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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to ask your practical tips for frequent bed wetter - 5yr old ds

73 replies

milkyman · 05/01/2018 12:08

My ds has only just come out of wearing nappies - I know.... He now frequently wets the bed as not used it. Any tips, tricks, practical ideas for dealing with it in the night? No judgement please.

OP posts:
Heartoffire · 05/01/2018 12:39

Delete very true. Didn’t have those when I was a child. Wink

So yes pull ups op Smile

yikesanotherbooboo · 05/01/2018 12:40

leave in nappies or drynites until they are reliably dry in the mornings.you cannot train being dry at night and presuming they are dry in the daytime there is nothing wrong. lots of primary aged children are wet at night ,many are dry by 8 and most are dry at 11.no need whatsoever for it to be any sort of an issue , it isn't a developmental failing.

agentdaisy · 05/01/2018 12:41

As pp have said nighttime wetting is down to a hormone. If he's not producing enough yet then there's nothing he (or you) can do about it.

Ime it takes longer for boys to be dry at night than girls. My dds were dry at night by 3.5 whereas ds1 was dry in the day at not quite 3 but 6.5 before being reliably dry at night. Ds2 was dry in the day just before turning 2 when he decided he didn't want to wear nappies anymore but is still in nighttime nappies at 5.

You can train during the day but at night it's down to hormones. The GP won't do anything until at least 7 or 8 so I'd just get pyjama pants and leave him to it for now.

Viviennemary · 05/01/2018 12:41

My DS had the odd accident in the night and then a few together. You do read not to wake them but I decided to try it. And no drinks after a certain time say 8 pm. Of course if he was really thirsty I would have given him a drink. And then in a week or so the bed wetting stopped .If it hadn't worked then I wouldn't have continued lifting in the night. Only did it very short term.

Heartoffire · 05/01/2018 12:42

Oh jay totally see that.

So you were a bed wetter too. Obviously much better informed posters on here so ignore me but sending you Flowers as it a tricky situation

Itmakesthereaderreadon · 05/01/2018 12:44

Dd was almost 6 when she stopped. No reason, it just happened. Ds is a couple of years older and has friends who still wet.

Heartoffire · 05/01/2018 12:45

Never heard that it’s due to a hormone! That’s so interesting as my mum insists I was a stressed upset child and it was all my parents divorce. That was the 70s. Also is their evidence that it’s more likely if your parent did?

RatOnnaStick · 05/01/2018 12:47

Ds2 is 5 today and still in Drynites. I get them delivered once every two months from Amazon, stick one on him every night and forget about it. When he goes for a week of dry pull-ups I might consider trying without but until then we're just ignoring it and everyone's happy.

Snausage · 05/01/2018 12:50

My DS (3y4m) was dry during the day at 2 and a half but wore pull-ups for about another 4 months (some of that was for my convenience). I made a point of a wee before bed and would sit him on the loo once during the night (he didn't even wake up). Now he is dry during the night and will, occasionally, wake me up during the night of he needs a wee or will take himself!

macnab · 05/01/2018 12:53

Heartoffire I feel so bad for you as a child, you must have felt guilty and embarrassed Sad - it absolutely is to do with hormones and yes, I have read that it can be hereditary too.
I also fully agree with a poster upthread who said that this is something really very common just that people tend not to talk about it!
Thank god for pullups, they are cheap and effective - no need for kids to be lying in wet beds or waking up mortified and upset in the mornings.

JayGatsbysWealth · 05/01/2018 12:53

It can be a hormone (vasopressin) which needs to be produced in sufficient amounts to stop your body producing as much urine at night as it does in the day.

In my son's case, it isn't that. He's had medication to replace the hormone and it had no effect on the wetting. This means his issue is a brain/bladder connection problem. I.e. his bladder doesn't tell his brain to wake up!

I have found doctors lacking in knowledge about all this (fair enough, they can't be experts on every little thing) and the school nurse to be brilliant.

Fruitloopcowabunga · 05/01/2018 12:55

Wouldn't worry, he's only a little boy so put him back in pull-ups at night. As others have said, this is common and for a few years yet. FWIW we cracked it with DS at night with bed wetting alarm pants (he loved that we called them his electric shock pants) when he was 9 although there's still an occasional accident. Don't be stressed about it, I'll bet he's not the only one in his class.

Itmakesthereaderreadon · 05/01/2018 12:57

Interestingly, Dd did wake up every night and come into my bed. The getting up stopped when the night weeing did and I think she sleeps much better.She was in drynites but must have been aware on one level.

tellitlikeitispls · 05/01/2018 12:58

back in a nappy/pullups.
Mine were late wetters (DS1 was just turned 9, DS2 was 7) as was I. They cannot control it. I tried all sorts with DS1 including the hormones, alarm etc, and followed the daytime routine advice (more fluids, more toilet visits, no juice, stop fluid intake at 6.30pm) but one day, he just stopped. All on his own. His body was just ready.

EB123 · 05/01/2018 13:00

Ds1 was 5.5 be for eh was dry at night (he was dry in the day at 2). Ds2 just turned 5 and still in a pull up at night. It is really common.

Mia1415 · 05/01/2018 13:02

My 5 year old DS son is still in pull ups at night. I wouldn't worry about it OP. He'll stop when he is ready.

Heartoffire · 05/01/2018 13:05

macnab

Bless you yes it was horrible especially as in those days mum had no washing machine or pull ups. The smell of a urine soaked mattress drying by a fan heater in my room still haunts me. Sad and yes it’s very embarrassing as s child.

Flowers to all those out there coping.

I remember a lad stopping over at ours aged about 10 and he wet the bunk bed. He looked so mortified but I managed to hide it all from my own sons and whispered to him it was fine and not to worry. He’s 27 now and my sons best mate. It does end. Flowers

Original poster
milkyman · 05/01/2018 13:16

Thanks all - will use pull ups as the night nappies weren't fitting him. He's been potty training since 3.5 - he did it himself in one day.

OP posts:
Original poster
milkyman · 05/01/2018 13:17

Are there any particular pull ups that are good.

OP posts:
PeppaPigTastesLikeBacon · 05/01/2018 13:20

My friends brother was a late bed wetter. I think they ended up getting this sheet thing that sounded an alarm when he wet the bed. It took a couple of weeks but it worked. Maybe by getting him into the habit of waking himself up at a certain time for a wee

PeppaPigTastesLikeBacon · 05/01/2018 13:21

^^ I would add that her brother was older than 5 (but in primary school I think). I wouldn’t use this on a 5 year old as they are still quite young

skippykips · 05/01/2018 13:24

I have a bed wetter aged 10 (she has a medical condition that is controlled by tablets)
However, get some waterproof mats you can wash (saves a fortune, is hygienic for the mattress)
No drinks after dinner time. A tiny mouthful of water before bedtime if needed.
No fizzy drinks and if he drinks squash make sure it is weak,

Do not let others judge. My DD who is 4 still wears pull ups through the night. She will go toilet whilst awake but as soon as she is asleep she will not only wee, she will poo. She is certainly not ready for no nappies.

Best advice though is do not get cross or make it a big deal. Just say ok lets get bed clean and dry. Give a cuddle and say 'good try'
DC will get it soon enough

skippykips · 05/01/2018 13:26

Although I have said no drinks after dinner (or 1-2 hours before bedtime)
Please make sure he drinks lots during the day. The more he drinks the better his bladder will be with stretching and holding water.

misscph1973 · 05/01/2018 13:28

My DD was a bed wetter until she was 7 and it was only in Year 6 that she stopped having skid marks in her knickers.

She was an absolute nightmare to potty train, she was out of day nappies at age 4, but still had accidents and had to be told to remember to go to the bathroom. It didn't bother her walking around with a nappy full of poo. I found it very hard to stay calm and not show my irritation as she just didn't seem to care.

I was early out of nappies myself, so I was rather shocked about how difficult it was with her. Her younger brother was so easy to potty train.

cheesypastatonight · 05/01/2018 13:32

My ds aged almost 7 is still wetting almost every night. I took him to the doctors and he went on Despressin, did nothing. After a month they doubled the dose and it still did nothing.
The doc said the most recent evidence is that you should take them out of pull ups, so he can feel the wetness. So i have done that, combined with a bed wetting alarm which worked 2 out of 5 times but has now stopped working as faulty and doesnt make a noise anymore! I am going back to the docs as i am washing sheets and a duvet almost every day now. Soooo annoying!