Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

Flip

1 2

Original poster

Bed Wetting - school concern?

32 replies

Poogles · 13/06/2011 12:49

DS1 is 5 and still wears a nappy at night. I don't have a problem with this as not all children are dry through the night at this age and there is a history of bed wetting in the family. If he simply isn't ready, I'm fine with that!

What has made me concerned is that during the week (when he is at school) his nappies are really heavy in the morning/so full they sometimes leak in the night, however at weekends we find that there is only a small amount of wee in the nappy or it is dry. Over half term for example, he had at least 4 dry nappies and the rest where only a little wet. Since going back to school, he has had very heavy nappies and a couple of 'so much they leaked' ones. Weekend was better.

DS has settled well into reception, loves his teacher, loves his after school club (to the point it takes him ages to actually leave when I pick him up!!) and has plenty of friends. We don't have in depth conversations about school, DS is the type of boy who says 'fine' when asked how school was and can never remember what he's done - but this is no different to when he was at nursery. I don't think there are problems there...

DH thought it might be to do with the fact that he is tired from school and sleeps deeper but DS has never got up in the night to go for a wee, even when he has had dry nappies. During half term he went to a sports thing where he did sports all day but still managed some dry nappies.

DS is starting to get a bit upset when he has his heavy nappies/leaks. I think this is partly because he has had some dry nights and becuase DS2 (just turned 3) is dry more nights than not.

Has anybody got similar experience or advice? Not sure if I should talk to the school about it - I don't think he has any problems there and he would be mortified to think his teacher knew he still wore nappies.

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

charidee · 13/06/2011 13:20

Can't really help, just resonates with me as my bright, active 5yo DS is also in bedpants. Tried a few nights over half term without them and the first 3 nights - barely a drop. Thought we'd cracked it. Then gradually wetter and wetter so have reverted back to bedpants, will try again in summer holiday. We don't make a deal of it and he doesn't seem bothered, but I am a bit fed up with the cost of the darn things.

How does your DS feel about wearing bedpants?

iwouldgoouttonight · 13/06/2011 13:28

I'm not the best person to advice as DS still isn't reliably dry in the day but I wondered if your DS might hold his wee in more at school (because he's busy or doesn't want to ask to go?) so there is more wee to come out at night? My DS seems to go to the toilet a lot after school and I think its because he holds it in for a long time at school.

MrsArmstrong · 13/06/2011 13:32

tbh I agree with your dh - school is tiring in a whole new way, not really worth comparing to sports week

perhaps ds is doing a big wee just before he wakes, when normally he would wake up and wee?

Original poster

Poogles · 13/06/2011 13:33

We tried the bedpants but he sees them as nappies and wasn't bothered whether he wore bed pants or nappies (until recently when he sees one dry night as the reason to 'go commando' under his PJ's). He has been fine with nappies. Luckily, he is only slight so can still fit 5+ or 6 nappies!! Much cheaper than bedpants!!

My concern is more the school aspect of it. I've thought there was a pattern for a while now but half term proved it. I think he will go dry through the summer holidays but am worried it will start again when he goes back in September.

If it is just a coincidence and he's not ready, I am totally fine with that (although I may need some help & advice on what to do when DS2 has cracked it which I think will be before DS1!)

OP posts:

Pepa · 13/06/2011 13:34

Maybe its to do with not drinking as much during the day at school. Then when he comes homes he is drinking more leading to heavier bedtime peeing.

I'm in the same boat with a bedwetting 5 year old DS - but I haven't noticed any pattern with my son...

Pepa · 13/06/2011 13:36

I think if he was not going to the loo at school you would notice him going more as soon as he got home, not wait till bedtime...

Original poster

Poogles · 13/06/2011 14:41

Thanks everyone for your thoughts. I don't think it is because he doesn't go at school as he goes to after school club and doesn't get home till 6 - i'm sure he'd burst if he wasn't going. He has a packed lunch so I know how much fluids he gets at lunch and they have a water cooler they can access at school so I doubt he would be able to go all day without going. We don't restrict his drinks but I have kept an eye on it and he very rarely has more than a glass of water/juice when he gets home.

During the week when he is at school, we actually get up earlier than weekends/holidays so I would have expected the dry nights the other way i.e. we are waking him up before he has his first wee in the morning. When his nappy leaks, it tends to be between 2.00am - 4.00am. I do check his nappy before I go to bed (to try and avoid a potential leak) but it is always dry at that time.

I was hoping for someone to come on and say they had gone through the same and it was usual! Like I said before, the bed wetting isn't a worry for me, I'm just worried that I'm missing something because of the pattern. I don't want to come across to the school as a pushy mum who can't accept that there isn't a reason for DS wetting the bed as I'm not. I fully believe DS isn't quite ready but am concerned at the volumes we have during the school week if that makes sense. At the same time, I don't want to not do something if there is a reason at school causing this.

Also, Friday nights seem to be pretty good - relatively dry if not dry and sunday nights not so good. His nappy this morning was so heavy it would have made a hole in the floor if dropped!!

OP posts:

lovemysleep · 13/06/2011 14:48

You might find that he isn't drinking enough whilst at school. My DD is 5 and still has nappy pants at night - she was great when she first started school, but I've noticed a nose dive later on, and this has coincided with not drinking as much as she should through the day. A doctor I spoke to also mentioned to monitor her fluid intake and make sure she got at least 1500ml a day.
We have yet to see an improvement, as she's still inconsistent with her drinking - but I'm not too concerned yet, as it seems to be a family trait to take longer to be dry at night.
Sounds like your son maybe getting the hang of being dry at night - he's just a bit erratic at the mo.

Original poster

Poogles · 13/06/2011 14:59

Thanks lovemysleep. I will try and monitor his fluids (although he isnt the most communicative about school!). Did your doctor explain why not enough fluid would make him wet at night? A friend of mine also suggested this but when thought maybe she had got it wrong when she couldn't explain why you would wet the bed having less fluid.

Our family has a history of this as well. My uncle wet the bed until he was 13 (probably not helped by my Grandad beating him every morning when he wet and thereby making him anxious!)

OP posts:

mumeeee · 13/06/2011 16:07

Poogles When you don't drink enough fluid then your urine becomes more concentrated and apparently that makes you wee more at night. I was told this at an enuresis clinic DD3 used to attend, She was given a chart to make sure she had at least 7 drinks a day and buy this they meant glasful not just a drop in a cup, We also told to let her drink right up until bedtime, The only fluids that were restricted were tea,fizzy drinks and squashes that had artificial colourings in them,

Original poster

Poogles · 13/06/2011 16:24

Thanks Mumeeee. That does make some sense! I will try encouraging him to drink more of an evening during the week and see what effect that has. We've got a parent's evening coming up soon so I might ask his teacher to 'remind' him to get a drink. Could be a good way of bringing up the subject in case there is something else at school I'm not aware of, although he seems so happy there I can't see it.

OP posts:

madwomanintheattic · 13/06/2011 16:46

it all sounds really normal poogles. i don't think it will be anything to do with anxiety - it will be to do with when/ how often he's drinking. ds1 is exactly the same.

at home he has a very strict drinking routine (!), whereas at school he does his own thing. goodness only knows what that is really. sometimes there's a bit of a run on thre water fountain, sometimes he drinks nothing at all until home.

his weektime pull-ups were always leaking/ enormous and sometimes split from the quantity (nice ) i wash sheets every day.

i suspect that he was weeing as he woke (the massive quantity) well, not woke exactly, but as he stirred earlier in the morning.

anyway, ds1 is older (9) and we're onto an enuresis alarm now. i think the stricter drink/ toileting routine at home on the weekends will be helping the weekend dryness - hopefully it will be a short time and he'll be transferring that to the week too!

i think if there was any anxiety at school etc, you would be seeing toileting accidents at school - not just heavier urine at night. the teachers should be reminding the little ones to drink lots anyway - often in primary schools they sit with their water bottles on their desks.

pranma · 13/06/2011 17:05

I know this is oldfashioned but it worked for my ds really quickly[nearly 40 years ago].We started to take him to the toilet when we went to bed-just lift him out of bed,support him by or on the loo and say'do a wee now darling'.He always did and from when we started it he rarely had a wet bed.He was nearly 5 at the time and was getting upset about wetting at night and our clinic advided that method.Nowadays some people say that they never learn if you do that but my son is 41 now and no-one has woken for a wee for at least 35 years:)

RantyMcRantpants · 13/06/2011 19:30

You may find THIS website useful. Some children don't have the necesary hormones yet to be dry at night.

madwomanintheattic · 13/06/2011 20:07

p - you're right - clinics don't advocate lifting now as it's thought that you are effectively teaching them to wee in the night without being awake (sort of counter-productive!)

it may be that coincidentally your ds was just about producing the hormone and almost there anyway. no way of tellling, really. we used lifting at our wits end for a while when ds was about 7. no joy at all.

madwomanintheattic · 13/06/2011 20:08

eric are really good. forum is crap for soiling issues though. anything other than straightforward maturity and you're on your own. good for info though.

Tgger · 13/06/2011 20:39

Reading with interest as DS (4.5) is still in pull-ups at night. Haven't discovered bedpants yet- is that what you get when nappies are too small?

So far he's ok in a size 6 pull up. It's always wet, but doesn't leak (so far.........). Did try to ditch the nappies soon after he turned 4 but it was too traumatic for all concerned so we went back to them. I was thinking of trying him again in the summer hols...we shall see.........

faverolles · 13/06/2011 21:43

Dd was still in night pants until we were given a drinking timetable by the enuresis clinic. I spoke to her teacher who was a great help.
She had to have a glass of water (I think about 100-200mls) at breakfast time, morning break, lunchtime, afternoon break, home time, tea time then a last drink about an hour or so before bedtime.

If your Ds is dryer at the weekends, it could be worth talking to the school and getting him drinking more during the day.

messybessie · 13/06/2011 22:51

DS is 5 and I've just stopped the pyjama pants. I'm convinced it's because he doesn't drink enough though. Have always struggled to make him drink.

He doesn't even wake up when he wees though, often I go to bed at night and he's already wet but still fast asleep.

AngelDog · 13/06/2011 22:58

The not drinking thing is because concentrated urine irritates the insides of the bladder which triggers weeing more often than more diluted urine. Or something along those lines.

My experience as a teacher suggests that not drinking enough during the school day is really common.

WishIWasRimaHorton · 13/06/2011 23:09

my DS won't drink water. at all. even when it's the only thing on offer. and it is the only thing on offer at school. he is 5 this summer and still wets the bed more often than not. we are in and out of pyjama pants. he doesn't want to wear them, so we are trying again without. so he has a drink of milk at breakfast time, then nothing all day at school, and then some dilute squash when he gets home, and some more milk with his tea. he drinks nothing after 5.30pm but he still wets the bed. i have told him he needs to drink the water but he just won't...

colditz · 13/06/2011 23:13

Try waking him up at about half past eleven and taking him to the toilet - it works for Ds2!

Original poster

Poogles · 14/06/2011 08:06

Just an update from last night... We encouraged DS1 to drink lots of water last night (made it into a bit of a game - race Mummy to see who finished first) and promised him a Captain Jack outfit if he got up and did his wee in the toilet as soon as he wakes up for a whole week. Result - DRY nappy this morning!!

Thanks everyone for the advice - I would never have thought to increase his fluids to get him dry. Of course it may just be coincidence, but we are going to continue with the drinking lots of an evening and see how we go.

Will come back next week and give an update to see if it is just beginners luck or not. Fingers crossed...

OP posts:

Tgger · 14/06/2011 14:00

Fantastic! I will have a go with DS in August when I plan to potty train his sister (2.5) so it will be a bit of a theme in this house!!

Interesting about the drinking thing- I think DS here may be another who doesn't drink enough when he's out at nursery all day (does 2 full days and 3 mornings). I wish that they would actually dish out drinks for them at more regular intervals- yes they can ask for a drink and from reception they have water bottles, but they can't be bothered can they! If it was "time for a drink" then they'd do it. Hmmm, perhaps I will suggest it to the parent council!

Glenshee · 15/06/2011 13:46

What goes into his lunch box? There's a possibility that bedwetting at night is the way the body tries to get rid of excessive sugar.

In our school sweet occassions like birthdays, cake stalls, Friday biscuit (doh!) and whatnot happen so frequently, that if they were topped up by any more sugar elsewhere (at home or during lunch), it would worry me.

Flip

1 2