My son started wetting the bed at night about 2-3 weeks ago. It's been over two years since he has done this. We are expecting a new baby in a few days and I beleive this may have something to do with it. I bought pull-ups to avoid the extra laundry, but he insists on wearing underwear to bed. (I don't punish hime.) I want to support him in any way I can.
Has anyone expereinced this before? How long did it last? What did you do to return to a dry night?
Thank you for your response! I hadn't thought of a growth spirt or tight undies could be part of the problem. (I guess that's why we share...to learn more.)
Thanks again!
My son likes to wear undies to bed also, but he still sometimes pees the bed. The compromise we reached was undies under his pull up. That way, if he did have an accident, the entire bed didn't get soaked.
My son is 5 and he does this from time to time. He will go like 4-6mo without wetting the bed and then wet almost every night for a week. I think it might have something to do with growth spurts. Also, make sure he's not scared to get up a night or anything. And yes, if kids are under stress, like from a new baby, it can cause it too. It'll pass just protect his matress in the meantime :)
This topic has come up in our Mothers of Multiples group. One mother was advised by her son's doctor to try larger underware. In her son's case, it worked. Apparently, if the underware is tight enough, and we are not talking about uncomfortably tight, it can interfere with the sensation of needing to go that wakes them up. If this is the case, it might explain why this is happening all of a sudden. You might also try taking your son to the bathroom right before you go to bed (if you don't already). I hope you find this helpful!
Also, to make matters easier for you until this is sorted out, I know one mother who makes her child's bed up with a mattress pad, a sheet, a crib pad (for when they wet), another sheet, another crib pad, and another sheet. That way, she just has to pull off the wet sheet and pad when he wets instead of having to change his bed in the middle of the night.
I had the same problem, but with a 3.5 year old. Some of the posts I rec'd reminded me that it may not be true regression, but possibly a UTI or a growth spurt. It stopped as quickly as it started...I chalked it up to a growth spurt since I knew there were no medical issues.
~L.
One option you can try, which my parents actually did to me, is look into alarms designed for bedwetters. It attachs to the underwear and when it senses moisture, a separate piece sounds waking the child. I'm not sure if 4 years old is too young to try this, but doesn't hurt to look into it.
