Need Help with 6 1/2 Year Old's Recent Bed-wetting

I don't have a child that does this, but I have babysat for children that actually had a medical problem, it might be something to look into, although he seems rather young to determine... there are children that have a bladder that doesn't respond like a normal bladder, It's like the "alert" system doesn't function properly, I forget the name of it, but they actually hooked up a system perscribed by the dr.that wakes the child up...better than the cold stuff, and it works, they havn't had any incidents.

Hi C., the first thing I would do is see a Dr. for a possible bladder or kidney infection. Young children don't always know how to express verbaly any symptoms they may be having. If that isn't an issue than it may by due to the "stress" or "fear" he felt while you and your husband were away. Never scold or punish him, he has no control over the problem. Try setting an alarm clock several times a night to wake him to go to the bathroom or you or your husband wake him every 3-4 hours or so and take him to the bathroom. This may seem like work but it beats changing and washing beddings everyday.
One of my sons had this problem until he reach puberty and this helped. Also, praise him for his dry nights. That's very important.

Good luck.
M. M.

There could be something that is stressing him at school if there is nothing you can think of going on at home?

Getting him to clean the mess in my opinion, will not really help solve the problem - it may just make it worse! (as in backfiring!)

Have you tried asking him what is going on? Kids are more in tune with things than they will let on, and are rather more sensitive to things than we can sometimes comprehend.

Or, there may be something medically going on that you are not aware of...? Try talking with your pediatrician. Make sure all is okay. Otherwise I would think it's an emotional stress trigger happening.

Have some faith, and some patience... He'll feel your frustration and that will only make it worse. Good luck! ;)

C., my name is Dr. Rick Semlow. I am a chiropractor. I can say that, overall, chiropractic has had alot of success in helping with bed wetting (enuresis). While not knowing the health history of your child I can't say for certain that it can help, but it is a route that I would look into. You should look for a chiropractor who is certified in pediatric care. Since I am not sure what part of the country you live in, I suggest that you look at both: www.mcpakids.org and www.icpa4kids.com These are good referral sources for chiropractors who are board certified in chiropractic pediatric care.

Hi C. .. I was a mom that struggled with the same issue in my own boys.
Things I have learned, besides the medical issues mentioned are .. Boys tend to be deeper sleepers then girls (not all) I know my husband even now sleeps very sound compared to me.

If you have ruled out Sugar Level, Chiropractor help or any thing else .. It might be the deep sleep. Our boys could have gone on meds (which we tried for a short period) but with meds you are putting drugs into your kids .. they didn't help ours, so we quit. I hate to do long term health problems from drugs we used.

Hang in there .. It will get better!

I used to work in an ENT doctor's office. Any signs of snoring or sleep apnea? Sometimes this happens when the tonsils are enlarged. I'm no expert, but worth checking if it continues.
Good luck.

That sends up red flags for me...sudden bed-wetting can indicate stress somewhere in his life. The traveling may have bothered him, but there may be something else going on. Is he getting bullied at school? Or is there some other issue happening? I would try to find out if anything is bothering him, maybe by sitting down and coloring pictures together and just talking casually about life in general to see what happens.

On the other hand, it could just be he's getting sick. There's certainly plenty going around these days. I hope it's something that's easily resolved. Let us know how it works out.

I am sure some one has suggested this by now...but did you have him checked for a urinary track infection? C.

Mom you have got to get your son involved in the clean up after the bed wetting episodes. He needs to learn how to change his sheets and clean up. He should also be making the bed. Is he a diabetic? There is a nasal spray DDVAP that is helpful for this in children. Have you talked with his doctor? If there is no medical reason for this I would make sure he was involved in the clean up.

I think it might have something to do with growth spurts - like their bladder has to catch up. Talk with his doc. My son is 5 1/2 and does this for a few days a couple of times a year since potty trained.

You may want to have his blood sugar checked. My stepdaughter was diagnosed at age 7 and bedwetting was definitely one of the things that proceeded her diagnosis. I am incuding some warning signs as copied from www.jdrg.org

I hope it helps. Better be safe and get him checked for medical conditions and then work on behavior issues if that is the problem.

Spread the Word About the Warning Signs of Diabetes
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Warning Signs of Type 1 Diabetes
If a person has one or more of these problems, he or she could have diabetes and should see a doctor right away.

Very thirsty all the time
Goes to the bathroom a lot
Very tired
Very hungry much of the time
Loses weight quickly, without trying
Has trouble breathing

People who have type 1 diabetes have to watch out for low blood sugar emergencies. If a person with diabetes shows one or more of the following signs, have him or her eat or drink something sugary - like juice, non-diet soda, glucose tabs or glucose tablets, honey, or candy. Don't give any insulin. If the person is passed out or having a seizure, call 911 immediately and don't give anything to eat or drink.

Warning Signs of Low Blood Sugar Emergency

Headache
Sweating, pale, or shaky
Very hungry all of a sudden
Weak, dizzy
Confused, clumsy, irritable
Passes out

It is very frustrating I agree, My 6 year old has had these problems when he is going through a growth spurt or when he is just really worn out. I don't let him have anything to drink after 6:30, he goes to bed at 8:30. I then wake him up before I go to bed around 10:30 or 11. This does seem to cut down on the frequency of his accidents.

First of all you have to stop being so frustrated over this. I have 2 children, 10, 8 who are stil bed-wetters. My doctor told me this type of thing is hereditary, so it just needs to be dealt with calmly. WE have however put them both on a medication that helps them to control it better. The doctor said this happens beause their bladders haven't fully developed yet.

Take it from me, it is frustrating, but if you yell and make a big deal out of it everytime he has an accident it only makes it worse for you and him. Just don't say anything to him about wetting, do your normal no drinking at least an hour before bedtime, put a goodnights on him and thats it, he will outgrow, eventually!!

Good luck!!

Sorry I can't help you much with how to solve the bedwetting because we've struggled with that off and on for our 7 year old also. But, we lay a water proof pad over her fitted sheet so if she wets, we only have to pull off and wash the pad. This makes it so much easier and less frustrating for us.