To not know if this is medical, psychological or fine? 7yr old wee issues

[maybefaraway]

My ds (7yr1mo) waits til the last minute to pee, and then runs there. Most days his pants and trousers smell of wee by the end of the day, often there is a giveaway damp patch on the pants, slightly soaked into the trouser crotch.

He was daytime dry by 2yr8mo, and night dry around age 5.

He also bites his finger nails to the quick.

He seems happy and is laid back, lots of pals and bright academically, average at sports and the like. We moved house in Jan 13 and his dad and I are amicably separated.

About once every two weeks he tells me he's wet himself, and his pants are quite wet, with a small patch in the trousers.

He has had no probs reported from school re wee or anything else!

Sorry, less Aibu than wwyd. Normal, stressed child or go to GP?

I'd chat to him about. Say you've noticed he's leaving it to the last minute and then lead into chat about if he is feeling ok, physically and emotionally. Sorry prob not much help but it's what I'd do.

Yeh I've done that MG, he says he doesn't feel it coming until the last minute. So in response to that I've said, well then let me remind you, and go when I tell you. He will then swear blind he doesn't need, and whinge and refuse when told to go, and then run off at the last minute with the wet patch there.

Tbh I've made too much of an issue of it, done the sticker chart, praise, cross thing, ignore it... For the last few months I've just said v calmly "pop them in the washing machine, give yourself a wash and get clean stuff, you can't go around with wet pants". He does this fine and we say no more about it.

Dd always leaves it until the last minute to go. She is very scared of toilets, at home, at school etc and will simply avoid going.

At home she will ask me to go with her and I can tell she desperately needs a wee but won't go on her own. At school she will only go if her friend goes as well.

I try not to make a big thing of it. Is there any chance your DC is scared? Or just having so much fun he can't be bothered with thinking about going to the loo?

www.drylikeme.com/products/night-time.html

recommended this product on another thread, but they do work. It saves the embarrassment for the child.

Thanks 40, but it's not usually wet enough to soak through the trousers iykwim, it's just wet pant and a spot on the crotch - he wears loose fitting trousers! No, no fear Chrys, he wees and poos anywhere, even asks to go alone in restaurants etc (no!). I think he just cannot be bothered, but on the other hand he knows it pisses me off and makes extra washing (as I said I have been grumpy about it in the past, but not for a good few months) so I think he would stop it if he could, hence the confusion and wondering if it is linked to the nail biting and symptom of stress.

Thanks, helps to discuss it!

Haven't read all the thread so if I'm repeating sorry

My 6 year old little girl has/had very similar habits... I work out she what urine infection...I gave her plenty of OJ or cranberry juice & more water... Worked a treat... Sometimes I notice her pants are a tiny but wet, back on OJ & cranberry...looks like she's got same problem as me x

Ah interesting just paddling. Maybe worth a GP chat then. I do think he would stop it if he could.

Both my ds's did this. I always just thought it was a normal boy thing!! Some of the damp patch is down to not wiping and putting it away when it is wet no?
They are 10 and 12 and I can promise if I were to smell their pants (no way!!) they would both still smell of wee at the end of the day.

I think children of that age do get absorbed in what they are doing, and either forget to go, or ignore the urge so they don't have to interrupt their activities.

jendot also has a point about not wiping.

It's definitely worth a visit to the GP.

My ds had a very similar issue when he was younger and I took him straight to the GP because it came out of nowhere. He was told to drink a lot more because being dehydrated can cause problems, and he had to give a urine sample to check for infection.

It wasn't an infection so they sent him for a paediatrician appointment and then an ultrasound scan. By the time we went for the hospital appointment it was getting better, and by the time we went for the scan it had stopped, and it hasn't returned again since. I'm certain it was down to a temporary minor stress in his life.

Moral of the story is that there can be causes for this and there are things they will check for and help, but it might also be next to nothing and something he will grow out of. And that you should take a urine sample when you go to the docs!

DS1 (aged 5) also does this - if it's any consolation it sounds really common. I looked it up and think it's called a voiding dysfunction. I've copied and pasted some info below. Basically, if they don't go for a wee enough, their bladders stretch and start to be able to hold a larger than normal amount of urine.

I've copied and pasted this bit:

Normally, as our bladder fills it sends signals to the brain and we become aware that we will soon need to go to the bathroom. By ignoring these signals over a long period of time some bladders become stretched out and floppy. Children with bladders like this may not notice that they need to go to the bathroom until the bladder is so stretched that it just can't hold any more urine. By then it may be too late for the child to get to the bathroom and they begin to leak urine. Often these children also learn to hold back their urination by tightening the sphincter muscles.

Does that sound like your son? Apparently some good things to do are to get them to drink more in the day. That's because when the urge is more sudden it's more noticeable. The trouble is, we can do this at weekends but it's impossible to make him drink more at school.

Must be horrible being in damp pants though! Like yours, my DS is just damp enough to make his pants wet (and smelly), but not wet enough to show through his trousers.

You have pretty much described what my ds2 (5h is like. He only seems to know he needs to go when he really needs to go, on the verge of wetting himself. Today, for instance, we came out of school and five minutes later (as we walked to the car) he announces he needs to go to the toilet, I say we will be home soon, he says he can't wait. I ask why he didn't go at school, he replies he didn't need to. He ends up weeing by the car as there is nowhere else to go. He also can not make himself go iykwim, so if I send him to the toilet before we go out, he can not make himself go, but five minutes later will be desperate. I keep hoping he will grow out of it!