Bed Wetting at Four 1/2 - Saint Louis,MO

Sometimes children will regress a little bit then bounce back. It is very common. My son who is 6 sometimes has accidents every so often. The important thing is not to make a big deal out of it to where they feel inadequate. Doctors have said that boys take a little longer than girls. Unless it continues to where you think there is a medical problem, please do not worry about it. One thing I have found works is to stop fluids 1hr or 2 (depending on what works for you) before bed and have them go to the bathroom right before bed and sometimes if you wake up in the middle of the night, have them go (or carry) to the bathroom if you able to. All the best.

you're lucky, I had a bedwetter up to his teen years. Watch the drinks after a certain hour and get him up to go potty before you go to bed and see if that helps.
Queen

Hello. One thing that I tried to do with my children was to help them instill a thinking process to keep this from happening at bed time. I asked that they go to the bathroom and make sure they had gone before getting into bed. I told them that they may have dreams that they need to use the bathroom. I told them to tell themselves several times before going to sleep that "When I feel like I have to go to the bathroom, I have to wake up and feel my feet on the floor, walk to the stool and feel myself sit on the stool (or feel legs against front of stool) before I can use the bathroom." I did this for a full week while I was potty training them.

We didnt have many accidents after the training process, but there were a few occasions at about your sons age that it happened, and I reminded them of the thought process to help themselves. I wouldnt let them have any pop after supper and I made them drink water in between pop, jc, and milk throughout the day to help keep them flushed out. My in-laws gave their kids pop all the time and didnt make them drink water. They were bed wetters throughout gradeschool. Hope that might help you or someone else... all kids are different and it seems to be trial and error.

Dear J.
I have no boys but I do have girls around your sons same age. Have you had any huge changes in your family? Schedules changes of any sort? Has he mentioned any new friends or not so friendly kids he is in contact with? Growing spurts!! I swear when we have a growing spurt with my oldest who is 5 I think the brain goes numb while the boby grows : ) Its not a set back by no means. Sometimes I think they have so much going on in thier little minds they forget the simplest of tasks. Be patient with him, its so normal.

Hi J., I am not sure about the shoe issue but as for the bed wetting, my 5 year old is in the same boat. He started wetting the bed at 4. We think it is because he is such a heavy sleeper that he doesn't wake up when he gets the urge to pee. We put Goodnights on him and limit what he eats and drinks before bed. Also the last thing he does before bed is go potty, even if he thinks he doesn't have to. These things have really helped but he still has an occasional accident. If it doesn't seem to get better, ask his doctor. Good luck!

BEDWETTING IS NORMAL AND SO IS REGRESSING. DON NOT LET HIM DRINK WATER AN HOUR BEFORE BED AND WAKW HIM UP AND MAKE HIM GO RIGHT BEFORE YOU GO TO BED. MY YOUNGEST SPENT TIME IN THE HOSPITAL AND REGRESSED BACK AND HE IS FIVE. HE IS A SOUND SLEEPER AND WETS THE BED OCASSIONALLY SO I STILL WAKE HIM UP B4 I GO TO BED AND THEN THERE ARE NO ACCIDENTS. GOOD LUCK . PRAISE YOUR SON EVERYTIME HE CAN GET THE RIGHT AND LEFT THING CORRECT WITHOUT YOUR HELP. AND I WILL BE PRAYING FOR YOU.

Hi J.,
When I was little I had this same problem. My mom thought it was for attention but I was really suffering from Kidney infections. I now have health problems from her not doing anything about it, so first thing I would do is rule out any health problems.
Another thing to think about is that children between the ages 4-8 are growing very rapidly and alot of the time their internal organs (bladder & kidneys) are not growing at the same rate, so it is very common that children between these ages tend to wet the bed *especially boys*. Don't be alarmed be very patient with him and don't repremand or scold him, it's not his fault. He'll grow out of it! I'm sure he also is frustrated about it and this will effect his self esteem. One way you can help this is by letting him know why it is happening and let him play a part in finding a solution. Also, teach him how to change his bedding and where to put soiled laundry. Letting him share in the responsiblity will also help your frustration.
To cut down on laundry and to help prevent damage to the mattress, you can buy large cloth-like mats to put under him (usually in the infant department of Target). You can double them up to keep sheets clean and he can easily change them without having to remake the entire bed.
***Remember be calm and patient. He WILL grow out of it!***
Email me if you need any more help.

Hi J.! I'm not an expert or anything, but is it possible that your son might have an urinary tract infection? or kidney infection? Try to check him out. Ask him if it burns when he goes or do you notice an extra strong odor? If none of this exists, it might be okay to get him some cranberry juice anyway. I'm sure you already know this, but make sure to cut out fluids when it gets close to bed time. And since he is mixing this behavior with the shoe thing, it may be possible he is seeking attention. Did something change in your lifestyle? Has something happened at daycare or preschool? Try setting aside extra time for just you and him for a bit.

Good Luck!
M.

Since it's only twice I wouldn't worry about it. The shoes may be a need for attention.

Things to explain the bed wetting can be
UTI
Kidney infection
Exhustion
too much liquid before bed
a cold or the flu causing sneezes
or as my 5 year old says he was dreaming about being a dog and was marking his territory.

Try limiting fluids before bed for a while. Avoid salty bed time snacks to make this easier. Maybe adding a bed time snack will keep the fluid in his digestive tract instead of being released to the kidneys.

Cut back on any sugar for a while to see if his urination cuts back and make sure he's drinking Water not pop or sports drinks until you get him back on track