My 4 1/2 Year Old Wets His Pants Constantly Although Potty Trained for Years.

Updated on June 29, 2009
T.T. asks from Woods Cross, UT
9 answers

This is so strange and disturbing! My son has been wetting his pants constantly lately and he then just wears the wet underwear/pants around without even changing. He does not seem uncomfortable at all and it does not seem to bother him a bit. When I ask him about it he says he can not tell it is coming out. Is this possible? He makes stuff up a lot. I guess I'm just wondering if there is a possible medical condition that would cause this and if I should take him to the Doctor or if he is just going through some bizarre stage of being lazy and does not want to have to stop what he is doing to go to the restroom. He does wear pullups at night as he is a very deep sleeper. Even when he does use the bathroom in the day, I've noticed he has alread wet his pants quite a bit before he goes. Any ideas/experience with this?
THANKS!

What can I do next?

  • Add yourAnswer own comment
  • Ask your own question Add Question
  • Join the Mamapedia community Mamapedia
  • as inappropriate
  • this with your friends

Featured Answers

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

S.L.

answers from Boise on

I would say you should talk to his doctor about it. I don't have any experience with this, but a doctor ought to be able to (eventually) tell you if it's behavioral or physical.

More Answers

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

S.S.

answers from Denver on

I definitely recommend taking him to the doctor as his doing this consistently does not seem normal. I understand accidents, but not every day and more than one time each day. I hope you can get this figured out.

Make it a GREAT day!

S.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

A.C.

answers from Colorado Springs on

If he can't feel that he's peeing-and has said it more than once & at various times (like not just upon waking, or when out playing)-I'd take him in. Weak bladder can probably develop (I'm not sure, but it seems that you can catch most anything at any time so who knows?). It could be lazy, but it's worth it to rule out something medical. School will start soon for him & he won't want to be "that kid".
Set a timer for you both during the day. Set it for 60 mins & have him to try every time the timer goes off. I had to do that to potty train my boys-more for me than them!
When you notice he's wet, have him change his pants himself-he's old enough. Have him put the undies & wet pants/shirt in a special hamper (it's HORRIBLE to miss a pair of pee pants!) to be washed right away, have him hang them over the shower faucet & rinse them with cold water-show him where to turn the water on to, have him help rinse himself off in the shower... make him a part of cleaning it up basically.
Good luck!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

O.L.

answers from Denver on

I've recently learned that food sensitivities can cause reactions like this...particularly the complete lack of awareness part. They're apparently quite common, actually.

It's probably a good idea to rule out any other medical conditions first, but then you might try putting your son on an elimination diet to see if there's any difference. To decide which foods to pull, you can look first to any that he seems to not like much AND to any that he seems unable to go a day without (dairy and wheat/gluten are very common). It seems counterintuitive, but we humans are apparently often drawn to the very foods that make us feel sick!

I haven't had much experience with this personally (we've got sensitivities but they haven't caused this particular symptom) but there's a very informative group on Yahoo called foodlab where they talk about this stuff all the time.

Best of luck!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

D.M.

answers from Denver on

Sometimes a chiropractic adjustment can help.

A.C.

answers from Pocatello on

Hi T.,

I wanted to first let you know that you are not alone in this. Apparantly it is a lot more common than I would have ever guessed. Unfortunately, it may not be a quick and easy fix. My little boy has had this difficulty his whole life and is 6 years old.

Talk to your doctor, also just checking out enueresis online has helped me understand a bit better what could be the problem. If you take him in to his pediatrician, they will probably screen him for urinary tract infection and have you try bladder strengthening excercises (have child start voidingm then stop midstream 10 seconds, then resume) for about 6 weeks. if continues, they might recommend screening at Primary Childrens hospital for bladder or urethra abnormailities. They can try medication like Oxybutinin or Ditropan to help with bladder control. You can check into a bed wetting alarm for at night. From what I have researched, some people have had success with chiropractic adjustments.

I am not sure what truly the solution is, I have to admit that I am pretty in the dark about this as half the time I wonder if my little one is just too engrosses in what he is doing to go to the bathroom, rather than it being a medical problem. The problem is, they havent actually found anything medically wrong so it is kind of a trial and error thing. But I think it does help to at least know that other kids go thru this, and also to see what you might have ahead of you. Good luck!!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

C.C.

answers from Denver on

Hi T. -

Yes, you should get him checked out by his doctor. There are a couple of medical conditions which could cause this - a urinary tract infection or diabetes. Not to scare you - it may not be either of those things, but it's best to rule those out quickly.

My oldest son went through a similar thing shortly after his 5th birthday - it was around the time we moved, so in his case I think it was the stress of everything going on.

But I do have a younger son who has Type 1 Diabetes, and the excessive peeing was his primary symptom.

Good luck with everything!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

K.H.

answers from Salt Lake City on

My almost 3 year old girl was just doing this last week. I took her to the doctor and she has a urinary tract infection. After a day or so on antibiotics, she has stopped having accidents! Good luck!!

For Updates and Special Promotions
Follow Us

Related Questions

Related Searches