Advice: wetting bed, 4 year old not waking up

[Fijifish]

Hi,

I am looking for some advice please. Our 4 year old is refusing bed time pull pants (older boy pull nappies)understandably as he wants to be a big boy but is such a heavy sleeper he doesn't wake up when needing the toilet.

We have the absorbant mats which we put under sheets etc but the extra washing doesn't bother me, he wakes up quite distressed that he hasn't woken up for the toilet bless him

Any similar experiences or advice??

Thanks so much in advance

x

[puwetter]

Hi we had the same problem try not to give him a drink after 6 and take him to the logo before bed

[midivydale]

Can you do the lifting thing? Basically take him to the toilet in his sleep pretty much before you go to bed? We never used this ourselves but I have several friends that did so successfully.

[Cora]

Our son suddenly started wetting the bed and on referral we were asked 'does he go to the loo before bed' - I proudly replied that I always asked him if needed the loo......but there is a big difference.....don't ask him if he needs it but make sure he actually has a wee....often their bladder needs emptying before bed but they will not feel like they need a wee at bedtime.....sorry pm if this doesn't make sense trying to write in shorthand as school pick up time!

[goldilocks]

I'd just try to encourage him back into pull up pants as the changing in the night is so tiring for them. If he is still weeing in his sleep he just isn't ready yet - its not a 'developmental ability', rather driven by a hormone that they start making at some point. 4 is still pretty young and not an age that not being dry at night is a concern.

[Fijifish]

Hi everyone,

thanks so much for your advice and discussion, :)

[mee mee]

Hi,

I have a 3 year old and we stopped using pull ups a few weeks ago, we make sure she goes to toilet before sleep and I woke her up around 11pm before I go to bed. It works this way, she does hold it for the rest of the night.

[louloulabelle]

Hi

we find that we have to virtually make our little boy have a wee before bedtime and that helped massively. But I also read in a Parenting book that boys brains just dont click yet to recognise they need a wee when asleep so it can be a physiological thing that his body just isn't ready yet. Good Luck

[Audrey]

Hi,

Sorry to hijack - My 3.5 yr old woke up to use the potty 3 nights consequetively last week around 11ish (he didn't necessarily remain dry for the rest of the night, but it was a start) but we are back to square 1 now. He started preschool on Monday so I can know it's pure tiredness that's causing what seems like regression.

He is so keen to go to bed without the pull-up tho, and lifting isn't an option as he screams the house down, we've been here before. He is a heavy sleeper. Am I just going to really confuse him if I keep chopping and changing from pants to pull-ups and back again? I'm taking his lead when he wants to go without, I've encouraged him back when it hasn't worked in the past, and we're all knackered from disrupted sleep!

Thanks.

[Sesame]

We are in the same boat. Haven't yet sorted it out but spoken to a urologist and he said 1. Do not lift them at night. If you do, make sure they are fully awake. Otherwise you'll be making it worse as they don't learn to wake up for a wee. 2. Many children drink more in the afternoon. It's not enough to just not let them drink before bedtime, the parents should get the child drinking more in the morning so they are not as thirsty in the afternoon. To understand the pattern of your child's hydration, write down the time and amount of every drink and wee(yes, this means weeing in a measuring jug) for a minimum of 2 consecutive days. If this doesn't work, they can also do a bladder assessment at the hospital (we are doing this privately).

It's good that your boy wants to wake up to go to the toilet, that's half the job done! Good luck!