Excessive Nighttime Peeing

Hi M.

there is an interesting article in the nytime regarding bedwetting.. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/12/health/12klas.html?ref=...

albeit, you aren't asking about that perse, but it's related in the sense that the article discusses bladder sizes and how in some cases, some children just have a smaller bladder (nothing unusual and quite normal) it's worth a read...
best of luck

I started doing a "Dream Pee" with my then 3-year old daughter just before I went to bed. She is in pull ups at night but I think tomorrow night will be the last night. I pick her up out of bed, take her to the bathroom in the dark, pull down her pull up and PJ pants and put her on the potty. She pees and I put her back to bed. She really does not wake up through the whole process. It made the world of difference for us because she was waking up too early because she needed to pee and then she didn't go back to sleep. You could try this with your son, although having to deal w/ a diaper would be more difficult than pull ups. Do they make cloth pull ups? Maybe you could try giving him liquids frequently throughout the day, it could be that he's so busy that he doesn't end up drinking until the end of the day when he starts to slow down and notices his thirst? I also know that it took until my daughter was about 3.5 for her bladder to hold the pee for more than a few hours so it could definitely be that his bladder needs to catch up with his potty training!
Good luck,
C.

I'm sure this is not an issue, but it is something to consider if the situation gets worse.
Excessive nighttime urination can be a sign of diabetes.
There would be other signs as well though. Excessive thirst, and low blood sugar problems.

A diet that controls blood sugar spikes might just help anyway. It couldn't hurt.

Blessings,
Gail

Experiment with the time limit for liquids. You say he doesn't drink "before bed". Well, when do you consider it "before bed"?
Try no liquids an hour before, then 2 hours before, then three hours before...etc. until you find a time that helps to your satisfaction. If he has a dry mouth, you can give him a cup with just a few sips only.

Also remember that soft foods have a lot of water--- like fruit or yogurt...they break down inside the body into a lot of liquid.

Hi M.,

Does your son take a bath before bed? We were limiting our son's liquid intake before bed because we were having the same problem. He was still up 2-3 times a night to pee. Turns out he was drinking the bath water (I know, disgusting!) without us knowing! Make sure he's not ingesting bath water because putting an end to that also put an end to our nightly multiple pees! He still gets up on average once a night but is now, FINALLY, doing it without waking us up. He's 4 1/2. :)

Good luck!

A.

M.-
If your boy is waking you when he goes, it sounds like he's just about ready for the final step in the process. It also sounds like his little bladder has not caught up with the rest of the process. My son is 11 and still wears good nights to bed. I'm interested to see what the homeopathic moms have to add.

I think your close to having a fully trained guy. Lucky you!
S.

Dear M.,
Little boys can be champion pee-ers, can't they?
I know mine was. You wonder how a little body can have so much liquid coming out of them.
I don't think there's anything wrong with your son at all. I think what happens is that during the day, they don't always empty their bladder completely. At night time when they are relaxed and not in a hurry or so busy going from one thing to the next, everything finally just comes out.
It sounds to me like he's doing awesome and maybe just needs to take a little more time during the day to be sure he's really done peeing. I put my son in the shower at night before bed and he thought it was great fun to whiz in the shower. That really made a difference as far as him getting emptied out before bed. Give it a try.

Best wishes!

My littlest was just over 3 before I stopped having to "dream pee" him preventatively. He too would wake up to be taken to the toilet between bedtime and morning. I had cloth diapers and waterproof trainers and found that pottying him while asleep was way easier with the diaper. Get a Bjorn toilet topper and squat in front of the toilet with his head on your shoulder. I have no idea how they know it's "safe to pee now" but it must be the cold air :) You'll get the hang of sitting on the edge of the tub to lay the diaper across your lap before picking your son off the toilet... it just takes a few tries.

Hi M. R.

What kind of water is he drinking. Tap, bottled or filtered? He should be drinking alkaline water to help release toxins from his body and keep it alkaline.

If you want more info let me know.

N. Marie