5 month old hates wee!

[Kiki2605]

Hi all! I’m new here but really hoping I can tap into your mum wisdom!

Wee is ruining our lives! :( I have a 5 month old son, and since he’s been born, he has HATED wee. By that I mean he hates the before ie knowing he needs to do one, and he hates having a wet nappy. I’m not talking a saturated nappy, because he’d be within reason to dislike that, we’re talking the tiniest drop of wee, and he absolutely has to have it changed!

This means we’re getting up multiple times a night to change him, it means on trips out he needs to be changed multiple times which isn’t always practical, and it’s particularly difficult on dog walks which I have to do daily and have no means to change him. He will happily scream and cry at me for hours until I change him. It makes me not want to go out, and I’m not getting any sleep. It also disrupts his feeds and it’s not unheard of for me to change him twice during 1 bottle because he just can’t concentrate. On particularly bad days, we get through 20+ nappies.

Has anyone else experienced this? Or has any ideas?

We’ve tried 8 different nappy brands and have also tried reusable ones, but to no effect (because he hates knowing he needs to go, and it doesn’t matter how fast the nappy claims to lock away wetness - it’s not good enough for him!), and I’ve discussed it with doctors/health visitors/midwives and ruled out a water infection (they have no ideas at all aside from trying different nappies). All people can say is “oh he’ll potty train really easily!” - which is lovely, but YEARS away!!

Any suggestions welcome - I’m absolutely at my wits end :((( Thanks in advance!

How have they exceeded urinary tract infection or any other issues? Fever is not always present, so you can't actually diagnose an infection based on symptoms only.
Have they done any tests? Tested urine? Has he got an ultrasound?

Maybe it is your wording that is misleading doctors. Instead of saying he hates wee and we need to change the nappy the second it gets wet, try thinking if he gets really distressed every time he passes wee.
Have you tried to leave him without nappy on a set of towel / plastic sheet and see if he cries even without nappy?
What makes you say it is the contact more than the action itself? Dysuria (pain from urinating) should be investigated. You have put it down to a fussy baby but maybe you are missing an inflammation (urethritis) , infection, excessive build up of calcium....

@Kiki2605 How many nappies do you change per day? Keep a record. Urine avoidance is normal in chronic pain.

You should go back to the doctor and ask for a referral to an urologist

excluded not exceeded urinary tract infection

Thank you so much for such a thorough answer - truly it’s much appreciated and you clearly know your stuff!

• They have tested his urine but no ultrasound, so I could press to have that/insist on a urologist ref
• He doesn’t avoid urinating - he can get through anything from 12-20 nappies a day because he’ll do a small wee and won’t be happy until I’ve changed it. Although, sometimes he waits for a fresh nappy to be put on before he goes again immediately if that counts as avoiding?!
• He happily goes when the nappy is off
• When he’s actually going, he’s perfectly happy - it’s the before (and not every time) but he’s always uncomfortable after until he’s changed
• He’s not visibly sore at all downstairs

Thanks so much again - I will definitely be contacting his doctor

Have you ever made this test: pour a bit of clean water on a clean nappy and put it on him to see how he reacts to wetness? To determine if he dislikes the feeling or if it is something in the urine. Have you tried a contact barrier cream? but not just a bit, more like two big tablespoons amount.
If you get the same reaction with clean water, then the good news is it is nothing medical, bad news is you are not out of woods . If on the other hand, a wet (water) nappy doesn't;t disturb him, could it be hypersensitivity ? There are genital contact allergy to the ammonia in wee, but he would have a skin irritation.

Since he is not yet mobile, leave him nappy free for several hours and observe his behaviour, mood, and maybe count how many times he has a wee.

20 nappies a day, constant nappy change at night, avoiding outings because of his issues requires investigation before throwing the towel to years of misery.

The clean water test is a great shout - don’t know why I haven’t thought of that! And yes will try going over the top with the barrier cream too.

Thank you so so much for taking the time to give such carefully considered advice!