Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Bedwetting and school residential y6

20 replies

driftingintheair · 10/01/2025 16:36

If your DC was still bedwetting when they had their y6 school residential how did your DC and school manage this please (to avoid other pupils noticing)? Ours will be 6 nights.

DC(9) has always managed Beavers/Cubs camps fine, however at the residential place they will have proper sheets and duvets, and as he gets older the pull-ups are frequently not enough and he soaks through to bedding (which will be obvious and smell if not changed, not to mention he cannot get into a wet bed each night in an effort to cover this up).

For camps I have bagged up pjs and a pull-up for him to change into in the evening in the toilets (and to tell anyone who asks that he likes privacy), and in the mornings he has another individual bag with clothing and a nappy sack for the pull-up.

We are waiting for a third referral back to the Enuresis Clinic but previous attempts to get dry following all the nurse’s directions have not worked - alarm, drinking, avoid blackcurrant, double wee before bed, no drinking 1.5 hours before bed, Vasopressin was useless etc.

ERIC charity haven’t told us anything that we don’t know already. The clothing they sell for urine incontinence are not suitable for nighttime wetting, and their pyjama bottoms are £72, which is absolutely not feasible financially x 6 nights.

I wet until 14 years so it is partly a genetic issue they have told us.

PLEASE - if you have nothing to say except to say my DC’s bedwetting is abnormal then please refrain from commenting (I say this having seen so many such comments on these type of threads). Thank you.

OP posts:
xmasdealhunter · 10/01/2025 17:05

It might be worth trying a pair of reusable incontinence pants like these Boys Incontinence Pants 9-10 Pk 3 | Fledglings under the pullup, to provide extra absorption, and that should help stop the sheets getting wet. Then send him with a wet bag (like this Small Wet Dry Nappy Bag - Ideal for Swimming and On-The-Go Changes | Compact Changing Bag for Wet Clothes - Travel Nappy Bag with Three Compartments - Convenient and Stylish - Charcoal : Amazon.co.uk: Baby Products), and have him give them a quick rinse in the sink before popping them in the bag.

Are his teachers aware? I'd let one of them know before he goes on the trip. It likely isn't the first time they've had a child with the same and so they might have various tips for you too. Plus, if his sheets do then happen to get wet, it's less of an ordeal telling a teacher if they're already aware.

birdling · 10/01/2025 18:45

Could he have an absorbent mat to put under him, so that if it soaks through the pull up it protects the bed? (Over the top of the sheet). I've used them for my dd and they work well. Give a supply to the teacher so that they can change it if necessary. They could be pinned in place if you are concerned about them moving around as he moves.
They're called incontinence mats and I buy them in bulk off Amazon (Other suppliers are available). They cost about £15 for 50. They only need changing if they get wet.

Melroses · 10/01/2025 18:51

I had the same problem with one of mine and rang the residential centre. It is a problem they are used to.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

Ilovethewild · 10/01/2025 18:53

speak to the lead for camp,
there are often different sleeping options eg 2 bed room as opposed to 10 bed room, and teacher could check daily the bed/bedding
my lo was in this situation, yr8 now, finally sorted, but feel yr struggle, we knew it was just a waiting game.

there will be kids who don’t sleep, who are v anxious, disability needs, girls in periods, kids on medication etc,

am sure you are making sure teachers know what to look out for, how best to support him telling them, encouraging washing of body etc

iggleoggle · 10/01/2025 18:55

My son was exactly the same in year 6. No criticism from me (in year 8, he’s starting to get better, an alarm is starting to make a difference).

I spoke to school - a teacher took spare everything with her and washed and dried it every day.

modgepodge · 10/01/2025 18:59

Please talk to the teacher, it won’t be the first time they’ve heard about it and they’ll want to help, discreetly.

does he wet every night, or is it just occasional? Is he leaking through every time he wets? If this happens, the sheets will need changing - this can be done discreetly.

I had a child wet the bed on a residential (it was an occasional thing for her which I had been pre warned about ), she came to me when it happened and the centre provided clean bed sheets for us to change. They’ll be used to this so no big deal.

would suggest multiple pairs of the same PJs so if he has to change his friends don’t notice and ask why.

cansu · 10/01/2025 19:04

Absorbant pad or cover that can go under the bed sheet. Incontinence pads rather than pull ups. Discuss with teacher how it can be managed as discretely as possible.

DazedLion · 10/01/2025 19:05

its so common, he’ll grow out of it. Don’t worry

just do the usually pull up & nappy sack x6 there’ll be a bin he can slip it into each morning.

WonderingWanda · 10/01/2025 19:09

Try some reusable teen pants rather than the disposable ups they work better. We used these, they say for day time but worked well at night and look like boxers.

dryandcool.co.uk/shop/incontinence-pants-for-boys-3c1.html

Have they talked about anticholinergenics? We tried oxybutenin, tolterodone (one of them worked but caused dreadful mental health issues almost instantly, the other didn't work) and finally solifenacin which is the one that worked.

Floralnomad · 10/01/2025 19:10

Could you test it out at home with a pull up and then a men’s largish tena inside and see if that helps . If not I’d speak to the school SEN lead and see what they suggest .

iggleoggle · 10/01/2025 19:13

Oh and school allowed him to choose trusted friends to sleep near.

DillyDallyingAllDay · 10/01/2025 19:20

The drynites bed pads have sticky edges so they can be stuck down and work really well/le they don't move and will absorb keeping the bed underneath dry. Maybe a pack of those and I'm sure DS will be capable of putting in place and removing in the morning.

stichguru · 10/01/2025 19:27

My mum used Tena pants for the last few years with dementia and they were very good, almost no leakage day or night. I think a pad on the bed is a good idea too.

tryinganothername · 10/01/2025 19:31

I assume you have seen that dry nites now do an even bigger size 13+ (I think it says age 13 - 19, up to 60kg)

Perhaps these are more absorbant and worth a try if you havent tried these already

macap · 10/01/2025 19:34

I'm sure they will have dealt with this lots of times. You have my sympathy yr6 DS is the same. He has suspected ASD/ADHD and is a couple of years behind developmentally speaking. It's relentless! He chose not to go in his trip for this very reason. Doesn't matter how much I tried to reassure him. Sad

lightsandtunnels · 10/01/2025 20:00

When I was teaching I went on many residentials and there was usually at least one child on each one who had bedwetting issues. And actually on the trip it really wasn't an issue at all.

We always informed the residential centre and they usually provided a waterproof undersheet and a laundry bag each evening for us to bag up the wet bedding each morning. It was then replaced by housekeeping when we were out during the day. There should also be privacy for him to get changed each evening and in the morning. We used the accessible toilet for one child and they were able to just leave their wet PJs in there and this gave them more space to get changed in private. Honestly it was never a problem. Also the other children were always so good about it certainly never made the child feel uncomfortable.

Tulipvase · 10/01/2025 20:06

I know my school would be more than willing to make it work so that your son can attend the residential.

6 nights seems an unusually long residential though, is it a private school?

Id almost be tempted to ask a local care home how they deal with overnights, they must be used to it.

mitogoshigg · 10/01/2025 20:31

How about a pad eg the pampers ones he lays on the sheet plus get maxi pants. Reusables may be more effective

FiveBlackbirds · 10/01/2025 21:00

There must be options for children who are disabled who need overnight protection at that age. There are definitely options of reusable pants online but it does depend how much urine he is producing and whether you want disposable options for his residential.

I would absolutely tell the school. Ds wet the bed until he was 10 but Vasopressin at maximum dose and started before any overnight in a hotel or residential worked but we also backed this up with pull ups. We only medicated him for overnights outside our home and it was clearly the hormone issue with him. We also did the whole alarm, measuring liquid in and urine out, no red drinks etc.

Because school was a 3 form year group there were a lot of children who still wet the bed as you must be aware from the ERIC (brilliant) website stats. He is certainly not alone.

The school can organise it so that your son is in a smaller room with a trusted friend rather than a large room with lots of children.

LemonySippet · 10/01/2025 21:05

Please please speak to the teacher, while my daughter doesn't wet she does have significant care needs and school assured me they could cope, citing that in 20+ years of Y6 residentials they nearly always had regular wetters to help.

She was placed in a small staff room with 1 friend rather than a dormitory and it had an ensuite so her personal care could be subtley provided. Obviously it's going to be different in every case but they really will have seen and done it all before.

Hope he has a fab time!

New posts on this thread. Refresh page