When Do Kids Stop Wearing Diapers to Bed?

Updated on December 01, 2009
S.S. asks from Troy, MI
20 answers

My son is almost 4. He still soaks his overnight/heavy duty diaper. He also frequently gets the bed wet. We have stopped evening drinking and I am now even getting him up in the night to go to the bathroom. All that really means is I end up using two diapers a night cause by the time (around 2 am) I get him up he is pretty wet already and needs a new one to keep him from leaking onto the bed.

We have tried all kinds of overnight diapers... and found one that works the best... that isn't the issue for me.... I am just wondering about what age they wake up to go to the bathroom. He has been potty trained for 6 months now.

Any other thoughts or ideas?

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M.G.

answers from Detroit on

My son will be 5 in feb and is a super deep sleeper. He wears the pampers night time pull-ups for big kids. Pediatrician said it's developmental for at least another year!

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A.M.

answers from Detroit on

I hear this over and over with boys, for some reason. My son, too, at 6, still wets at night. I've tried waking him too, but it just makes for a bad nights sleep for all of us. I just put him in a pull up and am waiting for it to end. I know it will. I don't stress about it.

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A.I.

answers from Lansing on

hey sharron instead of waiting to 2 am try getting him up at 12 or 2 1/2 hour after putting him to bed that how i broke my daughter of bed wetting good luck

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K.N.

answers from Grand Rapids on

Some children just sleep to hard to wake themselves. I would try an alarm and make sure you use the FULL system with it.

A couple from our church had this problem and started giving their son a 6 oz glass of 100% cranberry juice just before bed and they said it took a few weeks - but the problem seemed to correct its self.

Good Luck!!

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D.F.

answers from Detroit on

My son wore pullups to bed until he was 6, my nephew still wears pullups to bed and he's 9. My other son pretty much once he was potty trained he never wets the bed. All kids are different.

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K.M.

answers from Detroit on

i would mention it to the pediatrician at the next visit it could be a medical problem

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K.C.

answers from Detroit on

I know we as moms are tired of hearing this but every child is different. My daughter NEVER had an issue in the night, her problem was not being able to get out of her loft bed intime so she would call me and I would get her down, that only lasted a week. My son sleeps hard and did wet the bed for a couple of weeks, I noticed he would talk in his sleep before he would wet so when we heard him talk we got him up to go, he took a couple months and I still listen for him to talk a year later so I don't have to change sheets every night. Some kids bladders just don't grow fast enough to last the night so there might not be a "fix" for him. My suggestion is if he is already soaked at 2 then get him up at 11 to go, cut the liquids out for a couple hours before bed so his system doesn't have so much to get rid of, try listening to him while he sleeps and see if he is giving any clues in his sleep that he needs to go, if so use these cues to get him to the bathroom. Hang in there, some kids wet the bed even after they have started grade school, good luck.

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A.M.

answers from Grand Rapids on

The only thing I can think of would be to cut out his drinks two hours before bed and have him go to the bathroom before bed and see how that works.

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L.O.

answers from Detroit on

sorry to say.. that my friends son is 14 and still wets the bed.. he wore pullups.. overnights. etc.. and could soak through all of them.

so you could be buying diapers for a long long time. I have heard that the wetness alarms work pretty well.. if they actually wake the child up..

gettting him up to go potty is OK..but it really doesnt teach him anything. If you are already up with the new baby I can see doing it.. but I wouldnt set an alarm to wake him up.

My daughter is almost 4.. she is finally out of diapers for naptime.. but has accidents maybe once or twice a month. she still wets everynight.. she doesnt seem bothered by this.. I knew she would have a hard time staying dry at night as she used overnight diapers from about 12 montsh.. she always peed a lot during thenight..

MY son has actualy woken up dry from nap a couple of times.. he is not potty trained.. he is ony 2 1/2 but I think he will be dry at night long before his sister.

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S.H.

answers from Grand Rapids on

My oldest is 6 1/2 and is wet every night. My husband finally started waking when he turned 9 and my sister was 7. It's actually more common for kids to wet the bed for a longer time than most people think. My sons peds said he wouldn't worry until my son turns 8.

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A.L.

answers from Detroit on

Just keep doing what your doing, be patient. Keep in mind boys physical body develops slower that girls and all three of my boys wore diapers at night until just after they were 5 years years old. My rule was you don't have to wear them after you go two full weeks not having an accident in your diaper. I was not into cleaning messes so my method seems a little extreme but it worked. They didn't like having messes for me to clean up either so it helped a lot with their self esteem not to have to worry.

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D.S.

answers from Grand Rapids on

S. , usually by 4 they have control of most of their faculties, the problem may be that most diapers atnight do not allow the child to feel wetness, sometimes letting them wet the bed and having to help clean the sheets and making the new bed can help, but first buy a protective mattress cover, a plastic one, then put sheets on bed, etc, then buy him big boy underware, and have him wear those at night, and tell him when he has to go potty to get up and go, if he does wet the bed dont scold him, just help him change the sheets and help him wash and remake the bed, i say help him do it, cause the changing of the bed can help him to learn to not do it, this may not work, and he may sleep right in his pee and wet bed, dont be alarmed by this, you may need to find out what time he does pee at night and get up and walk him in front of the toilet and let him go, also, if it continues and he does not learn, he may need professional help, but usually letting them feel the wetness, helps, if you cant afford a plastic covering on your matress , a large garbage bag may help but then you MUST make sure it cannot move by a sheet, so it does not get suffocate them, so be very careful, you should be able to buy a plastic mattress cover at walmart for a small price, hope things work, and keep trying, and if there are messes its ok to clean them up and teach him how to clean them up too, even putting them in the washer, and having him help make the bed too, have a good day D. s

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L.S.

answers from Grand Rapids on

When my DD was potty training it took a little time to master nights. She still doesn't wake up in the middle of the night but she doesn't go either. At 1st we wouldn't allow her anything to drink for about 2 hours before bed. Now we don't have to do that anymore. But she's been potty trained for over a year now. So that might take some time. I would cute off drinks and see if it helps and have him go potty right before bed.

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B.P.

answers from Kalamazoo on

I know you didn't ask about diapers, but if you haven't tried Goodnights, they work much better than any diaper.

Many children stay dry at night shortly after they potty train, but there are also many that take much longer - you would be surprised at how many don't stay dry until 8-10 years old. (Look how big the sizes of Goodnights go - there is a market for them). Yes it is often hereditary. Usually those with issues are very deep sleepers. I would recommend the Goodnights and double sheeting the bed as suggested. Limit drinks after supper of course but the middle of the night wakeups don't really accomplish much other than make you tired too. They usually wet the bed much earlier than you would expect - when we tried waking our children up at night, we had the best success of catching them with a full bladder and dry bed if we did it before 11:00pm. We tried it just before we went to bed.

Medications to help with the situation are generally not recommended. Some do suggest the alarm, but it is quite traumatic from what I've heard (a sensor goes in the underwear and it is a very loud alarm that goes off the second it detects wetness and is supposed to train your body to wake up). Although I know from experience that bed wetting is not fun to deal with, my opinion is that it is best to deal with it and your child's body will eventually get the hang of it. Kids (especially once they get a little older) do not want to wet the bed - it is beyond their control and their bodies just need to mature.

One other suggestion - we had more problems with wet beds when they were very tired (and therefore slept even deeper).
I know this is long - but we have dealt with this for many years.

God's blessings.
B.

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K.V.

answers from Detroit on

I would buy 2 plastic sheets. Put one on the bed with a crib soaker pad and sheet, then put the other plastic on top of the first sheet set, then a soaker pad on top of the second plastic sheet and then another sheet. When he wets at night, you can pick if off the bed by the plastic sheet and have the bed already made underneath. That will help with the middle of the night bed making.

As far as the wetting itself... It's interesting that he goes THAT MUCH at night. How often does he go during the day? Is he holding it. Make sure that he drinks lots of liquids in the morning hours. Make sure that he is going to the bathroom every 2 hours or so. Then stop all drinks 2 hours before bed, and put him in underpants not pullups or diapers. All of my kids would wet a pullup and not wet in underpants. You can also use plastic underpants over top of the regular underpants. Uncomfortable but they work.

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A.A.

answers from Kalamazoo on

This won't answer your question, but I totally understand and have really been wondering about my son also. He'll be 4 in February and has been potty trained since 2 1/2. He still soaks the pull-up and often gets the bed wet too! I have no idea what to do!! He sleeps sooooo hard, I think that is the issue for him. So I feel your pain and hope someone has a magical answer. :) Good luck and God bless!
~A.

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A.H.

answers from Detroit on

It completely depends upon your child and when he is ready. You also want to be sure there is nothing medically wrong as sometimes that little urge to wake up and go potty in the night does not always register, so that could be an issue in some cases.

As for alarm devices - they only offer about 80% chances of it working after you use it, but the child can revert back given any type of stress or heavy sleep. (So no, I do not believe in alarms as I feel it really does not teach a child to fully recognize & feel their body reactions.)

We had our son potty-trained just before he began preschool, but he was not trained for bedtime/ nighttime. He wore Pampers Overnights (the bedtime overnight underpants.). That could be your problem / solution. It helped us as we had the wet diaper issue. Not only that, he still felt like he was a big boy going to bed. They also help that feeling if your son is ill with diarrhea, as it helps contain it, the child still feels like he has a chance to make it to the potty and if he has an accident - then it's covered.

But I make sure I do not let my family compare my son to my nephew as the boys are so different, as every child is. What works for one, may not work for another. Especially for potty training.

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C.J.

answers from Lansing on

S.,

Our son was 6 before he stopped wetting the bed every night. His body just wasn't ready yet. We supported him, didn't yell or get angry when he wet the bed, and eventually it stopped. He still sometimes has accidents at night, especially when he is really tired or is handling unusual stress.

Night time potty training takes time with some children and I think some of it may be hereditary.

Have a great day!

C..

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K.H.

answers from Grand Rapids on

Our daughter was potty trained at 3 and just started sleeping through the night without pull-ups this past summer...right before she turned 5. Our daughter's teacher has a little girl who is 5 who still wears pull-ups at night. I've heard of people whose children went even later. Everyone is different, he'll get it eventually. I used to put my daughter to bed at 8 after using the toilet, then wake her up at 11 to use it again, that seemed to help, but it was really just her being able to eventually wake up to feel the need to use the toilet, she is a heavy sleeper. Good luck and there is no rush!

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K.M.

answers from Detroit on

I have the same issue and hes about to turn 7 we have him go before bed than i wake him before i go to bed to go and than he also gets up around 4 with an alarm and than he gets up m-f at 630. SOme day he doesn't go at all on any of the potty trips nor doe she wet the diaper than on other days hes soaks them. So I hve ask the pediatrician and he says as long as hes not having accidents during the day theres nothing to do other than wait for his bladder to get bigger and he can control it every time. You do it during the night try having him go before you go to bed and than again during the night it might work for you better than me. Hes only four. Mines going to be 7 in two weeks and hes been potty trained since 2 1/2 but hes been in good night since. Good luck and if you find something that works let me know.

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