a drunken sailor.I quit worrying aboout it and by her 7th birthday she was able to get rid of the night-time pull-ups. She's 13 now, so the new issue is "will she leak through her kotex?"

I had a 4 year daughter that started wetting the bed after she was trained and hadn't been wetting the bed. She would wet in the first 2 hours after going to sleep. The doctor told me that they are all in such a hurry at that age that they sometimes don't drain their bladder. The just go enough to feel comfortable. He had me take her to the potty, put her to bed and then get her up about a half hour later and take her again. It worked. The bed wetting stopped as soon as she started emptying her bladder completetly.

It is not a control/behavioral problem. Unless you are freaking out over the problem. They love to freak you out but usually have other things they do at this age.
My daughter is now 52 but some things just don't change.

My daughter is 8 and she still has accidents occasionally. I talked to her doctor and he said it was normal. Kids' bodies go through growing changes that sometimes cause them to have regressions. They all do it but some are more noticeable than others.
At first I thought it psychological issues since she was fully trained by 2 and then started having problems when her dad and I divorced. She was dry for a few years and then started wetting the bed after her little sister was born. I did a lot of research and found the best thing is to not make a big deal about it because the emotional shame will make it worse. We also tried different teas to strengthen her bladder but that didn't really help much.
Luckily she never wet through to the sheets but I would find a pile of wet pajamas in the morning. She would get up, change her clothes and go back to bed. She hasn't had an accident in a few months so I am hoping she has grown out of it. We limit her fluids an hour or two before bed and make sure she goes to the bathroom before bed or any activity "just in case".

My now 5 year old had the same problem. I mentioned it to my doctor and he told me to eliminate milk after the lunch time because it contains something that makes them sleep harder. It seems to have worked. We have a very occasional accident but for the most part we're over this hump.

A. B.

I have a four year old who was having many more accidents than that. I thought it was a control thing. Our doctor thought perhaps she was having bladder spasms and really didn't know she had to go. She has medication she takes when the accidents happen more frequently but we've only had to give it to her twice since she started. Preschool has made a big difference for her though.

Yes, sleeping harder & new baby are probably contributing, but also something else I just learned! My daughter had a similar regression after staying dry for months when she started preschool. I attributed it to that, but since it is now 4 months later I asked my pediatrician because this goes beyond the 'normal' regression period, and I had already re-trained her, tried waking her up at night (she still wet both before & after I woke her), etc. My pediatrician actually just told me that the hormone that controls the bladder DROPS in cold weather. Who knew? For a lot of people it's no problem, they get up to use the bathroom more, etc. but for some who have levels on the low side to begin with and are heavy sleepers, it means that they may wet the bed frequently in the winter and not at all in the summer. Don't worry, whatever the case, she will grow out of it eventually!

This works great! I wish I found it sooner. Good luck with that.

http://store.matchlowestprice.com/wet-stop-2.html

Also, kids normally start sleeping harder late 3/early 4, I can't remember why, it's some developmental thing (growing, or so much more to mentally process, or something) ...

I'm a big fan of diapers. Cloth are like $28/dozen, plus the covers $6 each, total cost depends on how often you want to wash/how many wets per night ... but WAY nicer than washing bedding or making it a big stress thing; even just as a temporary solution while you figure out a "fix" (if you are going to try to "fix" it)--SO much less laundry! And you can save them for the next kiddo.

It is common for an older sibling to regress when a new sibling is born. I'd just be low key about it. Perhaps put her in pull ups and tell her she'll know when she doesn't need them anymore and for her to tell you. Or watch and when she's dry for a week or so try it without pullups.

My daughter had a simular problem. She was a FAST grower and doctor explained that her bladder might of not caught up with her growth spurts it took a few years but she finally got all caught up. I did everything from cutting off liquids after a certain time etc. All 3 of my kids potty trained early (daughter too) and they were fine, but my daughter had trouble at night. so be patient and keep laundry soap on hand. You can keep getting her up at night it did help. Deborah

Hi K.,
I have a 7 year old daughter with the same problem. She has been this way ever since she was potty trained at about 2 or so. I don't know if it's a medical issue, but we just use a "Pee Pee Pad" on her bed. If you do find a solution, please let me know!

Sincerely, B.

I know your frustration, the laundry alone creates a lot of work. My daughter, now 6yrs went through the same sort of pattern. She slowly wet the bed less and less. Kids just grow out of it. I had the same problem as a child and know she has no control over it. Now at 6 yrs it might happen once every couple of months or longer if my daughter has been up later than normal and had food or drink. Taking them to the bathroom in the middle of the night is just a headache for you because sometimes it still happens even after, or you don't get there in time. I suggest you just let her grow out of it.

I have 3 daughters, 13, 10 and 3, and another baby on the way. I was told by several pediatricians that it's hereditary, which I believe to be very true. My mom had accidents well up to puberty, as did I. My 13 year old still has an occasional accident, which has gotten better over time. She wore Goodnights up until her 13th birthday, then the doctor gave her the "bed wetting pill" which worked great. The 10 year old has never had a problem, but the 3 year old, fully potty trained still wears an overnight pull-up at night. The bed wetting pill has it's side effects, that's why the doctor and I decided to wait as long as possible to give it to the oldest. She'll grow out of it, she just needs a little time. If she's a hereditary bed wetter, no bells, whistles, alarms, waking her up in the middle of the night, cutting off liquids will stop it completely. Trust me, we tried it all! We found the Goodnights and waterproof mattress pad to work the best. It's just her bladder not growing as fast as she is or her urethra getting the signal or strength it needs for her to wake up with the urge to go. Hope this helps you! Best of luck! (The Goodnights also made it possible for her to stay at a friend's house or Grandparents overnight without being embarrassed with a wet bed in the morning, and explaining to her it was something she couldn't help and would outgrow, helped her understand it wasn't her fault.)

Also, reading Michelle's response... YES! Tell her teachers! They are more than willing and understanding to put a couple extra bathroom passes in her desk that she can use without having to disrupt the class or feel embarrassed that she had to raise her hand in front of everyone to go potty again. Having an accident at school because your teacher doesn't believe you or says no because you just went is very embarrassing, I had that happen to me a couple of times growing up. Times have changed so much, and I've found teachers are so accepting and appreciative that you let them know about the problem. Once again, I hope this helps, and I didn't ramble on too much!