Bed-wetting

[Lady B]

My 4-year-old has been wetting the bed now for a year, he had stopped when he turned 3. At first I thought it was because I had a baby last year & he would eventually get control again, but my baby will be 1 next month & my 4-year-old is still wetting the bed. He is a middle child but he seems very happy and he is extremely hyper-enegetic (not clinically, but parentally :-). We try to cut off the liquids an hour before bed, though he may get a sip. And he always uses the bathroom before bed. Do you have any thoughts or suggestions?

[via veritas]

Please don't fret about your child's bed-wetting. Hopefully, you can afford pullups or some  other night time brand. Don't make your child feel like he is doing anything wrong.

My son was a constant (every night) bed wetter since day one. I told him when he was ready I would buy him the alarm system (sold in many children's catalogs) that awakens him and uses negative reinforcement to train his body to not wet the bed.  At age 6  he  told me he was ready. It took 20 days, and he's wet the bed only 2 times in 1 and 1/2 years! It's amazing and I'm so proud of him.

It's not his fault, and I'm sure he doesn't want to be doing it. Just PLEASE, don't make him feel ashamed. The alarm system works, but not until the child wants to do it. (I've had 3 friends who swear by the system as well.) Good luck, and relax.

[siss]

i have a 15 year old step daughter that still wets the bed i would wake her everytime the baby got me up,my hubby would do the same and she would still manage to wet the bed.dr's said everything was fine but she has done this all her life.someday she will grow out of it.i wish they would figure it out.she is embarrased by it.so good luck with your children and help them develop a strong bladder.

[djk]

I do not know if this will help but My daughter started that after being potty trained for 3 years,and it was after I had a new baby after about a year,I had to try something I cut the liquids like you said then I would wake her up about an hour to hour and a half after she fell to sleep to go potty,And it worked for us.Good luck.

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

Such chronic nocturnal enuresis is not the norm, of course, but it's also not an uncommon phenomenon. And, it is usually not grounded in emotional or psychological factors. Try to adopt a patient, understanding stance, because there's little you can do that you are not already doing. Later on, if this persists, you can adopt behavioral systems (incentive programs, e.g.) or employ wet-stop alarm, but I wouldn't do this at his age.