8 Year Still Wet the Bed

My daughter was 7 before she quit wetting the bed. It was not fun but I did not make a big deal out of it. We put her in pullups at night and gave her a bath every morning and talked to her teachers about letting her go to the bathroom when she needed to. She is eight now and once in a while she will have an accident but she grew out of it and I believe that it was something that she could not control. So just be patient and try not to make a big deal out of it so his self esteem doesn't fall.

My son was also a deep sleeper and wet his bed until his teens. I had him in for medical checkups to see if there was any physical problem. This is where you need to start. Rule out physical problems. Pay attention to how the child feels emotionally. Children with low self esteem will wet the bed. If he seems angry or overly agressive, this will also have some effect on his bladder control. Someetimes a child's physical body will not mature as quickly os others. This could be another problem. He will eventually gain control of his bladder and stop wetting the bed. It will take time, do not get discouraged or punish him for this. He is not liekly to be acting out but just be a deep sleeper.

My son is now a healthy 29 year old and is fine.

I have a daughter who is also 8 and a brother-in-law who is a urologist...he said to leave her alone! Try an alarm first, then seek for medication, but for children like my daughter this is the only way their bladder completely empties, and if they have not seeked medical help they should do that first before anything

The medical term for bed wetting is enuresis. There is lots of info about it on the web. Three of my 4 children wet the bed when they were little-well beyond the age of 5. If the child really wants to quit wetting the bed, limit fluid intake late in the evening, set an alarm to get up every couple of hours and take your child to the bathroom. Gradually increase the time between settings so that he learns to go a little longer between trips to the bathroom at night. Eventually he will probably quit. Bed wetting runs in families; the child may also have a small bladder as well as be a hard sleeper. He should take a bath or shower every morning because he will otherwise smell of urine and his kindergarten teacher may complain. It takes patience, and yes, you'll be tired. But the end reward is worth it. Patience, patience, patience, and don't shame the child. Good luck.

Look I have read alot of the other responses, afew I agree with and a few I dont. My daughter wet the bed until she was 8, I took her to the DR. and was told that this very normal, espailly if it runs in the family and if the child is a hard sleeper, and there is that possiblilty that your child like mine dreams that they are sitting on the potty. My girl is now going to be 13, and every once in a while there is still an accident, but now when she does dream that she is going she wakes up runs to the bathroom with a trail following her. THe main thing is that you seek advice from a doctor also, and try to be understanding.

My daughter was still having episodes at 7. I knew it was a horrible experience for her because she would try to cover it up with bath towels and go back to sleep instead of waking us up.

We tried it all, having her change her own sheets, thinking it was a behavioral problem. Cut off liquids two hours before bed, etc.

I know there is a school of thought that suggests it could be a medical problem. Best to rule that out.

For us, we actually changed some routines throughout the day that had nothing to do with wetting the bed and she stopped.

I started doing homework with her. We would watch a movie, or part of one, sitting together. We ate dinner together and we'd listen to her talk about whatever. We'd read together right before she went to bed. She hasn't wet the bed in a year...and we still do all those things. She even started getting better reports from school.

My point; the root cause may be not so obvious.

This sounds like an off the wall suggestion but it worked for my daughter staying dry at night and my younger finally able to potty train. My ped. suggested I switch them to soy milk and I kid you not I think she has had an accident at night less than 10 times in a year and a half. My younger daughter who is 3 was finally able to potty train (age 2 1/2) within 24 hours after taking away cow milk. They are not allergic to milk they still eat PLEANTY of cheese and yogurt but when it comes to a glass of milk or for their cereal it is soy. The ped. pointed out that no human is meant to digest cows milk, it is made for cows, and for some people the digesting is harder than others. When I went to the ped. I told him that my daughter is 4 and still wets at night and that I always send a glass of water to bed with her becuase I often wake in the middle of the night for a drink, we live in the desert, you get very thirsty.
You could give it a try, that is what I did (I personally thought the ped. was a little nutty for the suggestion but I have completely changed my opinion and pass the info on when I can in hopes this silly little thing can help someone else) If he doesn't care for it (tastes like skim) mix it with chocolate can't tell the difference.
Good luck to you, your grandson and daughter!!

It is common for children undergoing stress to regress and have enuresis issues. I agree to check for food allergies. I would also take a look at any big changes in his life recently that you know of or that you don't know about (loss of a friendship, pet, parent, divorce, move, etc.) Try to make some special time just for you and him to do something fun together. If he's able to share his feelings with someone he loves, the stress will reduce and the enuresis may decrease or disappear. By the way, I had this problem after my family made a cross country move when I was 10.

My son wet the bed until he was almost seven. We grew tired of the Traditional doctors that didn't do anything that helped us, so we went to a Homeopathic Doctor in Scottsdale who gave our son a remedy called "Causticum."
You can buy it over-the-counter at places like Sprouts and Whole Foods.
I think the Acupuncture/Chiropractor idea is a good one too, but there is no way my then seven year old was going to sit still while someone put needles in his body.
(We tried many other options such as waking him up an hour after he fell asleep, restricting fluids at night, getting him a toy-cutting the box cover into puzzle pieces and giving him a piece of the puzzle every morning that he woke up with a dry bed-this only worked until he earned the toy and then he went back to wetting the bed again. We tried making him get up and help us change his sheets. We tried taking privileges away, yelling...we did not try the timer or the special underwear. But-The Causticum worked and still works for us!

I have had problems with my own children, so I have done a little research. There are 2 exercizes your child can do to help. #1 is to have them hold it as long as they can during the day. This helps streach out their bladder so it can hold more. #2 is that when they do go pee, they need to start and stop, start and stop ect... this is difficult in the beggining but it builds the muscles around the bladder. So with the 2 excercises they will have a larger bladder that can hold more and stronger muscles to hold it in so at night it won't leak!
Good luck!
R. C.

It may be something out of his control (especially since you are already limiting his drink intake). Have you sought medical advice? My niece wet the bed until she was almost 8 also. The doctor said her body probably just creates to much of a certain chemical. That she was still in the normal age.

In my opinion, an 8-year-old shouldn't even be AWAKE after 9 p.m. -- much less drinking liquids! cut off liquids by 6:00; a small amount of water with dinner and that's it. Bedwetting is usually a psychological/emotional issue, not necessarily physical (although it can be). Are there troubles at home? Is he a middle child? I would bet his pediatrician can offer some tactics to try.

with our children we have cut off drinking time at 6:30 p.m. and they are not allowed to have any liquids after that time. We also set our alarm and get up at around 1am to wake up the child and have them go to the bathroom. I know it is a lot of work on our part...but we have had success with it and we have only 1 child left who isn't potty trained. I also agree with the making him bathe each morning...it will get old and it may be more motivation for him to try harder. Good Luck

I have the same problem with my four year old. Let me know if you get any good advice.

I"m not sure what else has been responded, but have you talked to the doctor at all? From personal experience, making him get sick of the bath will not stop the bedwetting. I wet the bed until my late teens. When I finally consulted a doctor, she said it was probably a lack of a certain hormone and prescribed a nasal spray to stimulate that hormone. After using it, I was able to stop wetting the bed. Nothing else worked, not the bed alarms, not avoiding liquids, nothing. It wasn't in my control and I still wish I would've gotten that treatment earlier because it is the only thing that worked. With my own kids, I will push a dr. to do something starting around 5 so that my kids are not traumatized like I was (not that it has ruined my life or anything...but I just regret growing up with a problem that I didn't have to live with).

R.,
My son had the same problem for years. Kids do not like the fact that they wet the bed. I bought my son a urine alarm that cliped to his pj's and his underwear, as soon as a drop of urine hits it an alarm goes off that will wake him so he can get in the bathroom. My son was cured with-in two weeks. Ask your doctor about this device. I can't recall what the name of it was but I had found an ad for it in the TV guide years ago.
Hope this helps.
D.

Maybe mom should take him to his doctor and make sure that all is well. She could also try limiting his fluid intake after dinner, instead of later.
As for you, remember how when your kids were young they didn't think that you knew anything? Not much changes. They want to find their own parenting style and make their own mistakes. Hold your advice and opinion until they ask. It will make you all happier.

Bedwetting can be a sign that something's wrong so I'd take him in to the dr. as a precaution, but chances are he just can't wake up. It's not unusual and I think it's more common in boys. Both my brothers wet the bed until they were 12. They wore pull ups at night, which we called "Freds" so that if it ever needed to be mentioned when friends were over that no one else would know what we were talking about and they wouldn't be embarrassed. My parents would also wake my brothers up to go to the bathroom before they went to bed. It's an annoying problem but I don't think an 8yr old would be wetting the bed if he could help it. So just do what you can to make the situation easier to deal with and be patient. He will grow out of it.

What time does he go to bed? Even 9PM seems too late to cut off liquids, I would think more like 730-800pm (about 90-120 minutes before bed time)

And some kids just take longer to out grow it...it may just take some time.

R...

This is not an uncommon situation. My son did not stop wetting the bed untill age 11. My husband when young had the same problem until age 12. Patience will be your friend on this one. You can try to limit the fluids but it didn't seem to help all that much in our case. I would try to wake my son up at around 10:30PM to use the restroom again. My son was a hard sleeper to, and I did ask a doctor about it. He said its a communication issue between the brain and bladder and the fact that he is such a heavy sleeper. They told me patience and to make him as comfortable with it as possible. If he fretted about it it would be worse. Hope this helps. We used kid size night time pull ups for awhile.

R., is there any loud conflict going on right before bed. My son wet the bed and that was the reason. Everytime my sister and her husband fought in the evening hours , my son would have a bedwetting session that night. Otherwise I agree you should probably take him to the doctor's to make sure there is nothing physically wrong. He should probably stop liquids about 2-3 hours before bedtime too.

He may be having a growth spurt. It is really common for kids his age to grow so quickly that their bladder cannot keep up. There is special overnight underwear (in the diaper section) for bigger kids in his situation that don't look like diapers or even pull-ups. Most importantly, don't let his self-esteem suffer. It can take much longer for the problem to resolve and the emotional consequences can be enormous.

While it is possible that there is a medical issue, and it is always a good idea to consult with the doctor, it is also very normal for a 7-8 year old to have frequent night-time accidents. Of course, giving the child a bath will be beneficial to keep the skin clean, but remember, this child is not doing this on purpose, and the bath should not be used as 'punishment'.

It sounds like mom is doing a good job. Maybe she is simply coming to you for sympathy rather than advice. You've done your job, so simply enjoy your grandson and be glad that you aren't the one having to change the sheets everyday. If the grown folks are constantly pestering you for advice (;o)), I'd just lean back and say "You're doing FINE honey!" You can always add "We went through the SAME thing, and this worked but eventually he/she grew out of it".

But, really, all parents struggle with the issues, and there is no perfect way to handle these things old-fashioned or new-fangled, us parent-types just have to keep plugging along and trying to be as consistent as we can be.

This is a challenging problem without easy answers. I myself wet the bed until I was 11, with great shame, so please avoid causing any more shame for him then he already feels.

There are a number of things one can try. First, does he consume dairy? I drank lots of milk when I was young, and as a grown adult, I have discovered I cannot consume dairy without physical repercussions. (Research verifies this can cause bed wetting...was that the cause of mine? Who knows.)

Gluten is causing a lot of people lots of problems, too, and is certainly worth checking out, although not easy to do, it IS possible.

It could be any other allergy, or food sensitivity as well as environmental chemicals in the room or home.

I am now studying hypnotherapy, and have learned that this modality has proven helpful in resolving bed wetting, too. This could be as simple as guiding the child, as he/she is drifting off to sleep, with imagery. Their care givers can learn to do this for them.

I am also an herbalist, and if this were my child, I would try tonifying the kidneys with some safe herbal tonics.

Having wet sheets every day is a pain, but understand that this is a bigger problem for him then mere wet sheets. There are many avenues to consider as to the cause, and it could be a combination of causes. Dont let it become a control issue, which will only intensify it.

I hope this is helpful, or at least gives you some new thoughts to consider.

I've read all your advice received so far, and here's something a little different. My 11 yr old still wets the bed, but we were told that some children have an adverse reaction to sugar. Their bodies don't process it well, and so at night they are soooo exhausted that they can't wake up because their body has worked so hard during the day processing sugar. We were also told that the same thing could happen with water. Water has lots of impurities in it, and so he should drink DISTILLED water. Anything is worth a try!
M., mother of 6 (also tired of the wet bed, but I'm trying to be patient, like everyone else has said!)

Hi R.,

I can sympathize, as both my boys had this problem until about 8 and a half years old. I know there are some herbs out there that may help. There's also a sensor he can wear at night that will set of an alarm...that seems kind of scary for them, though. Acupuncture may help. You may want to talk with a Naturopath and see what he/she thinks you should do.

Good luck!
G.

Get him a pee alarm. Try looking up "The Bedwetting Store" online. Either that or meds from his pediatrician. I KNOW the frustration. :D

Go to www.ONESTEPAHEAD.com and order "The Nite Train-r" it is an alarm that will sound and wake them up when they start to wet the bed. It is worn in their underware at night. It should work in the first week. It is worth the money!

I got a book for my daughter called "Dry all Night" from the library. It is an interactive book that explains about the body and then has the child practice strengthening bladder muscles by 'holding it' while they read a story in the book. Anyway, I think it helped my daughter and it's worth a try! Also, I know that alarm devices work, but if you use one just make sure you are very supportive of your child. It is easy for them to feel alone and punished when using one.

My son had problems with wetting at night as well. We had tryed eerything finnally at the age of seven the Doctor put him on imipramine it is acctualy a deppreson mdiction but they found it cured the night wetting in patients. He was only on it for six months and it cured his problem he isa deep sleeper too. Go to your doctor and see Good luck.

My son is 10 yrs old and still has an accident of wetting the bed. He is a very heavy sleeper. It's not every night or even every weeek. Once in a while he just falls asleep and wakes up to an accident. When we are in a hotel or at a relative's home overnight I will take him aside and remind him about the cut off time for food and drinks. I'll also remind him that he is not at home and can not wet the bed. I've noticed by just the little reminder before bed time does help. Just like with adults, before you go to bed you give yourself little reminders of what to do the next day. Most of the time you wake up with your things to do fresh in your mind. I think it works the same with kids. If they remind themselves not to wet the bed, the first time they wake up early in the morning they'll remember to not wet the bed and will get themselves out of bed to use the bathroom. It's simply a learning behavior. I would stay away from using any pull ups. In the meantime, invest in a good mattress cover that seals your mattress. I recommend using light sheets that can be washed in hot water and bleach because they will need to be sanitized. Also a steamer is great to sanitize mattresses. I hope this was helpful to you.

I have read that a spoonful of honey at bedtime will help a child sleep lighter and help resolve betwetting problems. If it works, it's a cheap fix! (I've never had this problem with my kids, so I have no idea if it's true or not - I just read it in a parenting mag once.)

The bath is a fine idea. An 8 year old is also old enough to do laundry. He can pull his own sheets and put them in the washer. My Mom's Class teacher did this with one of her own sons.

Hi R., I had 2 boys who wet the bed every night. We got a script from the doctor that comes in a nose spray (which we preferred) and a pill form. My oldest quit wetting the bed at age 8, but my other son wet the bed til he was 10. They are both heavy sleepers. Once they are out, you could drop them on their head and they wouldn't know the difference. The spray is like a reverse diuretic, I have found it very hard to get any doctors to prescribe it here in AZ. I was in Michigan when we used it and I tried to get it here and went through "hell" getting it. I can't think of the name for it, its something like "DDAVP", and I'm sorry I can't remember for sure. I tried everything including alarm systems that attached to their underwear, baths in the middle of the night, or morning, no liquids after a certain time, etc,etc, I also have another son that I'm hoping I don't have to go through this with, he is only 2 right now. I had no problems w/ my daughter what so ever! So good luck!

This may sound really weird, but a technique we found truly worked for my 11 year old brother.

My brother wet the bed for the past two years. He was embarrassed and was not getting proper rest because of it. My parents tried everything from not allowing him to drink past a certain time to the night-time alarm. He would still wet the bed and sleep thru the alarm. It did not work!

So then I spoke with a friend of ours who is a Chiropractor and she said there are acupressure techniques and chiropractic techniques that help stop bed wetting. My brother went with my mom to her Chiropractor in Chandler - Dr. Yeager and began the adjustments and acupressure techniques four weeks ago. He has not wet the bed since. He is so much happier and can now get proper rest!

Hi R.,

I have a 12, almost 13 year old that finally is down to wetting the bed about once a week. So I know the frustration! Unfortunately there really isn't much more you can do. We took him to several doctors to make sure that there wasn't a physical problem, and got some advice from them, which I see you are trying. The only other thing I suggest is stop all drinks at least 2 hours before bed time. I did take my son to a doctor that sent us to a Urologist and she explained that alot of children that have this problem are constipated, and gave us a prescription of Miralax, which is now over the counter, it did help for a short time, but then we were back to the "normal". I mean picture a boy that is 5-11 and weighs 200 pounds having this same problem. One thing about this is that as he gets older you can have him washing his linens, that is something that we have done with our son. Also, my husband hadthe same problem and finally out grew it at about 11 or 12 years of age. Patience and time seem to be the only answer. Hope it helps to know that your not alone in this adventure.

D. R

You can try going to www.bedwettingstore.com. They have some good products. I bought one of their alarms for my daughter. It worked very well. It DIDN'T work for my other daughter though.

I was a late bed wetter as was my sister and one of my brothers. Let me tell you what DIDN'T work for us. Punishing us... because we weren't doing it on purpose. I used to dread waking to find wet sheets. I would even sneak out to do laundry hoping no one would find out. In sharing stories it was the same for my older siblings. We actually dream that we were up using the bathroom only to find that it was our bed we had wet. My sister is 10 years older than me. My father would make her sit in the middle of the room with her wet sheets on her head! That was awful and humiliating and obviously did NO GOOD. There are so many things that effect a child who wets the bed. Its embarrassing and it feels like you have NO control over it. So when the adults get mad at you it only makes things worse.
I would have given anything to have a bedwetting alarm when I was going through it. HOWEVER I did out grow it and your grandchild will too.

His problem may be allergies. Take hime to his Doctor and have him tested. One thing that might cause it is if he has milk after 5:oo pm, my sisters daughter was like this.

Here are some great links on bed wetting products and information!

http://bedwettingstore.com/
http://www.childdevelopmentinfo.com/disorders/bedwetting....