Please help 6.5 year old DS still wet at night

[wangle99]

Happy Easter!

Am hoping for some advice from some BTDT mums as I really don't know what to do about this.

DS is still really wet at night, have periodically tried to get him dry at night but it just hasn't worked. Thought as Easter hols and few days off work was worth another go, he hasn't managed a dry night (to be honest didn't think he would), its not a case of being a bit wet he is SATURATED. Last night was twice, he doesn't wake though, doesn't realise he is wet. When DH and I went to be he was absolutely soaked so got him up and changed him. This morning when he woke he was soaked through again.

He goes for a wee before bed and he doesn't have drinks for at least a couple of hours before bed.

Do you think this is a problem? He'll grow out of it? Should I see the GP?

Thank you

Could you take him for a wee an hour before you and DH go to bed. If that doesn't work then try two hours before.

Apparently there is a chemical released at night when we sleep that slows down something (No expert as you can see)to do with the urge to pee. It sounds as though DS hasn't got this process going on. A trip to GP sounds like a plan.

I'm going to do a little research on the process I was trying to explain above.

"In the early 2000s medical research has found that many children who wet the bed may have a deficiency of an important hormone known as antidiuretic hormone (ADH). ADH helps to concentrate urine during sleep hours, meaning that the urine contains less water and, therefore, takes up less space. This decreased volume of water usually prevents the child's bladder from overfilling during the night, unless the child drinks a lot just before going to bed. Testing of many bed-wetting children has shown that these children do not have the usual increase in ADH during sleep. Children who wet the bed, therefore, often produce more urine during the hours of sleep than their bladders can hold. If they do not wake up, the bladder releases the excess urine and the child wets the bed." (www.healthofchildren.com)

This explains it a little better than me.

Ask if your area has a 'school nurse' (the GP surgery should know, or your local HV clinic). The govt wants every LA to have a school nurse. Ours said that her main role was advising parents about healthy eating/obesity, but the second biggest query she gets is about boys' and wet nights!

We saw ours about this problem and she had masses of stuff and several different strategies to suggest. Some kids dont have the hormone, as said above, and it can be presribed to them. Others just havent developed the reflex that wakes them to wee. My DS wasnt dry at night til 2 months before his 8th birthday. It IS normal and he WILL do it.

Good luck

okay

Meg is right - a hormone released by the body inhibits production of urine through the night. Some children do not naturally produce the hormone until they are older.

The child cannot help wetting in their sleep.

Things to do:

see GP or School nurse, ask for referral to enuresis clinic

in the meantime

avoid red or brown drinks (eg coke, ribena, cups of tea)

increase fluid intake - this might seem counter-intutive but the bladder needs to have it's capacity increased so get school onside to ensure lots is being drunk during the schoolday. Please don't restrict his drinks.

wee/teeth/wee bed, don't lift to wee at night because the child will not wake properly and you are reinforcing the wee whilst asleep thing, a waste of time for all

double or triple dress the bed - waterproof/sheet, waterproof/sheet etc to make nocturnal nedcahnging easier

shower in the mornings for social reasons

Thank you so much for advice. There is a school nurse, we filled in a survey a while ago when DS started school and I mentioned he was still wet then, can't remember her contact info so will contact the school.

DS does get distressed because my 4 year old nephew has been dry for at least a year and DS goes to stay occasionally and of course gets 'why you still wearing a nappy', although DS did get his own back in the morning and said 'why you still have a babies bottle'

Will try and get more drinks drunk during the day (school crap they won't help about drink during the day).

Will get some more waterproof sheets as well.

Thank you for your quick replies, felt quite down about it this morning as I can't believe how wet he was in the night (where on earth did it all come from?!) he was upset as well and had been sneakily changing his pjs and telling us he was dry, it was only when I realised it wasn't what he went to bed in I realised what he'd done!!

Hi my 6 year old sounds exactly like your ds. He still wears a nappy at night time as he is also saturated in the morning.

Took him to see GP and he said that they can either give him tablets to release the chemical or they can give him tablets so that he is not in such a deep sleep and the wee messages reach the brain to wake him up.

I don't really want him on tablets at his age so have decided to leave it for now and hope that the chemical sets in soon. He doesn't really have any sleepovers so not that big a problem at the moment. If he is still having problems in a year or so I will probably re-consider.