Major bed wetting issues

[lemonandhoney]

ds is 4.5. Some nights he is dry but mostly not. I am not worried by that but am finding it increasingly hard to cope with the nights he isn't dry. Even if I wake him at 11 for a wee he often wakes around 4 absolutely soaked through. I've just gone in to wake him and he was already drenched - pull up, pjs, duvet, the lot. My washing machine can't cope and we are both tired and grumpy from the broken nights which always involve a lot of changing of sheets etc which then means it is hard for him to settle back to sleep.

What can I do, realistically? Is there a brand of pull up that will last the night? Stop waking him and see what happens? Wake him earlier or more often?

my brother bed wet until he was 11, I think it is actually really common. could you just put him back in nappies for a while?

I would go back to nappies too.
He's still little (Bedwetting isn't considered a problem until 7)

You could try getting him to drink more regularly during the day, but to be honest, at his age, it may not make a difference.

ok

medically not considered a prob til age 7

night time dryness depends on the child's maturing body producing a hormone to concentrate urine production at night

things you can do to help in the meantime:
~increase fluid intake during the day - drinking more will stretch the bladder and thus increase holding capacity and don't limit drinks

~avoid red/brown drinks (ie cola/ribena) as they can irritate the bladder; milk/water best

~wee/teeth/wee at bed time (double voiding)

~avoid lifting at night, this reinforces wee-in-your-sleep

~double/triple dress the bed (waterproof+bottom sheet, waterproof+bottom sheet) and whip off wet sheets to reveal new bed underneath. makes nocturnal bed changes so much easier

this website is full of info

lots of people use the layers approach (make the bed several times with waterproof layers in between) to save on stripping and remaking during the night. just peel a layer, change a pull up and back to sleep.

he's very little, so no gp will be at all concerned - totally normal at this age.

once he's 7, if he hasn't grown out of it, you can look at meds or an enuresis alarm, but until then, it's just life, i'm afraid.

drinking more during the day is good practice though. sometimes it does make a difference, but really it's down to development.

We use size 6 pampers and they seem to do the trick. Which pull ups are you using now?

Also we use the hippychick 'mats' on the sheets which are small and easily washed. However that doesn't address it soaking the duvet

I also have 2 sets of sheets on - waterprooof mattress protector, sheet. hippychick mat, sheet, hippychick mat. Then if there is wet, you aren't 'remaking' the whole bed. Also have a spare duvet and cover in the wardrobe

It is very common four and five year olds to still be wet at night. In fact it's also common in older children. Just put him back into nappies or try pyjama pants.

I am pretty sure the OP has said he is already in a pull up

She's said he's still in pull-ups and is wetting through them!

I found nappies absorbed more than pull ups. Get the biggest size you can find that fits him. Maybe you could put some sort of insert inside the nappy to increase absorbency (you could use a washable booster, or maybe even a sanitary towel?).

Apart from that, you maybe need to look at the ERIC website for tips. They advise no fruit juice/squash after 3pm (IIRC) as it can irritate the bladder. So that might help. Plenty of drink during the day to increase capacity etc.

As everyone has already said. It's really really common and nothing to worry about yet.
I used a good protector on the matters and them smaller washable bed mats.
Go back to nappies they are usually cheaper than the night time Pj pants.

Oh and no fuss changing in the night if possible.

Will try nappies. He's going to hate it but he was wet again this morning - that's twice last night. The pull ups just aren't doing the job.

He drinks very little juice, mostly just milk but I will make him
do another wee before bed. I know lifting can be counter productive but I wasn't doing it to keep him dry, it was just an attempt to reduce the volume in his bladder so that when he does wee
there is less to soak into the pant.

Will definitely invest in some bed mats, that's a good idea.

Sorry I see you use pull ups. Perhaps he needs a bigger size. Do you use ordinary ones or night time ones. I know Huggies do pyjama pants right up to age 15.

As a matter of interest, those of you suggesting double dressing the bed - what on earth do you do with the duvets? Or do your children only wet what is underneath them?

My ds used to wake up with a soaking duvet. I eventually tried a supposedly breathable waterproof casing for my ds's duvet and all that resulted in was intense sweating, not to mention making the duvet feel and sound different. Even the supposedly breathable waterproof undersheets caused far more sweat than a normal mattress protector.

Are pyjama pants more absorbent than ordinary pull ups? I've been steering clear thinking they were for small leaks...

When my DS and DD had problems we were told that drinking too much milk near or at bedtime was worse as it's 'food' and takes longer to digest or something and so turns into wee later in the night rather than before they go to sleep.

Try more water and slight less milk. Although actually my 2 dc refused to give up their milk.

You could try buying 2 cheap duvets and alternated washing/ drying them.
My DSs duvets were sometimes wet and eventually replaced them when he grew out of the bed wetting. He was about 7.5 though.

Yes pyjama pants are more absorbent than ordinary pull ups. They are designed for night, for children who have bed wetting problems.

Or get a couple of cheap sleeping bags. They fit in a domestic machine better, and usually dry more quickly than a duvet.

does anyone know about the medication they give to prevent bedwetting? my son is 8 and has started having school friend sleep over...still bedwetting and becoming more of a worry to him now

Desmopressin is the most common medication given for bed wetting. It's supposed to mimic the hormone that causes the body to produce less urine at night. It doesn't work for everyone - some find it makes no difference at all, others find it improves the situation but doesn't stop bedwetting altogether (ie occasional accidents still occur) and others find it stops the problem altogether (whilst the medication is being taken - a smaller proportion of people find the problem gone forever once their child stops taking it).

It didn't work at all for my ds, but then I don't think his problem is that he produces abnormal amounts of urine at night, I think he just doesn't have a very big bladder and doesn't wake up when it empties.

I bought a sleeping bag to replace the duvet, so much easier to wash and dry. Also have used a couple of layers of fleece blankets.

Dd7 is on desmopressin, I think her urine production is reduced but she's still wetting. She can often wet through her pj pants. It's interesting to hear the theory that they're less absorbent as I wondered why she was wetting through.

Thats good to know about the Desmopressin. i've also heard there's a spray..does anyone know anything about the spray?? Where do you spray it?!