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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

AIBU to refuse overnight stays after repeated bedwetting and damage?

121 replies

neutralfoxx · 18/04/2026 18:30

My husbands sister was away on holiday and didn’t even arrange proper childcare for her daughter so she ended up with us last minute which I didn’t mind. She is 10. She slept in my daughters bed and wet the bed, not only that but she didn’t take her wet pyjamas off and then sat on my daughters rug and fluffy chair in the morning so everything really stunk of urine. I was so frustrated because she has slept at our house previously and wet the bed, that time we had to throw the mattress away it was so bad. Luckily this time we could remove the mattress covers and the smell did come out. But I couldn’t get it out the rug so I’ve just had to get rid of it and the her chair. I know she can’t help wet the bed but I do think at age 10 her mum should provide her with pull-ups or something and tell her that she needs to wear them especially staying at someone’s house?! Her mum didn’t even care she just said give it a scrub, but it is impossible to get the smell of urine out without machine washing and I couldn’t put the rug in the machine or the chair. We have said she won’t be able to stay again because it’s unfair that we have to replace mattresses and other furnishings. Am I right to be annoyed? Even if she offered to replace my daughters rug I’d be happy or at least apologise and admit she is in the wrong to send her daughter to someone’s house without pull ups and she should teach her daughter to wear them.

OP posts:
neutralfoxx · 18/04/2026 21:11

blubberball · 18/04/2026 20:41

I'd invest in mattress protectors, night time pull ups, spare pyjamas and instructions to clean up immediately if any accidents occur. I'd want to make a child in my family feel safe in my home.

Mattress protectors are just good to have any way in my experience. You can't put a mattress in the washing machine, and you never know when a family member is going to be sick/have an accident/spill a drink

It might come across that I didn’t care for the child but I did. When I realised what had happened I told her to have a shower and I would wash her pyjamas. I didn’t make a big deal of it in front of her, but I was just annoyed her mum hadn’t prepared us or her daughter…

OP posts:
neutralfoxx · 18/04/2026 21:14

Thefingerofblame · 18/04/2026 19:45

@neutralfoxx many children wet the bed for no other reason than their bladder hasn’t matured enough to hold the urine generated while they are in a deep sleep. Usually the wetting of the bed happens as they reach rem sleep, so about 1.5 hours after they have fallen asleep.

Once we knew this info (given to us by our doctor), we would carry our child to the toilet (pretty much still asleep) just before she reached the rem sleep state. She’d have a wee, go back to bed and wake up dry in the morning. She didn’t usually remember us taking her to the toilet. This lasted until she was 12. Then we stopped taking her, her bladder had matured enough in that time to hold a full-nights worth of urine. It’s a medical issue for many.

What is a problem though, is that she sat in her wet pjs and on other items in the room. Did she have clean pjs that she could put on instead?

OP its horrendously embarrassing for your niece to suffer from this and you are being heartless for making her feel bad (highlighting it) about something she has no control over. Her mum sounds useless and should have provided you with a mattress protector and your niece many changes of pjs, or pull-ups. However, you were well aware of her problem and therefore should have stepped-up too. That poor little girl was let down by you all.

I replied to another poster but I did not highlight my frustration to her. I took care of her as best I could and didn’t make a fuss, I got her to have a shower and said I would wash her pyjamas. I didn’t make her feel bad.

OP posts:
neutralfoxx · 18/04/2026 21:15

AnotherName2025 · 18/04/2026 20:20

Oh, wish I'd read this first.

in that case, hopefully no child is being neglected 👍🏻😊 & if someone is getting their thrills from this, they need help! Weirdos.

No i have no idea about this other post and it was not written by me.

OP posts:
Zanatdy · 18/04/2026 21:21

No unreasonable at all. Why should you have to incur financial cost for doing a favour. The fact she didn’t offer to pay is a joke.

blubberball · 18/04/2026 21:21

neutralfoxx · 18/04/2026 21:11

It might come across that I didn’t care for the child but I did. When I realised what had happened I told her to have a shower and I would wash her pyjamas. I didn’t make a big deal of it in front of her, but I was just annoyed her mum hadn’t prepared us or her daughter…

It is annoying, but don't punish the child by refusing to have her overnight because of that. It's easily resolved by being prepared as it's something you know she struggles with. It's not her fault

laurini · 18/04/2026 21:23

neutralfoxx · 18/04/2026 21:09

as you say it’s a massive red flag for CSA, what would I do? Anything could be happening as her mum and dad are separated. She is between both houses. Can there be other reasons for bed wetting? I don’t want to assume. Her mum would also shut it down if we tried to get involved. I believe her dad was already been involved with social services regarding his other child

Report them? The poor girl. All you're concerned about is your bloody home furnishings. Be a responsible adult and get her some help.

Delphiniumandlupins · 18/04/2026 21:46

You are not wrong to be annoyed but have you asked her mother whether this happens frequently at home? Refusing overnights is punishing the child although she doesn't seem to stay with you frequently. Before she stays again insist her mum supplies a waterproof cover for the mattress, pull ups and spare pj's.

BeeMyBaby · 18/04/2026 22:03

Distilled vinegar gets rid of the smell (took a year to potty train my son and he peed on the sofa, dining room chairs etc), nothing was left with a smell

Dollymylove · 18/04/2026 22:17

laurini · 18/04/2026 21:23

Report them? The poor girl. All you're concerned about is your bloody home furnishings. Be a responsible adult and get her some help.

Isn't it the parents responsibility to get help?.

laurini · 18/04/2026 22:18

Dollymylove · 18/04/2026 22:17

Isn't it the parents responsibility to get help?.

But the parents are the problem here...

wheresthesnowgone · 18/04/2026 22:27

She's your niece and it appears she's not being properly cared for by her parents.

Put a rubber sheet on the bed, buy some pull ups and see if you can get to the reason for the bed wetting problem.

Thefingerofblame · 18/04/2026 23:00

neutralfoxx · 18/04/2026 21:06

Also I don’t have waterproof sheets as my dd doesn’t require them, and as it was last minute I didn’t buy any but I didn’t even know she would need them.

You kinda did. It happened last year.

Anything plastic would have done (large black bin liner if that’s all you had), and you could have left out a spare sheet so she could change it in the night and some spare pjs. It isn’t rocket science!

Anyway what’s done is done. Just don’t punish her and be ready for her visit next time.

ACynicalDad · 18/04/2026 23:05

It’s v v unreasonable to send a bed wetting child to stay at another home without mitigations and training what to do.

mooshkymoo · 18/04/2026 23:15

I would put my arms around that little girl and tell her she’s welcome any time and not to worry about wetting the bed. She might have been too scared or embarrassed to tell you. Just buy a waterproof sheet and let her know it’s ok if it happens, she can come and tell you and you can sort it out together. And if you don’t feel enough warmth for a 10 year old child to do that, ask your husband to.

mooshkymoo · 18/04/2026 23:18

Pinkissmart · 18/04/2026 19:29

This is your niece. Your family, who clearly has issues- either medical or behavioural.
She is a child. It was up to you and your husband to manage the situation with mattress covers, pull ups, a conversation.

Sad that instead of becoming a safe place for her to be, you’ve chosen to reject her and become an adult she can’t rely on.

I completely agree.

Unforgettablefire · 18/04/2026 23:44

mooshkymoo · 18/04/2026 23:15

I would put my arms around that little girl and tell her she’s welcome any time and not to worry about wetting the bed. She might have been too scared or embarrassed to tell you. Just buy a waterproof sheet and let her know it’s ok if it happens, she can come and tell you and you can sort it out together. And if you don’t feel enough warmth for a 10 year old child to do that, ask your husband to.

This.
Bedwetting at this age is often as you know a sign of stress and s/a. Not saying at all that that’s what’s happening but the poor girl is obviously unsettled.
Take the rug up next time she’s there, a cheap waterproof mattress cover from argos or a shower curtain will keep the bed dry, and a trip to the toilet when you’re going to bed will probably help a lot. As will some sympathy.

Happyjoe · 19/04/2026 00:30

I didn't think urine 'really stank' instantly, what do I know? She must be quite dehydrated.

I feel sorry for the little one. Yes, mum should be looking for solutions to her daughters wetting, be it pull up PJ's, mattress protectors and changes of clothing.

oviraptor21 · 19/04/2026 00:37

Sister needs to provide waterproof mattress and duvet cover and teach her daughter what to do when an accident happens.
Not good to put the daughter in pyjamas pants. She won't learn that way. By age 10 she should be being seen by an enuresis service if iirc.

vickylou78 · 19/04/2026 01:07

Get a cheap waterproof mattress cover and duvet cover

sittingonabeach · 19/04/2026 01:15

How come it was so last minute? Was there any other plan, assume she wasn’t going to be left on her own?

Celticgold · 19/04/2026 01:47

It’s not nice but maybe the bed wetting has something to do with her home life? If her mum can’t be bothered to organise where she will stay whilst she is away what message does that send to the child? She probably feels anxious overwhelmed by not knowing where she will be staying. If she is married to your brother can you not speak to him about it.? She will be in secondary school at 11 if her peers found out about it if it was still ongoing her life would be hell kids are cruel. Her parents need to get to the bottom of why it is happening emotionally or medical. It’s unfair to the child not to do so.

ImDoneOnceAndForAll2 · 19/04/2026 01:50

She had previously wet the bed, when she arrived at yours, and didnt have pull ups, then it was up to you to go and buy some.
Really not that difficult

neutralfoxx · 19/04/2026 02:29

ImDoneOnceAndForAll2 · 19/04/2026 01:50

She had previously wet the bed, when she arrived at yours, and didnt have pull ups, then it was up to you to go and buy some.
Really not that difficult

Up to us to go and buy some? Are you having a laugh. Some people on this thread are ridiculous. I’m not her mother. I by no means made me embarrassed or punished her.
i never made a big deal of it. we weren’t made aware she is a bed wetter. She had an accident over a year ago but tbh I thought it was a one off. I would have expected her mum to let us know and make sure she was prepared with pull ups or something…

OP posts:
OnlyMabelInTheBuilding · 19/04/2026 02:37

Why is her mum going on holiday with no childcare? What is she going away at all? Just refuse next time.

mathanxiety · 19/04/2026 03:30

The really big issue here is not arranging chimdcare for her child while she was away.

Does the child wet the bed because of stress over problems in her home? Medical neglect? What is this child's home life like?

The mother needs to get her act together and parent. Yes, she owes you for the ruined furnishings. But she needs to do better for her child.