6 Year Old Still in Pull Ups at Night

Updated on December 11, 2009
C.T. asks from Arlington, TX
24 answers

My 6 year old son (7 in March) still needs pull ups at night. He sleeps so soundly he doesn't wake up to go to the bathroom. I limit his water intake prior to bed and he goes to the bathroom right before getting into bed, but it doesn't help much. My doctor doesn't appear too worried. Anyone else have a child this age still in pull ups, so I know I'm not alone? Any ideas or suggestions?

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So What Happened?

Thanks guys! Appreciate all the input. Glad to know it is not so uncommon. I guess we'll just wait and see - and keep buying pull ups!

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K.S.

answers from Dallas on

My 8 year old still wears Good Nites every night. The info you have recieved about biological and puberty are correct I believe.

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K.S.

answers from Dallas on

my nephew was like this, my sister had his adnoids removed and it seemed to work. I don't know what the connection is buy some other parents she knew did the same thing. My nephew was about 10 or 12 when they did the sergery. Good luck.

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M.M.

answers from Tulsa on

Both of my kids (boy and girl) wet the bed until they were almost 10!! My husband did too when he was a kid. My doc said its somewhat genetic and not to worry. They have both grown out of it now.

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E.C.

answers from Dallas on

My brother wet his bed until he was close to 10. He was always such a sleeper. They didn't have pullups back then; however, I am sure my mom would have liked them. Also, my daughter will wake in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom - sometimes around 3:00am even having gone to the bathroom before bed and limiting water intake. Just to let you know. If your pedi isn't worried, then you shouldn't be. Good luck!

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K.T.

answers from Dallas on

Mine turned 6 in September. He still wears a pull up at night. We were told not ot worry about it either.

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C.M.

answers from Dallas on

through the years i have known of several children wetting the bed will after 6 yrs old, one even had surgery which basically did nothing. i assure ALL of these children no longer wet the bed and seemingly just stopped one night. It doesn't seem to matter what the parent did or did not do, the child stopped on their own.

I praise you for utilizing the great invention of pull ups. this definitely helps with self esteem of the child as he doesn't have to wake up to a wet bed and embarrassment. i think the less said to him, the better. he certainly would not do this on purpose.

patience mom!

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L.L.

answers from Dallas on

I have several friends whose 7 yr olds are in the same boat. It's not a discipline or training issue, but a physical maturity/development one. Eventually, they will be able to sleep without pull-ups, it just might take longer than either one of you likes.

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A.W.

answers from Amarillo on

We were still in the same boat up until about a month ago. My daughter will be 7 in April. Our ped hasn't been worried either. I think the tipping point for her, though, was her 2 year old brother getting potty trained. He was doing so well that he was getting night trained at the same time. She was like, no way I'm still wearing pull ups if he isn't! But like your son, she's a really deep sleeper. So, she goes to bed at 8 and I have her pee then. And then when my husband and I go to bed, usually about 11, one of us takes her then. But a few times we've forgotten and she's either done well or had an accident just depending on the night.
I've heard a lot of it is just genetic. My husband wet the bed until he was nine. His parents went so far as getting a "bed wetting alarm" but even that didn't work. His sister wasn't night trained until she was about the same age and neither was her son. So, don't sweat it! He'll get it when he gets it!

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M.D.

answers from Saginaw on

Boy do I not feel so alone. My son is going to be 6 on Sunday and he still wets almost every night and sometimes 2 times a day a school, which is embarassing for me, but I am also told that it could just be developmental. His doctor doesn't seem to be worried and told me not to really worry until he is 9 or 10. So You are not alone and seemingly enough neither am I. Good Luck and God Bless.

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D.L.

answers from Phoenix on

My brother and I both had this problem as children. My mom read somewhere that if you have your child stop his urine flow mid-stream for about 3 seconds each time he uses the restroom during the day that it will help strengthen his bladder control. I vividly remember trying this exercise and I stopped wetting the bed within a couple weeks.

I hope this is helpful. Good luck!

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K.S.

answers from Dallas on

you are not alone in this, my boys are now 10 & 12, they wet the 12 year old wet the bed until he was 10, I felt like there must be something wrong bu alot of friends at church told me no and one man told me he wet the bed til he was 12 and was so embarrassed but didn't know how to stop it, he just didn't wake up til after he already wet the bed. My boys still have the occasional accident. It is not his fault at all and he will outgrow it. I feel terrible because I thought if I said something to them openly they wouldn't do it anymore but that just made them more ashamed and embarrassed and feel worse. I say nothing now and when they have one now I just let them clean up their beds and don't say anything.

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L.M.

answers from Dallas on

My daughter is 8, almost 9 and still wears pull ups at night. She's fine during the day, but just such a sound sleeper! She's not wet every night, but at least a couple times per week.

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C.F.

answers from Dallas on

with mine no milk after4 or 5 in the afternoon made the difference....can drink all the water they want right up to bedtime no prob...give any milk and they have an accident.

S.M.

answers from Dallas on

you are not alone, my son had night time wetting till 7 1/2 our Dr, although not concerned, recommended a bed wetting alarm from the bed wetting store (online) it worked in about 8 weeks no more pull ups and he was very proud of himself... we did modify the program for easier clean up but it still worked as affectively as if we had not modified it. it was a bit expensive at $150 but it works, I don't have to buy pull ups and the confidence boost was well worth every penny, now he loves to go to sleepovers with his friends and doesn't worry about his "secret" getting out!

if you decide to try it email me off the board and I'll give you some of our pointers!!!

M.M.

answers from Dallas on

My almost 8yr old son still needs them a few nights a week. If I wake him between 12-1am, he won't wet the bed.

No ideas or suggestions, just know you're not alone! :-)

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G.A.

answers from Dallas on

Two of my siblings had accidents at night until about 11-12 so they got them up in the middle of the night. G. W

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S.B.

answers from Dallas on

I have an 8 year old son who is still in sleep pants (Goodnights) at bedtime. The doctor said it is likely due to heredity (his father had the same problem as a child as did his father) and to the fact that his bladder is just not growing as fast as the rest of him. She is not at all concerned. I, too, limit his water intake prior to bed and of course, he uses the restroom before getting into bed. He has gotten progressively better this year. He is only wet 1-2x every month or so! He used to get so upset by this but now as he is maturing, he handles the accidents much better. I have explained to him countless times that it is not his fault, that it is the way his body is growing. We have prayed together every night since he was 5 years old for his bladder to grow bigger and I can tell you that the prayers are working as he has many more dry nights than he does wet ones now. I know how upsetting it can be for child and mom but please know you are not alone and eventually, he will not need the overnight help anymore.

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A.M.

answers from Dallas on

I'm sooooo glad you asked this question C. because my 6 year old daughter (7 in July) is still in pull-ups @ night too. Our DR isn't concerned either. He said that as long as she's not wearing them during the day and is going to the bathroom then it's fine. She's also a very hard sleeper and he said that eventually she'll decide on her own she doesn't want them anymore and will have to wake up to ____@____.com of the time she's completely dry in the morning and other times it's totally full and gross. After being dry 3-4 times in a row she has asked not to wear them anymore but I told her that she'll have to be dry @ least 7 days in a row for us to try it without. Unfortunately that hasn't happened yet so as of now she's still wearing pull-ups @ night.

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S.C.

answers from Dallas on

C.,
My son who just turned 7 still wears a pull-up at night. He usually doesn't wet in it anymore, unless it has been a stressful day or if he has had a soft drink anytime in the evening. We have never made a big deal of it, and I feel like he could probably start going without them now, but he isn't ready to trust that he will wake up if he needs to go. I would just like to encourage you that if the doctor is not concerned that, your son will probably grow out of it very soon. Have a blessed day.

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A.L.

answers from Dallas on

Hi - know your frustration and the extra work involved in a bed wetting child. This is NOT - repeat - not a discipline issue at all. It is a biological issue and can't be helped at all by your son. I promise! When your son hits puberty at 12 or 13 abouts - this will stop.
REally, my adult son has thanked me for protecting him from teasing and for helping him through his self hate for wetting the bed. He wanted to be dry so bad. You can teach him responsibility in general of taking the wet sheets off his bed and to put them in the washer and to put clean sheets back on his bed. Other than that, I put a plastic cover over his mattress. I refused to allow anyone to tease him or make him embarressed in any way - including his sisters. This could become a psychological issue by way it's handled.
My doctor told me if he was still wetting the bed at age 14 - she would refer him to a specialist. She was stern with me into not making this a big deal and to allow encourage my son's self esteem. Poor little guy. He didn't do sleep overs because of his fear of ridicule if he wet that night. Some months he would wet every single night and then it would stop a few weeks and come back.
Please try not to worry about and just accept it's part of who he is and is a burden for him and is not a choice.
G.L.

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A.C.

answers from Dallas on

Also glad to know I am not alone. My son also will be 7 in March and is still wearing pull ups at night. He actually went for about 2 months just recently going without and would end up having about 1 accident per week, but then suddenly started having 4-5/week, so we went back to pull ups. My pedi also not worried at all, keeps telling me it is neurological and he will not be in pull ups forever!! My son also sleeps too soundly and just doesn't wake up. We also limit fluids after dinner, virtually nothing after dinner time, and be sure he goes to the bathroom just before bed, but still doesn't work. He wakes up dry about 2x/week.

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L.L.

answers from Dallas on

I was the same way when I was a kid. I would actually dream that I was going into the bathroom and using the toilet. I'd wake myself up by wetting the bed. I eventually out grew it. Its a common problem that your child will outgrow. Also try limiting his caffeine, like no chocolate products before bed as caffeine, even small amounts will irritate the bladder and contribute to the issue.

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S.E.

answers from Dallas on

My daughter also had to wear pull-ups at night. She is now almost eight and several months ago she began waking up dry. Her doctor told me as she got older it would get better. There are medications, but I decided to not to use them. I tried all the methods, limiting fluid intake before bed, waking her up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, I even bought an alarm that goes off when she was wet. The alarm was a big hassle and expensive.
I just decided to stop worrying about it. We still make sure she goes to the bathroom before she goes to bed. She actually does that on her own before and after story time.

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H.M.

answers from Dallas on

My son is 7 1/2 and still wets the bed. We have tried to limit is intake before bed but he's so active he very thirsty. We've also tired waking him up in the middle of the night but still is usually wet in the morning. He sleeps very soundly. My mom said it's in his case probably genetic. My older nephew was 11 or 12 when he stopped and my brother was at least 10. My chiropractor said if my son is still wetting by 9 maybe 10 that is the point that they would start working with him treatment wise to get him to stop without meds. Don't worry you are not alone!!!!!

God Bless!

H.

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