How to Stop a 6Yr Old from Wetting the Bed.

An abrupt change to his bathroom habits sound most like a bladder infection. Especially with his "I coulden't wait" excuse. The other posibility would be some sort of phychological trauma, but this would have other red flags that you would most likely have noticed.

Hi J.,

I would suggest you look into the possibility that he might have a uninary tract infection which would explain the frequency and not knowing when it is coming. Or it could be something that a pediatric chiropractor could address.

Good luck,

M.

Take him to the doctor first. Somes times there are things going on physically that we just don't know about. Having never been boys we moms just don't know how to ask the right questions.

A.

If he recently started having day time accidents too, I would definately take him to the doctor's office. If he were only wetting at night, I would give you the same advice we have heard from every doctor and urologist we have seen. They all say "it is not a problem until the child is 8, but really it is not a big problem until after puberty"! But like I said, definately take him to the doctor, there may be some infection or something going on down there. Also, make sure that when he does go to the bathroom, that he is "getting done." By this I mean make sure he spends at least 2 minutes when he goes (that is advice from the urologist). Hope that helps. Let us all know what happens.

J.

Good Morning Neighbor,
J., It appears to me that you have some options to explore: 1)Allergies 2)low (wetting at night) or high blood sugar (staying thirsty and going frequently) 3)stress from a new situation or family issues and 4) too many soda pops and sugar. You might want to explore some of these ideas, if you haven't already. It probably really bothers him so please be patient and understanding. I have clients whose children go through this and we have had good results. Sometimes it is really simple. Check out my website www.healthfulways.net and you can learn more about what helps so many people.
Best to you, C.

I would take him into the doctor. Having accidents can be caused by different things. He might have an infection, or there might be something more serious going on. I know that we had some friends and their little boy started having accidents because there were some boys at school that were pushing him around. In his mind if he had accidents he would have to go home. He didn't want to tell his mom and dad about the boys because he didn't want to be thought of as a "sissy". After talking with him they finally found out who was doing the bulling and the problem was resolved. I hope this helps and I hope that your child has a simple infection that will be cured with some medication.
H. M.

J.,
He needs to see a doctor. Night-time bedwetting at age 6 is very common.... for those of us who went through it we were very sad to learn that many kids still wet the bed for many years to come and it's usually not their fault, but lack of a hormone that shuts down urine production at night. But that's night-time wetting.

Day time is a different animal and I worry that he was have a medical problem that isn't obvious to either of you.

Please take him in to the doc.

I agree with alot of responses you have received. Bedwetting can come from many different things.

1) Diet - mainly sugar intake...try limiting or avoiding it all together.

2) Medical problem such as kidney or bladder infection - but usually these issues would have pain associated with them also. Easily diagnosed and treated by your child's pediatrician or a urologist.

3) Psychological - perhaps there's something at school or at home that has changed and this is his body's way of responding to the "stress". In this situation, you're going to have to find out the cause of the "stress" in order to figure out how to most effectively treat it.

4) Musculoskeletal - the hips or low back could be out of alignment...treated very easily by a pediatric chiropractor (www.icpa4kids.com). One little thing, such as a ball hitting him in the back, a fall on the playground, or even sitting in classroom chairs can cause these misalignments in the back/hips. These misalignments cause the nerves to the bladder/kidneys to go haywire and not send proper signals to the brain telling him that he needs to go.

Hope some of this helps! Hang in there.

Kristi

Hi. You will need to take your child to your pediatrician. There might be an infection. If not, the doctor has other alternatives for your child.

Not to alarm, just share experience. My daughter went thru this, and also a kidney infection. Her pediatrician, conservative, sent us to a pediatric urologist. My daughter had urether(sp?) valves that were misfuctioning and needed surgical intervention.
Probably not your situation. Any new changes in your family, strife, ilness? I'm sure you've thought of these.
Good luck,
B.

Public school teacher for 29 years, mother of two grown children.

Hi J.,
You may wish to consult your dr. At age 5 I started doing the same thing. I got into alot of trouble from my parents, thinking it was for attention. I ended up having to have surgery because come to find out my uretha opening was not big enough to completely empty my bladder. Hope this helps.
C. M. SAHM of three girls 10,6,2

Frequent urination can be a sign of diabetes. I don't know about the not being able to hold it part, though. If it continues, I'd take him to the doctor.

J., you may want to take him to the doctor to make sure there are no medical problems first. Have his bladder checked or better yet get him a full check up. It may be that he has a bladder infection, which could be the reason why he is unable to control when he goes.

No sista - don't hurt him just yet

You might ask your pediatrician to check him out. He may have a bladder infection or something. My eldest daughter is 10 and was having accidents and we found out she had a low-grade bladder infection. No other symptoms such as burning during urination or fever. She took a 10-day course of antibiotics and has been doing better.

Might want to send your child to a chiropractor who adjusts children. Bedwetting is often due to hip problems and can be helped. I went through the same thing with my son.

i would definatly talk to your doctor before anything else. he may have a bladder infection or something along those lines, and if he doesnt then your doctor might be able to give you ideas on how to help the situation.

First, I would take him to see his physician to make sure that he doesn't have a urinary tract infection or diabetes. Frequent urination are symptoms of both of these.
My son was a bedwetter until he was 7. We bought a potty pager on the suggestion of our pediatrition because nothing else seemed to work. His bedwetting decreased significantly in the first 2 weeks and within a month had stopped altogether. Visit pottypager.com. It is about the size of a small pager and it just slips into the little "pocket" on the front of boys underwear. I hope this helps.

My daughter had some issues with this as well. I took her to a urologist, and he said her situation was that she had a thicker bladder wall. This was caused by her holding it instead of going to the bathroom. The solution given was to have her go to the bathroom every 2 hours and to keep a chart of what time and if she actually urinated/had bm/etc. This has worked well, and even helped stop the nighttime wetting.

Obviously all situations are not the same, but it might be worth a try.

R.

I'd ask my pediatrician--could be a medical problem.

I am just a guy who was shy in his formidible years - thus had no children, so take this with a grain of salt J.. Einstein wet the bed and didn't learn to talk till he was six years of age. It could be an attention getter, but a trip to a doctor is indicated if you haven't already - just to be sure we're not dealing with hidden medical problem. Sounds like you're a good mother, keep up the good work.
Rob

I am going to admit to you - I was a bedwetter for a long time! I was probably 9 or 10 when my mom finally took off the rubber sheets! I always remember that when I did wet the bed, I was always having a dream that I really walked into the bathroom and sat on the toilet. It seemed so real that I guess I would just 'go' until I would wake up right after with a soggy bed.

Some doctors had tried to diagnose me as a parasomniac, but I think that a lot of 'peeing the pants' is caused by environmental changes and anxiety. For example, if your son just started kindergarden, it could just be an anxiety issue that he is trying to cope with. He is at the age of being fully aware of when it's time to 'go', but he may have an underlying form of trauma that he experienced which would result in pant-wetting. If it has gone on for a while, I suggest you call his pediatrician to find out where this behavior is coming from - good luch to you!

Have you had him tested for diabetes? Sad to say but unusual frequent urination is a huge sign of diabetes. My son was diagnosed at the age of 2 and is now 6 yrs. old. Anyone you know who has a blood glucose kit can test him and see if his blood sugars are over 140. If so, call your pediatrician. The sooner diabetes is caught the better. I pray that it's not diabetes and it's much more simple than that!!!!

W.
Grapevine

Does he have a problem with constipation? My daughter had to see a Nephrologist due to bed-wetting and frequent urination along with occasional burning with urination. She has has UTI's along with blood and protein in her urine that they are keeping a watch on. The Dr. seems to think her main problem is constipation even though she has regular bowel movements for the most part, he still says she's backed up. Recently and in the past she has been on Miralax and that always helps keep the pressure off the bladder. She has not had an accident in a long time. But I have to stay consistent with her eating plenty of foods with fiber, she takes water to school and has permission from the doctor's office to be allowed to go to the restroom when needed and Miralax as needed. Seems like alot to think about but it helps!

Sounds like he really needs to be checked by his doctor. To suddenly begin having accidents during the day and night is usually not due to drinking.

Take him to the doctor! The daytime accidents are very worrying!

Have you had his blood sugar checked? That is one of the symptoms of a Diabetic.

Take him to the doctor and have him checked for a UTI. No child WANTS to have accidents - not at school, and not in bed - UTI's can cause intense burning sensations and a total loss of control.

S.

Have you had him checked to see if he has some
kidney problems.. may just have some minior
weakness. What is the diet like? does he drink
water good? may need to use purified water.. there
is a lot of stuff in city water that is not good
for us and with young kidneys they may not be
processing this toxic stuff well? There are some
good herbal kidney support formulas that may also
help. you can get a herbal tincture that would
be easy to give it is liquid and may help to support
the kidneys and bladder and relieve some of the
wetting issue. I had a horrid problem with that when
I was a child and even into my young adult years.
When I went on herbs it corrected the problem in no
time at all. Drs had me for years on one medication or
another and I only got worse as a general rule.. they were
not correcting the problem they were just covering up
the symptoms.
T.

I think that the most important thing is to re assure him that even adults have accidents from time to time. At that age confidence and self-image can be damaged very quikly. I would diffenetly talk to your petiatrician first. If no answers, then I might consult a urologist and/or a neurologist. It may be something very simple or it could be more severe. I would stay on top of it.

You might check his blood sugar levels. If they are not within normal range throughout the day, see a doctor asap. I think you can buy a tester at Target, CVS...most stores.

The anxiety of something at school may have triggered the accidents to start. In my experience, he needs B vitamins which is supportive to the nerves which in turn, helps control the bladder. Limit sugar (processed juices, cokes, candy) and starches (breads, pastas, etc).

Brand to take, Shaklee; find a rep at www.Shaklee.com. If he can swallow have him take the B-Complex. Also, they have chewable children's vitamins without sugar or coloring and meal shakes that are very nutritious as a meal that would definitely be beneficial.

Because onset 'adult' diabetes is now effecting children, you might want to have him tested for diabetes or blood sugar issues. There are natural alternatives to help with this also in food choices and supplements.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me. -M
____@____.com ###-###-####

He could have a urinary tract infection or he could be having bladder spasms. I suggest taking him to the doctor for a urine test to rule out any infections and to discuss other possibilities.

he could have an urinary tract infection or possibly type one diabetes. Take him to his doctor for an UA and blood glucose test.

J.,

You need to get your son to the dr ASAP. I have Type 1 diabetes, developed after a case of the flu when I was 13, and while I wasn't having any accidents, I was going to the bathroom a LOT. I was also eating as much food as my older brothers, but losing/not gaining any weight. Dizzy spells happened when I was going down stairs, and too exhausted to move the laundry from the washer to the dryer when I got upstairs without lying down for at least 15 minutes.

Also, (and I PRAY that this is more the case) your son could have a bladder infection or other urinary problem. Easily fixed with antibiotics.

Please let me know what the Dr. says....I've had diabetes for 29 years now, so I know *exactly* what he is going through, and can help you, as well.

My email is ____@____.com.

~J.~

it is apparent that he needs to see a doctor to possibly run tests for his bladder problems. these symptoms that are so sudden and frequent neccesitate immediate medical intervention to rule out possible serious disease or abnormalities. please schedule an appointment with your pediatrician right away!

Hey J.,

I know bed wetting can be so frustrating. If you've tried limiting night time fluids and going to the bathroom right before bed, there may be some underlying problem. Kids wet the bed for many reasons, some more serious than others. Try incentives (some boys can just be lazy and need a little extra push). Talk to him and make sure there isn't some life disturbance like a bully at school, a teacher or class he doesn't like or some other change. These things can be pretty traumatic for a young one. If all else fails, a visit to his pediatrician may be in order. Good luck!

Something I didn't know until I had children is that milk can be a cause of bedwetting. I started letting my kids have nothing but water about 2-3 hours before their bedtime, and then only a small amount just before bed.

Sometimes frequent urination can also mean a bladder infection. You might ask if it is painful or burning when he goes.

Sometimes it is a sign of something emotional going on in their lives, and sometimes just a phase. If it doesn't improve with a few changes in routine, I would definitely consult his pediatrician.

Hope this is helpful. :)

Take your child to the Doctor. It could be a serious medical problem.

My son went through that as well. Part of it was due to he didn't want to miss out on what was going on so he waited until the last minute (maybe due to his ADHD?) His pediatrician felt that part of it was due to him wanting attention...my son's father and I had just recently divorced. You may want to ask the pediatrician just to make sure he isn't diabetic or has any type of urology issues...he probably doesn't, but is just not listening to his body tell him when it's time to go! :)
Try to work with his teacher so that he can go every hour, avoid caffeine products and limit any fluids after 6 or 7 pm. I even resorted to waking him up about 11pm to go during the night and again about 5 in the morning. Good Luck!

We went through this with my 5 yr old. Our doctor said that the cause could be constipation. Sure enough, we increased his fiber, and we were back to normal within a week or so. You might talk with your doctor about whether this could be what is causing the wetting. Good luck! :)

Stopping him from wetting the bed, well, that will come with time, growing and encouragement. What the other ladies have said about the horomones is true, you can talk to the doctor about a pill that is available to help stimulate production. From experience, it did very little to help the wetting but did wonders for my son's mental health. As he felt the medicine was going to take care of it (he didn't like it happening either!) the more confident he became he would overcome it. After a month of meds and no true change, I quit buying the prescription and got a little sugar pill, I can't remember the name of it, to use as a placebo. Mentally, it had the same affect for him - he knew the "medicine" would make him stop having accidents.

I did the midnight sleep walk to the bathroom routine with him during this time, too. It helped about half the time. I also gave him permission to get out of bed - little kids know "bedtime means bedtime" so he was afraid of getting in trouble.

With all that, it took about 4 months to work through it.

As to the daytime accidents, definitely take him to the doctor to rule out infection or other physical cause beyond hormonal. If that's all clear then look at the changes that have happened in your family and routines in the past few months. We had a very traumatic summer right before kindergarten and my son started having daytime wetting. Once he felt more emotionally secure it stopped. So talk to him, see if it is his "world" causing him stress, etc.

I just want to echo the recommendation to take him to the doctor. The increased daytime frequency and the statement that he can't wait may indicate something physical is going on - could be as small as a urinary or kidney infection up to something more serious like diabetes.

Good luck, I hope everything works out!

You may want to take him to the doctor, he may have a bladder infection. There are lots of causes of frequently needing to go. Getting that checked may give you the clues you need.

All three of my daughters have had urinary problems. My 6 year old daughter still has to sleep in Goodnights. Our Pediatrician has said a lot of times, if they have allergies/breathing problems, it also delays sleeping through the night without wetting. Also, my first daughter had a vesicouriteral reflux. We had to take her to Cook's in Ft. Worth to be evaluated by a Pediatric Urologist. On a scale of 1 to 5, 5 being the worst, she was a 3 1/2. They put her on antibiotics once a day for a year to stop the UTI's and she didn't need surgery, she grew out of it. She did have bladder spasms for awhile after that though and was on medication for that. Now she is 12 and starting to have these problems again. I'd take him for an evaluation first to the Pediatrician and then go from there. I'm sure you will find the help you need. Good luck! Jennie T.

I would take the child to the doctor. His accidents appear to be more than his willingness to "go".

You should make an appointment with a Urologist. Sometimes there are problems with the tubes that run from the kidneys to the bladder, which could be a problem. He could also have a bladder or kidney infection. These are not necessarily serious situations, and the upside to this is that a Urologist would be able to advise you what to do, or even prescribe medication if he thought it was necessary. Either way, it would give you answers. And it would give you and your son peace of mind. I know it's stressful for you, and he feels the stress, too. I hope this is helpful to you. It has to be embarassing for him all the way around. Good luck to you. C.B.

Take him to a doctor!

My 9 year old has the same problem...Took him to the Doctor and the problem was he was constipated and the intestines were pushing on the bladder and causing the accidents..Doctor put him on Miralax and problem solved.. hope this helps!

J.
If this is something that has just started with a 6 yr old,
have you taken him to thr DR to make sure there is no medical
problem? I would do that first.