When should you 'worry' about night time wetness?

[Highlander]

DS has just turned 7, DS2 5. Neither of them dry at night.

I lift DS1 at 10pm and he usually has a big pee. He has 1 more smallish pee in his pull-ups during the night. I've cut out milk at tea time and noticed that he's much dryer;water makes no difference.

He's starting to go on about sleepovers, but I think he'll get upset with the pull-ups.

Should I take him to the GP?

Should add that DS2 sometimes wakes and asks for the loo, but he has a tendancy to hang on until he bursts during the day, so not expecting him to be night dry anytime soon!

At 7 you can see the Dr, but they won't do anything about your youngest until he is 7. I think there isn't usually a problem with dri-nites bed pants, as long as you mention quietly to the childs mum about it. You'd be amazed at how many DC are still wetting at night at 7.

When you say you lift DS1, do you mean carry him to the loo barely awake, because this won't help him, it's just the same as weeing in his sleep. He needs to be fully woken and walk to the loo himself, so that he is well aware of what he's doing.

DS1 is woken and is carried to the loo and I make him stand and wee by himself. He walks back to bed.

Do enuresis alarms work? I don't think I can bear stripping the bed several times a night!

I don't have any experience of alarms, but I gather they can disturb other siblings in the same room. I think they work by going off when any wetting touches the pad, the idea being to wake the child who can then stop and get on the pot or loo n to finish.They probably condition the child to recognise they are going to wee before they start, so that they wake.

I gather some people make up the bed with multiple layers of absorbent bed mats and fitted sheets so that you just strip the top layer and there is a dry one underneath, which is quick during the night.

Get one of these

www.amazon.co.uk/Hippychick-Mattress-Protector-Sheet-White/dp/B000CEQF8U/ref=sr_1_2?s=baby&ie=UTF8&qid=1326990556&sr=1-2

Life saver! We have this size, and it's fine for a single bed, as you lay it horizontally.

When it's wet, you simply change little man, and then, turn the sheet over... it's bone dry (turn duvet over). If he wets again... change little man and fold the sheet in half..it's bone dry (flip duvet upside down).. Just wash it in the morning on a quick 30 wash.

I would recommend underjams for sleepovers.. but, I doubt he'll have any sleepovers in yr 2 ( my daughter is 7 yrs in year 2)... they start to happen in yr 3 - 4....

underjams are big boys pants! the packaging is aimed to the older child...

my daughter would flood the bed every night... but, since turning 6 yrs (year one) - something switched on inside her head.... and we lift her every night - but she's dry every morning.

someone else mentioned not to carry him... and to actually wake him, and help him walk to the loo... that's what we do. most nights she's fine and willing... but, we had some awful nights when she would be upset and confused ... or would sit on the loo and not wee///// then, she would flood the bed! it drove me mad to be honest;.... but, i kept it to myself and just stayed calm and neutral.... and she got there!

get the hippychick mattress protector (flat sheet) - then, you're more sane from not having to 'change' entire beds during the night....

my advice would be.... go cold turkey now... no more nappy pants at night... and use the sheet.... continue limiting his drinks... no more after 5.30,

and, see how it goes.... that's what we did.. and it worked for us.

hope that helps

(sorry for random typing - this is the second time i've typed this out - as the page crashed and i lost everything i wrote! hence me typing quick and no caps!)

okay

yes, take the 7 yr old to the GP for referral to enuresis clinic

in the meantime you can do things to help:

increase fluid intake during the day, the bladder might need stretching to hold more volume. School needs to be onboard with this, ask teacher to remind him. Avoid red/brown drinks like ribena, tea, cola (can overstimulate/irritate the bladder) stick to milk/water. A sports-style bottle of water on the way home from school as well might be an idea

wee/teeth/wee at bedtime (double voiding)

stop lifting at night - this reinforces weeing in sleep. Unless you are absolutely sure he is awake - mine didn't remember being woken, steered across the landing, reminded to wash hands/flush before being steered back to bed

good luck