Son Peeing on Floor of Bedroom - Any Advice

Updated on July 24, 2014
R.L. asks from Klamath Falls, OR
23 answers

Looking for advice on how to handle this peeing on the floor in his bedroom. He doesn't do anywhere else and I'm not completely sur when he is doing it. I think he is doing it in the middle of the night but can't be certain. How do I make/help him stop doing this awful thing. His room smells so bad and I'm reluctant to replacing the carpet if he is going to continue

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A.C.

answers from Eugene on

My son just started doing this and I am sorry I dont have any advice but if you find something that works will you please email me and let me know. I just caught my son last night, and now I am wondering if it was the dogs peeing in his room or if it has been him this whole time. Thanks

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M.S.

answers from Portland on

It could be a few things. He may be afraid to get up in the middle of the night in the dark and go to the bathroom alone. If this is the case, putting a potty chair in his room may give him an alternate place to go.

It could also be that he is not fully awake and thinks he is in the bathroom. This is VERY common with boys. One of my brothers used to get up and night and pee in the hall closet next to the bathroom because he thought it was the bathroom. All of my brothers at some point or another peed on the bathroom wall next to the toilet thinking they were aiming in the right direction.

You could use a baby monitor to hear when he gets up at night so you can go help him, or you can try getting him to call for you. I'd bet it's that he's not fully awake and in that case is not something he can help. He will grow out of it, but in the meantime, I suggest trying all three things.

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S.F.

answers from Portland on

Hi R.,

I have 3 boys, and the older two are 5 and 4. We try really hard to remember to make them go to the bathroom before they go to bed cause quite often they will wet the bed, even if we cut off the liquids an hour before bed. We have made it a habit to get them up and go to the bathroom before we call it a night, so around 11:30ish. It helps us with the bed wetting, maybe it will help with your son having to get up and go in the middle of the night. If that is when he is getting up and going. Just an idea.

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K.S.

answers from Seattle on

How old is he? Is he wetting his pants too? Any trauma going on in his life?

I am with a wellness company that has a great neutralizer for smells that is not toxic. If you are interested, let me know. See site below!

http://www.yourfamilyfirst.com/schusters4

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W.S.

answers from Seattle on

Hi R.,

Hang in there. I can read that you are frustrated.

I have 2 boys (8 and 10). We sleep with the hall light on so that the boys can see where they are going. We have only had one instance with one of the boys peeing in their room. They have also never wet the bed outside of stressful situations.

My suggestion would be to have some form of light on through the night so that he can see where he is and where he needs to go. If he wakes up and is disoriented due to the dark, he may think he has walked to the bathroom (but has obviously missed)... You may want to consider having a potty chair in his room to assist him in making it to the potty if that is part of the issue.

I would also suggest pull ups just in case he is wetting in the bed a little bit.

Best Wishes.
W.

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L.B.

answers from Eugene on

You could wake up your son prior to you going to bed to allow him that chance to empty his bladder. You could also try putting a bucket in his room so if he gets up in the middle of the night and can'tmake it, he could go there. If he's just being willful and not following directions, you might tell them that it is not ok to pee in his room, that he must pee in the bathroom. If he is going to choose to pee in his room, then he should lose a privledge of something he likes to do to deter him from doing it again.

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A.W.

answers from Anchorage on

First of all dumping white vinegar on the pee spots in the floor gets rid of the odors. Dump it on the pee let it sit for a few then steam clean it out. (yes it will bubble when you first put on the white vinegar.
For the peeing if it isnt at night it maybe he is dusturbed or feels left out?

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C.G.

answers from Portland on

Boy, your problem brought back lots of old memories! My sons are in their 30's now but I remember that problem. My boys (3 of them) would walk in their sleep and I remember, mostly my older son getting up in the middle of the night, walking to the closet and peeing on his truck. He would sleep hard and by the time he had to go he was in dire need and not making it to the bathroom. He didn't do it for long. I would wake him in the middle of the night to go potty and not give him liquids after a certain time in the evening. I was so happy when he out grew this! Thanks for the memories! Wishing you all the best in your endeavor.

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R.O.

answers from Eugene on

Hi R.: It sounds like maybe he is waking up just enough to go pee, but he doesn't realize he hasn't gone to the bathroom. I would consider a few things; how far is his room from the bathroom? What does he say when you ask him about it? I would say the simplest solution (though not permanent) I would put some kind of receptical where he is doing it at! Not knowing his disability, or its severity, and not being a doctor, I would guess it's a sub-consious thing, he knows he has to be out of bed, and standing, but if he's not awake enough, that may be his only 2 requirements! I would talk to his doctor, and monitor his intake of liquids after like 4:00pm. Good luck, hope this helps. R.

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L.V.

answers from Detroit on

I have the same problem with my son, looking for advice :( I'm a single mum of 2 boys, the oldest being 14 and the youngest 2. It's my oldest that's the problem, he hardly ever gets into trouble he's not autistic or anything that I can think of that could lead to an explanation. I do his washing for him which he puts in the basket in his room by his door for me to take, but for the last couple of weeks I've been noticing an odd smell coming from his wardrobe (now I know my son is growing into a young adult and I respect his privacy, I don't go through searching his things) but I thought while he tidied his room he might have quickly chucked some rubbish in there or old washing he's forgotten about. So I opened the wardrobe door and the stench is really strong, and I saw a pair of tracksuit bottoms and one of his school trousers that had gone missing (he had 3 pairs!!) and at this point I have absolutely no idea what the smell is but the way both trousers were folded scrunched up I knew it was dirty washing, so I pick up the tracksuit bottoms first and they're damp and smell of pee, and slightly stuck together I opened them and he'd completely soiled them. I pick up his other trousers and likewise those are also covered inside with poo smothered everywhere. I just don't understand. I don't get it at all.

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C.G.

answers from Portland on

Try maybe putting a little training potty in his bedroom and talk to him about peeing in there. May not be a long-term solution, but it may help while you try to figure out a bigger plan.

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L.D.

answers from Portland on

You don't mention what kind of disability your son has, but many disabilities could contribute to his inability to hold urine. Do you think he might be doing this in his sleep? My daughter once had to go potty in her sleep, so dreamed she was sitting on the toilet peeing when in fact she was sitting at her desk chair in her bedroom peeing.

He may be feeling the need to go, but not making it to the bathroom in the night. He also could be tired and just being lazy, not wanting to pee in his bed but also not wanting to walk all the way to the bathroom.

Let me know a little more about him and maybe I can help.

L.

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V.D.

answers from Seattle on

My son had a hard time with wanting to pee in the toliet also. I finally found that making a game of it workded for him. I would leave a bowl on the back of the toliet with a few cheerios in it. When he had to go he could put three to four in the water and try to sink them while peeing. It also helped in wanting to stay out of the diaper - for those moms going through toliet training.
Good Luck - V.

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S.M.

answers from Portland on

WE had the same problem with my son at the same age. I attribute it to his resentment over the divorce his dad and I had just prior to it all starting. He kept it up for a long time and we took out his carpet (down to the hard wood floor) and moved him to a new room with lots and lots of talking about why we don't do that.

We ended up moving him to another room and then having to rip the carpet out of that one too. Now he has hardwood floors only. He had one pee session after we put him to the hardwood floors and I made him clean it up himself. There have not been any issues since then.

Good luck.

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A.G.

answers from Seattle on

First, kudos to you for all your hard work in raising a disabled son! If I were in your position, I'd put a video camera in his room to pinpoint how and why he is peeing on the floor. He might be doing it in his sleep and is not aware of it. Then after watching the video I'm sure you'll know what to do next as a mom. Hang in there!

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B.B.

answers from Seattle on

If he is not sleepwalking, my advice is to reassure him that it is okay to get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. Give him a flashlight to help him find his way and a nightlight in the bathroom. I probably shouldn't admit this but I used to go in my closet when I was 4 or 5 mainly because for some unprecedented reason I was afraid of the dark or getting in trouble for being out of bed. Still they were fears that were never expressed to my parents and never really validated by any kind of actual reason. Reassurance might help. Surely, he will grow out of it.

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D.M.

answers from Anchorage on

Could he be acting out about something? The only times I've heard of this there have been some serious issues that required counciling. If you can determine he is doing it just at night (maybee not enough time to get to the bathroom?) you could give him a training potty for the room (at least to save the floor). You may want to seek a devolopmental specialist as well for a better solution.

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M.K.

answers from Seattle on

Hi, I am now a grandma, but back when my son was about 2 or so, he had this trouble. He would get up and have to pee but not be able to get to the bathroom. (I think not be able to find it in his sleep?) He usually got out of bed and turned around and aimed at the side of his bed. Sometimes he'd come into our room and aim at the side of our bed. I took to very quietly getting him up and taking him into the bathroom and, leaving the lights off, help him to use the toilet.I think he was kinda sleepwalking as he didn't really wake up enough to know where he was. I did this before I went to bed as I usually stayed up late in the evenings. He would go right back to sleep as I hadn't really woke him up. Luckily, we had hardwood floors and it was easy to clean up his mistakes. His older sister was a very sound sleeper and I remember carrying her to the bathroom during the night until she was over 5 years old. I hope this helps and do remember that it won't last forever. Blessing to you and yours, Cheryl

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S.T.

answers from Richland on

I know this can be disconcerting for you but it is a semi-normal behavior. If your son is sleeping and feels the need to urinate he is probably not making it to the bathroom. One way to combat this problem is to limit his drinks after 7 PM also to eliminate exciting things before bed, like TV and other things that will make it harder for him to fall asleep/ He will tend to sleep deeper and not realise what he is doing. You can also go check on him before you go to bed and ask him if he needs tog et up and use the bathroom. If this doesnt help msg again and we will see if we can come up with other solutions. S.

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B.Z.

answers from Portland on

R.,
Ditto on the sleep walking. I had 3 sleep walkers. If I didn't send my boys straight to the bathroom they will go any where. We have some pretty funny stories about when and where they have gone. If you don't hear him getting up, try a baby moniter in his room.
The best cleaner on the market for urine smells is an enzyme cleaner called "Nature's Miracle". It is sold in pet stores, but it is not just for pets. It used to be sold with a baby powder fragerance at Baby's R Us and was called Mother's Little Miracle. The pet brand is identicle except for the smell. I use it for laundry and carpet stains. You don't need to clean the carpet either, just spray it on and the smell will disappear. It may take several applications but should work over time. We spilled pickle juice in our van one time, I sprayed it several times over the course of a week and it eventually stopped smelling like baby powder picke juice!
If your son is not too big for pull-ups, why not let him wear one? My oldest is 18 and all of these little kid problems eventually resolve themselves. Wearing pull-ups for a few more years at bed time will not harm his emotional well being. Getting mad at him and frustrated over the continual stink might make him feel worse than wearing a pull-up for something he may not be able to control.
B.

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J.K.

answers from Portland on

Even though he's probably past the potty traing stage, maybe put a potty in his room at night (on top of an old towel or bathroom rug). Or he could be doing it in his sleep...sleep walking. If this is something new, it's even possible he may have a UTI (bladder infection). You may want to talk to your pediatrician for more advice.

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B.B.

answers from Seattle on

R., I don't have a solution to your problem. However, you might consider the possiblilty that your son is sleep walking and "thinks" he's in the bathroom when this happens. When I was very young my parents had a problem with me sleep walking and "talking in my sleep". We lived in a very small mobile home. One night my parents found me sitting in the small kitchen sink peeing. I thought I was on the commode. I was in elementary school, and can't imagine how that happened. I thought I was on the commode. Does he talk in his sleep? If so, this might be an indication he has this problem.

B.
mother of five
grandmother of 9

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T.K.

answers from Portland on

I have a couple of boy relatives that have had periods of sleep walking that include peeing during the incidents, my cousin even peed in the dog dish once! From our family's experience, they all were in a very short phase and it was over as quickly as it came. I also sleep walked for about a week at about 9 years old (went to the bathroom on the toilet but with panties on), my mom set up an alarm at my door to wake her up to find out what was going on ( I was waking up in a different place than I went to sleep) and she followed me, saw what I was doing and it was all over in about a week. So, from our weird family history of peeing at night, it seemed to be a very short period....so hang in there, I'm sure it's nothing much, maybe if you can figure out a way to catch him in the act at night and it'll stop.

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