Help! My son is going to be 5 and is having bed wetting problems!!?

Question

It doesnt happen every night, but he has been having accidents at least 3 times a week. He just holds it in and if he could, he would hold it all day!! Any ideas/suggestions?

I do have a plastic sheet over his mattress, he doesn't drink hardly anything after dinner (a very small glass of water after he brushes his teeth) he just holds it in. I am worried he will give himself a UTI!!!!

Answer 1

There is some good advice ahead of me but here is my plan of attack.

1) No drinking after dinner.
2) Potty right before bed...don't go to bed without.
3) Wake him up right before you go to bed and make him go again.
4) NO PULL UPS! Those will merely keep him from being aware he has gone they are not a fix they are an easy clean up for mom. Without them he stands a better chance of learning to recognize and stop the flow in time to run to the potty.
5) Screw waking him up as others suggested at 1am...that's cruel. One more time when you go to bed or a 11pm is enough.

Remember that when it comes to snacking in the evening...fruits contain water.

Answer 2

He hold it in? That would be a clue.. you need to ask him if it burns when he pee pees. If not then I would not worry most kids at that age would rather hold it in then stop playing an go to the potty, unfortunately they wait a wee bit too long.

About the bed wetting..
Some children have larger bladders then the average kid their age and that causes bed wetting. It is best to make sure you take care of his mental side also and not make him feel ashamed of the accidents. I know what it is like to have to change bedding every day because of accidents.
I would change them 3 or 4 times a day before I made my son feel bad about it. It's hereditary and he has some uncles that dealt with the same problems he has although not with out the mental scars.

Answer 3

First take heart, this is not uncommon! Try after he is asleep and right before you go to bed wake him up to go to the bathroom. Do this every night and see if there is a differance. The other thing is that I actually had a bed wetting problem until I was about 12. It wasn't every night, but a few times a week. I came to find out that I had an allergy to milk. Any form of it. Cheese, yogurt, icecream, etc. and if I had any small bit of it, it would knock me out at night and I couldn't wake up. When I didn't have any milk products I was fine. Now as an adult I have outgrown the allergy...thank goodness! But food allergies can cause this also. So you might consider taking him to a doctor if the pottying before you go to bed is still not working.

Answer 4

My son has been potty trained since before he was two, then all of a sudden, he had a bed wetting problem, even wetting his pants at pre-school. What apparantly was going on is, he thought he mastered it, and didn't feel like he needed to go as often. He would hold it in at school because he was too busy playing, then when falling asleep, his muscles would relax, thus wetting himself. That might be what's going on with your little one. He doens't want to stop long enough to go to the bathroom. Before going to bed, let him know that he has to sit on the potty and go, before he goes to bed. And to re-enforce the idea, both you and your hubby should go to the potty as well and let him know that everyone does that and he's not missing out on anything by taking the extra time to do it. I don't suggest Goodnights, he might think that you think of him as a baby and that will hurt his self-esteem. If what I'm talking about isn't the problem, and he's never really been "night-time" potty trained, then you should take him to ta doctor. My brothers' all had a small bladder growing up and they wet the bed almost into their 20's. It had something to do with the male chromosome because none of the firls in my family had the problem only the boys. Good Luck!

Answer 5

My daughter wet the bed every once in a while until she was about 6.
I asked the doctor about it and she told me that she would stop when she was ready.
She told me to make her go to the bathroom before she went to bed and no drink an hour before bedtime.

We all know that this is hard to do, not give them a drink, but you may have to do that for a couple of months.

About holding his bladder, study up and tell him what can be cause from holding his bladder.

He may be only 5, but they are smarter than we like to think sometimes.

Good luck

Answer 6

Its not uncommon for a 5 yr old to wet the bed, dont make a big deal out of it. My son is almost 5 and I have him in the new pampers size 7 diaper at night. We dont make a big deal of it, we tell him its protection and many people other than babies wear a diaper. The name around the house is plastic underwear, we use them becuse everyone gets a good nights sleep and the bedding is protected.

Answer 7

For the most part this is a normal phase 5 year olds go through because they do get so engaged in their activities and socializing that going to the bathroom is such an annoying inconvenience. Even so, the fact that it is bed-wetting and not just accidents during the day may indicate some other things. Some children have regressions to bed-wetting when stressed. Has there been any recent changes in the home environment? Did he recently start school? These kinds of stressors can certainly cause bed-wetting. Give him more positive attention during the day, read to him, play with him, talk with him, snuggle etc. Also, cut off fluids two hours before bed time and be sure to have him go potty two to three times in the hours before bedtime. If he insists he's thirsty, give him a small sip to wet his whistle. In the morning you can rehydrate him and provide a water bottle for sipping during the day.
Next, I would have a talk with him about what's going on. Without suggesting reasons, simply ask him why he thinks this is happening. Ask him to help come up with some solutions. Explain that you understand everyone has accidents, but wetting the bed is not a habit he wants to get into. It is uncomfortable, can cause rashes, causes the bed to stink, makes lots of extra work changing sheets and doing laundry when that time could be used in a happier way playing or reading a story. Explain that if he gets in the habit of wetting the bed, when he is old enough for sleep-overs he will not be able to do it for fear of wetting someone else's bed. It makes you grumpy too (especially if you are doing midnight bed changes). You may suggest that he practice taking time to go potty even when he doesn't have to go. Explain that the best time to go potty is in between activities, (during transitions) -before and after eating, before going out the door to play or to go on an outing, after playing with a certain toy and before starting a new play activity. Tell him you are going to help him remember and that he should go at these "in-between" times even if he doesn't feel the need. Many adults have to go during breaks and do so not because they have to, but so they won't have to when doing important work or activities. Explain that you don't mean to annoy him or embarrass him, but it appears he needs a little help remembering, so for a while you are going to remind him. You can make it a little more fun by coming up with a "secret hand signal" or "magic word" that only the two of you will know, but when it is given, he should go use the toilet. Be sure to choose times that aren't too disruptive or publicly embarrassing. Remember that interrupting his play to go potty makes for power struggles. Keep him going inbetween activities.
I don't recommend using rewards incentives, as these tend to create more problems, but if used correctly they can be effective for extinguishing isolated behaviors like bed-wetting. For instance he gets a star for every night without an accident (don't make a big deal out of nights where he doesn't get a star - just be matter-of-fact and at first the stars don't have to be achieved consecutively without mistakes). After 7 stars he gets a special treat - maybe a movie, a small toy prize, a trip to the park, etc. After a few times of achieving the goal, you up the anntie. This time you have to go seven days in a row (if that's too many, adjust to a goal you both agree is achievable - it shouldn't be too hard or too easy). Continue until you feel the problem is gone, but continue special activities and explain that you get to do this special thing because you're a big boy and don't need reminding and we have more time for fun since time isn't being spent changing the bed and doing extra laundry.
If the problem persists, you may need to have him checked out by a doctor. He may have urninary tract infections, or a very small bladder (some children do) or some other physical cause. Most bed-wetting is due to lack of regimine and/or regression from stress. If his stress levels are really high, say a divorce is in progress and he's going back and forth between homes, you may need to bring in the assistance of a psychologist and certainly get the other parent on the same page with you in your approach.

Answer 8

Get him up every night before you go to bed to have him use the bathroom. If you go to bed at the same time, wake him up if you get up to go to the bathroom or set the alarm. Many people can not go all night without having to use the bathroom. Some children just don't have that ability to realize when they are in a deep sleep. You can also contact your doctor just to be sure it is nothing to worry about. Good luck.

Answer 9

at the start, I purely desire to assert that i don't have self assurance that the daddy has any precise to do something so propose and grotesque to a 5 3 hundred and sixty 5 days previous boy. chilly showers is an irrelevant technique of punishment for a baby of any age, and borders on baby abuse in my e book...you are able to desire to get him to end doing this on your poor baby. next, boys are clearly extra good to potty practice than women for some reason. I also have a son and a daughter, and my son appeared to take invariably, and became into nonetheless having injuries on ocassion on the age of 6. i do no longer think of so which you are able to use pull-ups, however. Pull-united statesare only like diapers in that they save the wetness faraway from the floor, and he in all probability would not even comprehend that he's using the bathing room in the night! try no longer giving him something to drink for a minimum of two hours till now he is going to mattress, and examine out waking him up for the duration of the night ( precise till now you circulate to mattress, in case you reside up later) and see in case you will get him to circulate pee. Now, there is something else that i desire you to evaluate, little ones are very delicate, and demanding issues, ie divorce, generic combating, or a Father who has some whacked out methods of punishment, would reason adequate rigidity on your son to quickly set him backwards with the potty training. If he's forcing him to take chilly showers for something minor, like bedwetting, then what would he do in the adventure that your son did something that became into worth extreme punishment? talk on your son, get some solutions from him, and in doing so, you are able to hit upon the answer to the mattress wetting situation. reliable success!

Answer 10

I was the same way as a young boy. What you want to do is explain it to him, not with simple you need to do it for this reason, but rather a deep explanation in a normal adult voice. He will realize the decision is in his hands and will get his confidence up. With some help from his doctor, you guys can get right over this hurdle and enjoy the rest of his wonderful childhood. Good luck!