Six Year Old Still In Nighttime Nappies.

[charliebear78]

I am not sure where to put this Thread!
Anyway My Son is almost 7 and is still wearing Nappies during the Night.
The Nappy is always sodden in the Morning.
Last Week we tried without, Though every Night he wet the bed and would sleep right through until Morning(Maybe he actually weed in the Morning,I am not sure but he only got up to change once he woke up for the Day)
It didn't make any difference if we limited drinks or woke him to use the Toilet when one of us went up to bed ourselves.
I just could not cope with the wet clothing and bed to deal with every morning, I also do not like the idea of him lying in urine.
What are the next steps? Do I just try again another time?
Is it ok to still wear Nappies at this age?
I do know my Nephew was in Nappies until he was around 10, And according to my Mum my Sister used to wet the bed fairly often until she was around 10 or 11.

Hi OP. I think it’s a medical condition where the body doesn’t regulate the urine output at night (which is supposed to be less). That’s what my son had and he was the same as your son. He was given medication via the Drs for a few years until he didn’t need it anymore. He was still wearing night nappies until he was 7.

Perhaps make a Dr appointment? The medication my son was given really helped him

Night time dryness is regulated by a hormone. At this stage he probably needs to see the gp.

I'd definitely be speaking to a GP. This is quite old to be wearing nappies.

An alarm worked with mine at this age. I don't think it's classed as late until they're at least 7 so you've time to get it sorted yet.

I remember one piece of advice was not to limit drinks and actually give them more to drink to increase bladder size and control.

@romdowa

Night time dryness is regulated by a hormone. At this stage he probably needs to see the gp.

Yep this x

Try a bed wetting alarm, it worked a miracle for us

My 9 year old has only just stopped wetting the bed on a regular basis. He did go to the gp but he was reluctant to give him medication and was going to try pants with an alarm instead. He has over the pass 5 months been dry

We have been going through this with my 7yo (will be 8 in the summer). He was in pull-ups which were absolutely drenched every morning, whereas his 5yo brother is pretty much completely dry.
We were referred to the enuresis clinic at our hospital (referred by a consultant treating my son for childhood migraine but I’m sure you could get a GP referral).
First thing they told me to do pre appt was to have a look at the ERIC website, which is full of tips and tricks.
Our appointments with the clinic have been over the phone rather than in person but this is the basic premise: get them to drink lots during the day (more than you think) to get his bladder muscles stronger. Last drink 1.5 hours before bedtime - no drinks after that. No caffeine (obviously!) no fizzy drinks and no blackcurrant juice at all as they will make them wee a lot.
Before bed, he has to do about 3 weeks, sitting down so as to fully empty the bladder.
Ditch the pull ups (we were freaking out about this because of the level of wetness every morning, but we ran out of them in the Feb lockdown and just had to bite the bullet).
We started waking him for a wee at 11pm - properly waking him so that he was having a chat with us rather than lifting him, but we have since been told not even to do that.
I’m not exaggerating when I say that in the first month we went from literally full pull up sometimes leaking, to totally dry 5 nights out of 7- a different child (!). But he was still very reliant on the 11 pm wee for that.
We’ve now been to the bed wetting alarm clinic where we had a brilliant consultation last week. He’s been wearing it for a week now- advised to get him up for one wee at 9pm before he’s in a full, deep sleep- and to my astonishment, it’s working! The alarm has gone off once and he was able to run to the loo and avoid fully wetting himself.
Hoping this continues as it has been brilliant and the enuresis clinic nurses have totally reassured him that lots of children bed wet etc.
As a back up, we now have brolly sheets (bought online) which are brilliant as if there is an accident they can just be whipped off and put in the wash.
The difference in his confidence is really quite something - he’s no longer upset about it or scared about things like going on a beavers / Cubs camp / sleepovers when life returns to some normality.
Highly recommend getting some help.

*3 wees, not 3 weeks!

Thanks so much for the advice so far.
I do think it is probably best to speak to our GP.
Will also look on the ERIC website.

Good luck OP. I found it all a bit daunting at first, but it really has made a difference x

My GP told me to come back when my DS was 8. She wasnt concerned.

Bed wetting alarm - no need for GP

Totally agree with BusMum79. My DS was referred to an Eneurisis clinic and being told to drink so much more than before was a surprise but makes sense when bladder training.
The other good tip was was to not go to the loo in the day at the first sign of wanting to go. We would say, can you wait a few minutes, and he would often forget for an hour or more. Then, when in loo and about to go, get them to count to 10 whilst holding on. It’s all about recognising what a full bladder feels like so you learn to wake if feel that in the night.
My DS had been dry in the day from before age 2, and was conditioned to going to the loo often, and had never learned to hold a full bladder.
Good luck

Not sure what the guidelines are now, but my DS wasn't referred until the bedwetting clinic until he turned 7 as apparently it can be that long for some kids for their hormone to mature. I can't remember the details, was 9 years ago!

However, we were given the options but he seemed to stop within the week not after turning 7. It was like a switch went on in him.

It's a lot more common than you think, definitely ask for a referral though

I really wouldn't worry. Nearly 7 is well within the normal range for being dry at night. There's no need to see the GP at this stage. My two older DSes were 8 and almost 9 before they were completely reliably dry at night, whereas their younger brother was dry day and night at two and a half.

There was a thread about this in potty training quite recently- maybe worth a look.