My Little girl is almost five and she still pees the bed. What can I do to help her?

Question

My little girl can't wake up at night to go pee. So for six months I wouldn't give her any fluids after 7:00. I would make her go to the bathroom before bed. Then before I would go to bed I would take her again. I would also set my alarm and get up in the middle of the night to see if she had to go, but she would still wet the bed and I was washing sheets everyday. I am a single mom working full time, and I was becoming more exhausted, that I just put pull ups on her now. Is there any thing I can do to help her get her self up at night?

Answer 1

She will grow out of it naturally. Put a pull up on her before she goes to bed. You're already quitting the liquid before 7 pm and making her go potty before bed.

I would not wake her up in the middle of the night because you are only disturbing her REM sleep and may make the problem worse.

A friend of mine actually took her little boy to accupuncture and it was cured in 2 treatments. His parents were going through a divorce at the time and he was VERY stressed out.

The less emphasis you put on it, the less stress she is going to feel. Stress makes it so much worse. Definitely make sure your household in general is as stress free as you can make it.

Trust me, I've been through this and it all works out.

side note: A friend of mine actually took her little boy to accupuncture and it was cured in 2 treatments. His parents were going through a divorce at the time and he was VERY stressed out.

Answer 2

My son is 6 and has this problem. It's usually because their sleep pattern is so deep that they do not feel the urge to go and it doesn't wake them up or a hormonal imbalance. Here's what my doctor suggested:

Option 1: A pullup pant with some reactive feeling (like the ones that feel wet or get cold), a good mattress pad, and some patience. This is the cheapest option, but if he doesn't grow out of it by age 7 we have to move on to 2 or 3.

Option 2: A medical alarm. This alarm is basically a pad under the child that goes off at the first sign of moisture at a high decibal level and a high frequency. Typically, kids will partially wet before they empty the whole bladder. The alarm wakes them up to go to the bathroom and change their underwear. This is not covered by most insurance and is pretty expensive.

Option 3: Medication. If neither of the above work, different medications will be tried out after a full physical exam. Usually the problem is ADH deficiency. ADH stands for anti-diuretic hormone. Your circadian rhythm is supposed to produce more of this at night. Its job is to retain water, preventing the kidneys from making as much urine as they do during the day. Other medications may be prescribed if it's instead a muscle or nerve problem. Also expensive if you don't have prescription insurance or if they don't cover it.

Right now it appears as though my son is growing out of it on his own. One night he spontaneously got up to go to the bathroom by himself! He's been consistent about it for 2 months, only having 2 accidents since I caught him getting up. We let him wear underwear at night now.

Talk to your doctor and look at all your options. It very well might be something she'll grow out of as her body matures. She'll start recognizing the urge and it'll wake her up. Her bladder will get bigger and her brain will get better at producing more ADH at night.

Answer 3

My 5 year old son has the same problem . I spoke to the doctor last week and he said they dont really become concerned until age 10. The reason is that 30% of 7 yr olds still wet the bed but only 6% of 12 yr olds. So if by age 10 it is still a problem they begin to look for medical reasons.

Answer 4

dear mother, my 2 children also wet their beds for many years.I found that making them empty their bladers many times before going to bed,helped a little.Eg:if they sleep at8, make them go to the bathroom every half hour from 5pm onwards.I would also make them get up and pee during the night,but now I think that was not a good idea.,as the body got used to going during the night s.Perhaps diapers is the only solution.Have you de wormed her?
But DO NOT let her see how anxious you are. that will make her more anxious and wet her bed more often.

Answer 5

She's still young, so it's okay to still have pull-ups on her. She may just grow out of it, but it's worth a shot to talk to her doctor. If your doctor isn't too concerned, then just give her a little while. And continue with the no fluids and using the potty before bed.

Answer 6

This is a problem many parents and children have gone through. It has to do with the fact that your daughters bladder has not caught up with her body. Her body is growing too fast. You can put her in "Good nights" and this will prevent her from ruining the sheets for the night..and you can reward her for going to the bathroom and keeping her "good nights" dry.

Answer 7

talk to your doctor - maybe there is a reason like small bladder - she should see a doctor to be sure there is not physical problem also cut out all salty foods, these are things like chips, cheetos, hot dogs, look at the sodium content on everything you give her - should only have about 2400 grams a day. salt makes you retain water and then it may all come out at night. also being apart all day maybe she gets more attention from you doing this?? try reading to her every night before bed - continue cutting off liquids early on - and also cut out any sodas and caffeine.

Answer 8

I used to wet the bed when i was little. My parents tried alot of things. Some of the things that they did where...No drinks after 6p.m. Also they tried this alarm thing that you hook up to the underwear and when they start to get wet is goes off and wakes you up... You can also try cranberry juice..

Answer 9

Take her to a sleep therapist. Often, bedwetting isn't a problem of bladder control, it's a problem with sleeping so deeply that your body doesn't wake you up to go. My sister had this problem for years as a child and nothing helped - my parents tried those buzzers that go off when you start to go and a few other things - until they took her to a sleep therapist and it worked like a charm.

Answer 10

No however, there are therapies that can work. There is usually a family history. Both my brother, husband's brother and our son suffered from bed-wetting aka enuresis.

Do not withold fluids, it makes no difference.

With exercises (kegals), and behavior modification, my son was dry within six months.

Good luck to you.