Bed Wetting

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Hello all~

As I'm sure you all know by now, our daughter and 5y/o grandson have moved in with us for the time being.

Problem is...our 5 y/o grandson wets the bed EVERY SINGLE NIGHT!!!!!:(

I am so fed up with this that I could scream! I don't know what to do....I have tried getting him up early to go, he just pees earlier...I have tried cutting down his liquids after 6pm, he still goes.....I have tried getting him up before I go to bed, he still pees.....:(

I am totally at my wits end here! Last night, he woke up at 12:30am, because he wet his bed, crawled in bed with my 14y/o son (his uncle) then proceeded to pee in HIS bed too!

I don't like the thought of pullups, but I'm thinking that to be the only solution I have. My washer is going to explode with all the washing of sheets and blankets everyday!:(

Any suggestions anyone?

Thanks, Julie:( :(

Buy the 'pull ups', and tell your daughter that she needs to take more resposibility for her children. Sounds like you work long shifts outside of home. Make her be the mom.

My son wet the bed until he was 8, not every night but often. He felt bad about. It was fustrating, but it no longer happens.

Kids are sound sleepers, and sometimes do not feel that compelling urge to get up to urinate, and nature just takes over.

My youngest (18 in 3 days) wet the bed until he was 9...his Dad until he was 11.

Yes emotions can play a part in it...and he should be checked by a Pediatritian. But the fact is it is very common for 5 year old boys to wet the bed.

(Excluding an under lying medical condition) in most kids who wet the bed their brains don't produce the chemical that "turns down" the kidneys at night...the nasal spray acts on the pituitary (?) to secrete the chemical (its been a long time since school).

I used Pullups, it saved me a lot of work and my son was much happier, especially when he got to be 7 or 8 and started getting invited to sleep over at friends homes. He also found that several of his friends also used Pullups.

Ummm.... you need to march your booty in there and wake your daughter up!

I had my son young, and continued to live at home for a few months to get adjusted to motherhood (I WAS SCARED!). But I was adamant that I not become the kind of mother that shrugs off responsibility to a grandparent, almost to a fault because I wore myself out doing everything all of the time, and I hurt my mom's feelings because she wanted to be involved too.

You can't keep letting her let you do everything (did that make any sense?)

Heather

Specializes in ER, Med Surg. ICU, Mgmt. Geri. Hme Care.

Hi. i think that if are about to scream, just thunk how he's feeling. He 's old enough to know that peeng in bed is not socially approved. Olnly with lots of patience and lot of love you can solve the problem. I also think he might be on a psichological problem, maybe some things changed for him, changing homes, isn't that easy for everyone. Think about it. don't push him, just let himgo to his speed.

Speaking from personal experience, I just wanted to add that it's my belief that there are some kids out there that are just deep sleepers, and can't quite train their brain to wake them up in time to make it to the restroom. After trying all sorts of things, our family found success in an alarm system: basically, a pair of pants with wet-sensors built into the crotch, which emitted a loud buzz whenever it sensed wetness. (No, I'm not making this up.)

For about a week, the whole family had to endure being woken by the alarm in the middle of the night (and the bedwetter was STILL sleeping through the whole thing). But after a few days of "conditioning", we didn't have problems ever again. (Although the anonymous person STILL sleeps like a rock.)

Of course, this type of approach takes a motivated parent...absent of that, I think that the pull-ups are a perfectly appropriate idea.

Specializes in ICU, nutrition.

My husband might be embarrassed that I shared this, but he wet the bed until he was nine or ten. My son just stopped wetting the bed about 8 or 9 months ago (he's 5 and a half). We would leave the hall light on and his door open so he could see in case he did wake up so he could go to the bathroom. I think maybe the light kept him from sleeping quite as deeply so he'd be more likely to wake up with the urge. We didn't use pullups; my son begged me not to put him back in diapers. But I walked around with pullups and goodnites coupons in my purse for months, contemplating buying them anyway.

As far as my husband goes, his parents bribed him. They got a bed alarm and promised him a fish tank if he'd quit wetting the bed. I don't know if it helped or not, but he sure wanted that fish tank and it wasn't long before he stopped wetting the bed. Now he was a little older than what you're dealing with, so I'm not saying you should try it, but it's just an idea for later.

And crack down on your daughter. It sounds like she may be a little depressed (understandable) but often the best cure for that is to get your azz out of the bed and DO something.

Specializes in Pediatric Rehabilitation.

Glad to know your anger isn't directed at the child. The mom deserves a piece of your mind.

I think leaving a light on in the bathroom is a good point. My 3 1/2 yr old just recently stopped wetting the bed..at about the same time we started leaving the bathroom light on for her.

Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

Your daughter is sleeping and shirking her responsibilies cause she CAN. I am not judging you; but jeez, it's up to HER. YOU RAISED your kids ALREADY! Tell her to get UP and do it HERSELF. Bless you, you work so hard. Time to share the load.

You need to put the responsibility back where it belongs...with your daughter. You have supported her with her move back home, but she is the mother and needs to take care of HER child. I realize it is very difficult to pull out of situations when you care so much about them, but it is necessary. Give your grandson lots of hugs.

Um...sort of on topic...

The son of a good friend of mine still wet the bed every once in a while at age 9. He decided he NEEDED an electric blanket. My friend, not thinking, bought it for him...the first time he wet the bed after he had it turned on he got quite a shock! (Literally). But he never wet the bed again...

He and his mom still laugh about it...

Julielpn, Definitely get him to the Pediatrician first. Then if he has nothing to offer in the way of a definite cause, ask for a referral to a pediatric neurologist! A very many children have nocturnal seizures in the form of bedwetting. You did say it was consistent. DO not punish as this wil not help and can be deterimental. I doubt seriously if the child purposely wets his bed, so no piunishment is warranted. However, accurate diagnosis is. There is a reason for it, and even if the neurologist does not see anything on Sleep EEG, that does not at all rule out seizures as the cause. Don't let the neurologist pooh pooh this! He might. I rather expect it. General neuros are like that. Find another doc who will do the needed sleep EEG as well as look thoroughly at the total picture and one who has a lot of experience in this specific area. I have experience in this area and the diagnosis was Epilepsy once correctly diagnosed. Also, with the correct med, the bedwetting stopped. Do this soon because of the emotional toll it takes on the child as well as if it is due to seizures, the nightly seizures are also causing harm. Since there are MORE than 150,000 new cases of epilepsy diagnosed every year, this is definitely something to consider. Have you noticed any other behavior that you find unusual like staring spells, periods of rage, hyperactivity, etc? There are so many kids and adults incorrectly diagnosed and treated. That shouldn't be, but it is. Tweety

Um, just wondering, doesn't daughter know how to use a washing machine? Methinks she might have to start paying for laundry service?

Does grandson wake up enough to see to go to the toilet? Maybe a light left on or move him closer to the bathroom? I have a friend who is washing three stes of sheets everyday due to her three kids ( four, seven and nine) still wetting their beds, peds doc told her it might be due to her toilet traing them too young and with too much force. Of course she rejected this thoery as ludicrus and refused help, still washing those sheets though. :confused:

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