HELP!!! Overnight Bed Wetting Question!

Ask the Moms

by Crystal | on November 7th, 2012 | 22 comments

I NEED YOUR HELP, OPINIONS AND ADVICE!!!

You would think that by the title of this post, I might be talking about my almost 20 month old son. Well no, we haven’t started the whole potty training thing with him yet. This question is in regard to my almost 5 1/2 year old daughter!!

She was SO EASY to potty train! I started just before her second birthday because she was showing interest in the potty, and wanting to go to the bathroom on it. Within a couple weeks we were mainly accident free! It was amazing! All day and through naps she could go without a diaper, but at night time we still used one. We gradually switched to night time pull on diapers. Annnnddd…..this is still where we are now!!!

When I was expecting my son I told myself I wanted her out of them before he arrived. Then once he came I thought while I was up with him at night I would wake her and take her to the toilet. So I did. A few nights at least. I would go in, wake her up, carry her to the toilet. She’d sit on it, still basically asleep, pee, then I would redress her and put her back in bed. She had NO recollection of it at all in the mornings and would still wake up having wet her diaper.

So last fall when she was at the doctors for her 4 year check up I mentioned this to her. She told me that she didn’t worry about night time bed wetting until around the age of 6-6 1/2 years old. So not to worry about it, and if anything to limit the amount of fluids before bed. So I left it. Shortly after, she had almost a week of waking up dry!! HOORAY!!! So we tried no diaper….and of course she soaked the bed We then bought a full plastic mattress cover, and still the accidents prevailed.

So now, here I am. Frustrated and soooo ready to be done with the night time diapers for my daughter as we will soon be approaching potty training with my son! I have heard that a child’s brain just may not be fully developed in this area, and until it is, they will continue night time bed wetting. My daughter is an awesome sleeper! She sleeps through a lot and gets into a really deep sleep. I honestly think she just doesn’t even know she’s doing it. Or is she lazy? Or am I lazy in the fact that I don’t want to do laundry every day washing sheets until she stops!? HELP!

Here is where you can help!! How did you get your child to go through the night without wetting the bed? Any tips or tricks you recommend? PLEASE!!! Share your stories and anything you can think of that might help!! Thanks!

Add a comment

Comments (22)

Jessica
Twitter:
Wednesday - 07 / 11 / 2012 Reply

Don't stress about the night-wetting! Totally normal at this age ESPECIALLY with deep sleepers. My oldest son was the same way, slept so deeply that he didn't wake when his little bladder was full. We stuck with the night diapers until his body and brain were ready to go without. :)
- Crystal Wednesday - 07 / 11 / 2012 Reply
  
  Thanks Jessica! Nice to know I am not alone in this. Many of my daughters little friends are all overnight trained, so was wondering if it was me!
Danielle Sheehan Wednesday - 07 / 11 / 2012 Reply

My daughters (twins) both trained very easily as well, they showed lots of interest and did great with going to the bathroom during the day. Twin A was trained at night by 3.5 but Twin B was almost 5 before she was waking up dry. I was very worried, esp because Twin A was doing so well. My Doc said the same but I was kinda embarrassed that Twin B was almost 5 and still waking up with a very full pull up. Then I started using the plastic sheet and also putting thick bath towels under her at night so if she wet through I could just remove the towels and her jammies and ( hopefully) the sheets would be okay....she started waking up and crying becuse she was wet ( when wearing the pull up she didn't even notice or wake) she would then go back to bed in new jammies and started tomake it the rest of the night dry....when she woke up dry ( even after a earlier accident) she got a treat in the morning...after a while she started to wake and go pee all on her own and also began to hold it all night.....they are 5.5 now and I still limit their intake of fluids after 6pm, just in case! Have you tried any charts or rewards for staying dry, maybe talking about future sleepovers and get her excited about staying dry at night...Good luck!!
- Crystal Wednesday - 07 / 11 / 2012 Reply
  
  I haven't tried the rewards or chart, thanks for the idea! I know I probably just need to take the plunge, and face wet sheets/clothes and give it a try! Thanks for sharing your story Danielle!
Jasmine Wednesday - 07 / 11 / 2012 Reply

I just wrote a huge reply but Facebook ate it! Lol So in sHirt: My 7yr old son just over came it just before he turned 7. He's a VERY deep sleeper but the Dr just out it off. We started by limiting his fluid intake and doesn't have anything once dinner is over, except to rinse when he brush's his teeth. We also started waking him up at 11:30pm to pee. Sometimes he's so out of it and sometimes he jumps up out of bed right away to pee. It can be funny at times(except when he misses and pee's on the floor). Since starting this he's only had 1 accident. Altho this works for us it doesn't work for everyone. Best is to try different things and see which works best for you and your daughter ;-)
- Crystal Wednesday - 07 / 11 / 2012 Reply
  
  Thanks Jasmine! Sorry about facebook eating your message, I SO hate when that happens! I am sure it is not funny, but you totally made me laugh when saying about missing and peeing on the floor! ;) I know I need to just bite the bullet and wake up when I go to bed, and be ok with changing sheets etc for a while! Thanks for sharing your store and the tips! :)
Jill Wednesday - 07 / 11 / 2012 Reply

Hi there, With both my son and my daughter I did the same potty training method...straight to underwear, even at night and naps. It was a week of hell as they did wet the bed every night, and infrequently after a week..but the bed wetting and waking was what trained them to wake themselves up when they had to go. It was short term pain for long term gain. Good luck :)
- Crystal Wednesday - 07 / 11 / 2012 Reply
  
  Thanks Jill! I just need to bite the bullet and undergo the bed wetting that will occur as part of the process! Thanks for sharing and the tips!
Jennifer Wednesday - 07 / 11 / 2012 Reply

My almost 5 year old just got out of the night time pull ups. I somewhat figured they were a crutch for him and he was being lazy aboutit. So I bought the disposable bed pads (they hold quite a bit ) and after 2 nights and some accidents, he decided he did not like lying in his pee. It has been over a month and only 1 accident and It was because he slept through. He is waking at night to pee. I tried limiting the drinks, but he is a big drinker. So I guess I had to try different things to help him figure it out.
- Crystal Wednesday - 07 / 11 / 2012 Reply
  
  Thanks Jennifer! Where did you get the disposable bed pads? I have to say I haven't heard of them, but would be willing to try! I used to have something like them for a puppy lol Would love to know! Thanks for sharing and the tips!
  - Jennifer Thursday - 08 / 11 / 2012 Reply
    
    They sell them in Walmart, in the diaper section, they have sticky corners to attach to the sheets, so they do not move around. They ended up working great for Austin.
    - Crystal Thursday - 08 / 11 / 2012 Reply
      
      Oh awesome! Thanks! I will definitely look for those! They sound helpful!
Cheryl Emon Wednesday - 07 / 11 / 2012 Reply

Hey Crystal, we had the same problem with Becca. She basically trained herself at two and did so well and then a year or two later started wetting the bed at night. I took her to the Dr. who figured that she was just a sound sleeper and did not wake up to go. We limited her drink intake after supper, got her up before we went to bed to pee and still I was up at night washing her down and changing her bed. Unfortunately we did not find any majic cure but time. She eventually just stopped on her own and today at the wonderful age of 22 has an iron clad bladder...wish I could say the same for me!!
- Crystal Wednesday - 07 / 11 / 2012 Reply
  
  Baha Cheryl! I hope you aren't bed wetting now ;) lol So maybe it is an Emon gene, you think!? Thanks for sharing, I am sure Becca would love reading about it now :P xo
Melissa Wednesday - 07 / 11 / 2012 Reply

I don't have any advice but didn't want to read and run. I however feel your pain. My 6 yr old still wets the bed,usually nightly sometimes twice..my 4 yr olis also still wetting at night..my oldest was trained at 2.5 yrs and my youngests who's 2 don't know yet..all the best though I heard it does pass.
- Crystal Wednesday - 07 / 11 / 2012 Reply
  
  Thanks Melissa for commenting and sharing, it is nice to know I am not alone. Most friends or friends of my daughter are over this phase, so I guess I am frustrated cause feel like I am doing something wrong. I know in time it will pass, but wish I could get out of the pull up stage with her before entering with my son! Best of luck to us both! :)
Heidi Wednesday - 07 / 11 / 2012 Reply

I can sympathize with your situation! My son was trained at 2 1/2, but turned 6 this summer and although they are not as frequent as they used to be, he sometimes still has night time accidents. Up until about four months ago his accidents were nightly, but now he can go about 2 weeks without an accident. At his 6 yr check-up, I questioned our Dr. but was also told that it is not a concern until about 7 or 8 years old!! My son is a very deep sleeper, but we started waking him every night around 1am to go to the bathroom. It was very hard to wake him and I'm not sure it did a whole lot of good in the long run as I do believe it was his body maturing that has allowed him to stay dry through the night. There are so many people out there who think they have all the answers and love to give their opinion, but I have realized that all children are different and what works for one may not work for another! So, don’t lose hope, but try to stay positive even if it means washing the sheets every day, eventually this will all be a thing of the past :)
- Crystal Wednesday - 07 / 11 / 2012 Reply
  
  Thanks so much Heidi! You are right, every kid IS different and aspects mature at their own pace. I don't show my frustrations to my daughter, cause I don't want her to be embarrassed about it or feel like she is 'doing something bad'. I think I just need to give it a try and suck it up when it comes to doing more laundry ;) All will end well, part of the wonderful parenting process! Thanks for sharing your story and support!
Kayla Wednesday - 07 / 11 / 2012 Reply

I was in the same boat with my oldest...I googled and googled and tried lots of stuff but my biggest tip that a mom gave me that so worked for us was getting my kid to hold her pee longer throughout the day.. we would go shopping in Renfrew she would pee before we left and then she would ask to go while shopping and I would make her hold it a few minutes longer... and then she was able to hold it longer and longer.. it was like expanding the bladder and training the brain that it didnt have to go on demand... so (knocking on wood ) she was then able to hold it through out the night... I also think her sister being done with pullups before her had a a big impact too. I feel your pain and your not alone in that boat.
- Crystal Wednesday - 07 / 11 / 2012 Reply
  
  Thanks Kayla for commenting and sharing your story! Interesting suggestion, hadn't thought of that, but I can see how it would definitely be helpful! Thanks for the tip and support!
Michelle MacPhee Wednesday - 07 / 11 / 2012 Reply

My niece is 9 and she has always been a bed wetter. She was diagnosed with celiac disease in Sept and since they have eliminated gluten from her diet the bed wetting has disappeared. My sister took her to many doctors about bed wetting and there was never a link made to gluten. Since then, she has done some online research and many kids who wet the bed have been "cured" by eliminating gluten. With my niece, it happened pretty much instantly...as soon as the gluten was gone, the bed wetting stopped. It wouldn't hurt trying a gluten free diet for a week and seeing if it makes a difference. I know this story sounds crazy but it's true. Hope this helps some bewildered parents out there.
- Crystal Wednesday - 07 / 11 / 2012 Reply
  
  Wow, thanks Michelle! I hadn't heard/read this. I actually have 3 females on my Mom's side of the family (my aunt, cousin & grandmother) who are all Celiac. If it is something that continues, I will definitely look into it!

HELP!!! Overnight Bed Wetting Question!

Comments (22)

Add a comment

Don't Miss ANYTHING! Sign up for our free newsletter featuring giveaways, advice and more...

OVM Sponsor

OVM Sponsors

Latest Pins on Pinterest

Network

Blog

Latest Tweets