Still Wears Pull Ups to Bed

My pediatrican recommended a bedwetting alarm. There are several different ones on the market (do a search). It worked for us - it takes time and dedication, but it is worth it. Good Luck!

Hi! My 2 sons are 6 and 9 and still wet the bed. Try using the Goodnights instead of the pull ups. They seem to be more reliable for the older kids. They even make some that look like boxer shorts now.

N. all I can say is don't give up! I had a son with the same problem, I can assure you by his puberty years ( I know it might seam like a far off time spam) but eventually they grow out it. Especially if he is a healthy young boy and does not seam to have any medical reason for this it should go away on its own. The most important thing to do is what it sounds like you are all ready doing. Dont let him get discouraged, He needs to know that he is normal and it will go away. My Pediatrician kept telling me it would but night after night I began getting worried then one day it just didnt happen anymore! what a relief (no pun intended) but just hang in there dear! Good Luck! I hope this bit of encouragement helps!

I was a bedwetter .. so was one of my children. It happens. Some kids don't stop until they're 10 or 11. (I've even read about adults who still do).

My suggestion would be plastic cover for the mattress and Hyland's Bedwetting tablets.

Hi N.! Last time we were at the peds office she mentioned that some kids take up until age 7 before they are able to stay fully dry thru the night. One of the usual recommendations is no liquids 2 hours before bed. We also pee before bathtime and right before bedtime. They also make pads that go under the kiddie and the first sign of wetness sounds an alarm to wake them. They are supposed to be pretty effective but your little ones body also has to be physically ready to hold it all night and he might not be.

I had the same problem with my son. I would:
1. Limit his fluid intake to a minimum in the evening (small glass at dinner and avoid drinks after dinner - just a sip if needed)
2. Absolutely NO sodas.
3. Be sure to make him go to the bathroom before he goes to sleep.
4. Make a routine and a set bed time, otherwise, he'll be falling asleep before you can get him to the bathroom.
5. Wake him up to go to the bathroom one more time when you go to bed. (He'll go right back to sleep)

My sister in-law bought an under wear alarm for her daughter and it was a success. It attatches to the undies and the alarm sounds in their ear when it detects moisture. I thought it was genius. This way she wakes up and goes potty and goes rite back to bed. Hope this is helpful.

Please don't take this the wrong way... but even if it is a problem for him, he might feel that he is being punished for it by sleeping in a toddler bed.

I might have not worded that correctly, but please take that into consideration. I don't want you to be put on the defensive, I'm sure you are doing the best job you can in this situation.

What I do for my son is he doesn't get anything else to drink after 730p except for water (he hates water and I don't want him to be dehydrated). Of course he never takes it and we always make him go before bed. Otherwise I've only heard boys grow out of it.

My brother wet the bed until he was 8, but his dad wouldn't do anything about it -- not withholding drinks past a certain time before bed, ect.

Good Luck!

Hi N. - I know what the problem is. My son went thu the same thing. My son was wetting the bed also. I thought about what he was having for dinner and drinking. When he would have more than 4 oz to drink at dinner and soup, that's when it would happen. So now he does not get soup at dinner. He only gets a small glass to drink with dinner. Nothing to drink after dinner. Try not to drink after say 7 p.m. Let me know how that works. And always make sure he empties his bladder just before bed even if he says he doesn't have to go. Reward him if he goes pee pee before bed. Don't tell him what you're doing with his drinking habits or else he'll fight it.
T. in DeLeon Springs

My suggestion would be to really watch the liquids at night time. Try to give him an early dinner and then no liquids after that. Make sure he goes potty right before bed even if he says he doesn't have to. My daughter has been sleeping through the night since she was two and a half without wetting the bed. That was how we did it at first. Now she is able to go without wetting even if she does have a drink before bed but this was gradual. Also, make sure he has a night light and a lit way to the bathroom at night in case he does have to go. Show him how to get there when his lights are off so he knows and isn't afraid. I wouldn't worry too much about it. Just watch the liquids and help him understand why.

Hi, Keep an eye on how much liquid intake he has prior to bedtime and cut back some. Maybe changing to a big boy bed will motivate him. Talk to your doctor and maybe he has some points he can advice. Good luck !

Keep trying the suggestions to limit fluids late in the day and to urinate as much as possible before bedtime and even try the wetness alarm, especially if he's a heavy sleeper. The alarm helps to train the body to wake up when the bladder is full.

If he's still wetting the bed after he's 7, then it's probably time to see a pediatric urologist. Normally, after the age of seven years, urine volume produced during the day is twice as much as nightly urine volume. Sometimes not enough of the hormone that lowers urine output at night gets made and there are medicines that replace that hormone that can help eliminate the bed-wetting problem.

You can protect the mattress with a plastic mattress cover or a shower curtain if you want to go ahead and get a twin or full bed.

some boys don't make it through the night with out wetting. Michael Landon wet til his teens. If the pull ups are leaking, maybe you need some bed wetter diapers they adver tize. Also get a plastic mattress cover.

Dear N.,
Don't worry; some kids take longer than others. Make him go to the bathroom before he goes to bed, wake him up to pee before you go to bed, leave him in a pullup and see what happens. He could just be a heavy sleeper. One thing I do want to suggest, but not panic you, has he started peeing more lately? Could be a sign of Juvenile Diabetes but I'm not a dr., I don't know for sure, so don't panic, just keep it in mind and you may want to have him tested.
But with my 3rd son, he used to pee through his pullups, and it took him a while to wake up at night to go his own. ANother friend of mine had her son in pullups well into kindergarden; her son just slept so heavily.

My oldest son, (15 in March) wet the bed until he was 12. My second son (13 in March) never did. My 8 yr. old son still does, my 5 yr. old daughter never did and my 3 yr. old son still does. My point is he might do it for a while and all kids are so totally different. You can never know when he's going to stop. Now, I realize 12 is NOT the norm, and we did all we could to find out if there was a medical problem and what it was (there wasn't), but realistically, MANY kids wet the bed for years. Mu kids all sleep in a reular twin bed. I have plastic mattress protecters and they work. My bed wetters also wear a pull-up to bed and we just go with the flow. We used to sweat it, but not anymore. What's the use? They'll outgrow it!Ever heard of an adult bed wetter?
So my advice is, buy the pull-ups (or whatever you use), and get some sheets to protect the mattress. Save yourself the stress of more laundry, and DON'T make a big dea out of ti. Trust me, as he get's older, (if he's still doing it), he will hate it. He doesn't need to kno how much you hate it too. That won't help anyway. I hope ths is helpful and doesn't make you feel hopeless...it's really not that big of a deal althought it does seem like it. Good luck!

I might also add that we tried all the things you wuld think to try to help him stop, but nothing worked. I would still try them though, what have you got to lose?

Hey N.,

My name is S., a Mom of an 8 yr old boy, and a 5 yr old girl...Pull ups got expensive for me, even though my 5 y.o. still wets nearly nightly. My 8 y.o. hardly ever wets, though he does have an accident now and then. Both of mine sleep in their own single bed, and I invested in a heavy plastic mattress cover for both of them, (JC Penney). It zips closed at the end, and I place a mattress pad over that and then the sheets. Limiting drinks, potty before bedtime is a must, and I reward my daughter whenever she is dry. I know she will outgrow this. It does mean more laundry, but I felt that quality pull ups were the only way to go, and they cost too much for our budget.

Good luck!!

Don't let his night time ordeal stop you from making the shift to a "big boy" bed (you can always get mattress pads in the mean time). The toddler bed to me reinforces toddlerhood. Pay close attention to how much liquids he is drinking before bedtime and reduce the amount that he drinks. Also have him go to the bathroom one last time before bed even if he doesn't want to. This worked for us with our son but it took time. Focus on what you want from him and that is big boy behavior by encouraging him even when he has an accident. The pull ups is contradicting the desired behavior you want from him. It may be more convinient for you but it does not empower him. Have him share in the responsibility for his actions. You could have a night light in the hallway so the trip to the bathroom is less daunting. Perhaps he is a sound sleeper like my son so repition of where he should go cannot be said enough to them, while he's playing, at cleanup time and before bedtime. Hope this helps

Wow. I can relate to everything you say. When my sons were small, my youngest had the same problem. It was partially hereditary. It takes patience. I didn't want to, but I finally had to put a plastic sheet over his mattress. I made sure it had a padding over that, which could be dealt with (cleaned). I also limited his water and liquid intake after 5:00 p.m. (Have you seen the night pull-ups, which may hold more? (You probably have, but just had to mention.)

Most importantly, it took patience. From my experience, he will grow out of it. And it can't be helped.

Good luck, and I hope this helps.
God bless you and yours.

Hi N.,

In my opinion, Pull-Ups are just like diapers only for bigger children. Try putting platic on your sons bed and let him wear underwear to bed. You may have to get up with him a few times at night just so you can get a routine started. Once he begins to get up a few times during the night this shold help with bed wetting. Also, try not to let him drink anything about 1 1/2 hours beofre bed time. If he must have something make certain it is just a little bit.

Best of luck.

When my oldest (who is now 9) was about that age, he still slept in a diaper and frequently woke up wet. Once we took the diaper off, he pee'd the bed several times a week, but was sometimes dry in the AM. I had a friend who's child was in the same stage and what they did with his was: his dad set his alarm clock for the same time every night; when his alarm went off, he got out of bed, woke up his son and took him to the potty; then, they both went back to bed. They did this for 3 weeks (figuring it takes 3 weeks to make a habit) and it worked. We tried a variation w/ our son -- either me or my husband would be on "duty" each night and whenever that person woke up to go to the bathroom (which both of us do at least once/night), that parent would go get our little boy up and take him potty. He could basically pee in the potty half asleep so he went back to bed fairly easily after that. We did this very consistently for about 2 weeks. Then, we went out of town and got out of the habit, but, it worked! By that point, our son was in the habit of waking up if he had to go. He would get up and go potty by himself and ususally get back in his own bed (sometimes he'd need help or want to sleep w/ us). I know it's a pain, but if you think of it as a training time for him, it will help. Good luck & God bless!

Hi N.,
As a mother of a five year old I know exactly what your going through. My daughter was wereing pull ups to bed for awhile. I finally broke her by telling her that I really wanted to get her a new bed, a cinderella pumpkin carriage bed, but that I didn't want her to ruin it by peeing on it. So we agreed that if she could go two months without peeing in her pull up at night, she would get the bed. And it worked. Best of luck.