DS4 constant urge to wee - bedtime nightmare

[justsomuchwee]

Hi,

Wondering if anyone has experienced this or has any ideas?

My DS, 4, has suddenly started needing to wee ALL THE TIME. We've had him checked over and the paediatrician ruled out any medical reason for it so thinks it's down to anxiety.

We have moved house and he's started school (plus breakfast and after school club most days) in the last three months so he has had a lot going on but we thought it was all going well.

The dr (and the internet) recommended being casual about it while also trying to distract him when he says he needs to wee to try and get him to hold it longer. This approach had been working well this afternoon, until bedtime.

We put him to bed at around 7.30 and he's still up and down to the toilet every minute. He gets so distressed when he feels like he's about to wee that he just can't stay in bed. I tried counting with him, setting a timer on my phone, talking to him, reading him stories, playing him an audiobook, he was just beside himself through all of it, until I let him get back out of bed (after a minute or two each time).

DH has taken over now, he's taken the iPad up to try CBeebies bedtime stories to distract him from needing to wee.

Last night we ended up letting him fall asleep on the potty - it seemed an ok idea when we still thought it was a UTI or something else that would be short-lived. Obviously if it's about long-term habits that won't work.

I don't know what to do! Help!

Might be counterproductive but what about putting a pull up on him for night time? He probably won't wet in it but it should reassure him in case he has an accident?

Sympathy as DS1 (now 11) is the same and it gets worse when he is anxious about anything but he does just take himself to and from the toilet at night at his age obviously.

Has the UTI definitely 100% been ruled out recently though? If he's been exhibiting some unusual behaviour around holding/not holding wees he could have actually caused himself one. I know when I get them I get the needing to wee and then immediately feeling that need come back, it's always a more prominent symptom than burning for me. Also constipation can cause pressure on the urethra, making it feel like you need to wee constantly (and sometimes trapping bits of wee in there so there is always a little bit more to do).

Be careful about what he drinks as well. Ideally only water, but if he liked flavoured drinks, it might be worth doing a "wee diary" and noting if any drinks cause these same symptoms - some drinks can irritate the bladder and make you feel like you need to wee more. Caffeine, juice and fizzy drinks can cause it, I'm not sure about squash or milk.

Ah the poor thing, sounds like he is worried about something then, if it's not medical. It's so common though, I'm sure it will soon pass.

I wonder if it is the routine of school, and the emphasis that schools put on going the toilet at the correct time/ seeing children wet themselves etc? Is he like this in school also?

A few suggestions...
Sounds daft, but have you asked him what the matter is? Sometimes even breaking it down as in, the worst that will happen is you will wet yourself and that's okay, or leaving a change of clothes/letting him see you put a waterproof protector on the bed might reduce his anxiety as he goes through this phase.
Perhaps explains to him the biological side of how and when we were and then not drinking last a certain time, and helping him to understand that this means he won't wet the bed.

Maybe there is a child-friendly book on it that you could read him?

Goodluck OP

Has he been tested for diabetes?

*how and when we wee
*Not drinking past a certain time

Silly auto-correct!

Thanks for all your thoughts.

Definitely no UTI - he's had three dip tests done in the last 48 hours with the last yesterday afternoon at the height of it.

I'll try and get to the bottom of what's worrying him - I'm guessing it's not a coincidence that it started a couple of days after going back from half term. He seems to love school itself but has been struggling with before and after school club - possibly the workers there are a bit stricter around using the toilet than the reception teachers.

It took until gone 10.30 to get him to sleep last night and he was up again at 4 but I did manage to get him back to sleep by stroking his back and arm and asking him to focus on the sensation, he dropped off after about three minutes of that. Am going to look up some other mindfulness-type techniques for tonight (and try and knacker him out completely today).

Thanks again!

Did the GP prick his finger to test his blood sugar?