6 years old and still not dry through the night!!!

[jackskeleton]

DD is 6 now and still in pull ups through the night. I have tried the lifting routine but she goes about 3 or 4 times in the night so I am still letting her wear the pyjama pants. School nurse says that there is something in the brain that kicks in and tells the bladder to shut down for the night, in some kids this can apparently develop late,. DD is starting to be bothered by it though as she feels different from her friends. Just after a bit of reassurance really from anyone with similar experiences...

Oh just us them ???

Dp's eldest son (now 22) was like this until he was nine.

Eventually, he got a referral on the NHS, and they funded an alarm which woke him when he started to wet the bed.

He was cured in a week.

DD's are generally speaking quicker off the mark on dryness through the night, so at six, it might be worth asking your GP for a referral.

Obviously I don't know your financial situation, but these devices can be bought. However, I believe they're quite expensive.

School nurse says GP isnt interested untill they are 8 years old, they told me to give her more to drink to stretch her bladder and help her hold it longer. She always waits till she is bursting and hopping on 1 foot before she goes the loo, dont think its poss to stretch it anymore.
Might look into those devices you are on about though

No, not the only one... there was another thread on this maybe a couple of weeks back.

My DD is 8 and has only been dry since this summer. She got referral to enuresis clinic when she started yr 3. The main thing was - as your school nurse has suggested - to drink more (8x200 ml drinks). If you want to get some idea if small bladder is part of your DDs problem, just get her to wee into a jug when she is feeling desparate. mine could only do 100ml, should have been 200 or more. Apart from that, there were positive thinking exercises - no alarm. 'lifting' is generally not recommended, the child has to gain control not you.

Because it is an EXTREMELY common problem, places at clinics are usually limited which is why you may not get a referral yet - but they say its the squeaky wheel that gets oiled so try pestering GP or health visitor (thats who referred DD, I only rang her for advice!)

Thaks EmsMum
what was the outcome of your refferal, did it take long to get dry at night? What teqniques did they use. All info much appreciated. I will def try the jug thing,I personally think she doesnt go much but I will see exactly.
THANK YOU

It took about 6 months in all, but probably would have been less if I hadn't been reluctant to ditch the PJ pants and put up with wet bedding.

my friends dd was still not dry through out the night when she started her period at 10 yrs old.Thankfully things clicked into place a few weeks later.

This is a much more common problem than people think. It's just it's not talked about in the playground much.

DD was 5.5yrs before she was dry at night. (Had been 100% dry during day since 2.5.) Spoke to health visitor about it when she started school who basically said not to worry about it until DD was much older (8 ish).

As OP's school nurse said, a child's brain needs to start secreting melatonin (I think) which tells the bladder to shut down. This simply takes longer for some DCs than others. Training with buzzers will not affect the production of melatonin.

With DD we just kept it very low key, never stressed about it to her, and waited. And one day ping her pull-ups were dry in the morning.

Apparently there is some genetic component so I chose to blame DH for DD's late start.

This is really common, and I can remember wetting the bed myself until I was about 8 ish!!
I used to dream I was on the loo and wake up just as I had finished, very upset. My mom never made a big deal and I just stopped one day.
My DD is 6 and is the same, wet "dry nites" most nights.
I am sure that most children just grow out of it.
I really would'nt worry, and just try to reassure your DD that its not a problem and it will sort itself out.
Good luck

Hi jackskeleton,
My ds1, aged 5, is still wet at night. last week ds2 had his 2 year check and I asked hv about it, just to confirm that advice was still the same. She said that it is unusual for children to be referred before 7. So hang in there.
Both my nephews were six and a half before they were dry at night.

There's been a similar thread on here before. I think I remember rightly that someone posted that they don't give their DS/DD anything but water after 3pm (no juice, no milk and def no fizzy drinks), plenty of water up til tea time, then only enough to satisfy thirst between tea and bed. Whoever it was said that whenever the child had something other than water after 3pm, s/he wetted the bed.

I definitely agree that you have to take the plunge and ditch the pull-ups - we took our lead from DS who suddenly decided he didn't want to wear them anymore. Cue much washing and 3am sheet changing!

I know lifting isn't recommended, but I'm sure it has helped with my DS (nearly 6). Have been lifting him when we go to bed for 3 months or so, and now he very rarely wets. Sooner or later I have to pluck up courage to leave him alone and to see how he gets on.

Have you noticed it says for ages 5-7 or something similar on the dry nights packets. Must be a common thing