My DS, who will be 4 on October 21, has wet the bed the past two nights. He hasn't had an accident day/night since May. I don't know what the problem is. Any suggestions?

By Trina~moderator on Saturday, September 20, 2003 - 11:52 am:

I wouldn't be too concerned. Both my kids had occasional set backs at that age. In fact, my DS regularly wet the bed until he was 6. It's possible it could be a UTI, but most likely just a temporary regression. Too much to drink before bed, unusual deep sleep or perhaps he is stressed or scared about something. Could be lots of things. Use a waterproof mattress cover and set up extra sheets and towels just in case. If it becomes a regular occurrence talk with your doctor.

By Kaye on Saturday, September 20, 2003 - 12:35 pm:

In general watch him. Children who are potty trained and dry at night do not tend to regress. Sometimes things happen, too much too drink, too excited, a little virus etc. But if your child has been dry at night for sometime (I think 6 months is sometime) and he continues to have an occasional accident then talk with your dr. My son had been dry at night since he was 3 1/2 and at age 6 started having an occasional accident, once a month. 6 months later it was several a week. I would talk to other moms and the consensus was regression, not uncommon for boys etc. I finally went to the doc, this was the start of several medical problems. The biggest thing I learned was although it is normal for many children (much more with boys) for them to struggle to stay dry at night, that once that milestone has been reached, then bedtime wetting is NOT normal. Accidents do happen, but not more than a couple of times. Good luck.

By Marcia on Saturday, September 20, 2003 - 01:36 pm:

My 8 year old wet the bed until last year. She went for months being dry, and started again. It was a friend that realized what was happening. Our daughters are best friends, and her daughter found a new little friend. Meghan was upset about that, and it was coming out in bed wetting. I wasn't sure if she was right, but once I spoke to Meg about it, the wetting stopped.
Is he stressed out about anything? I know you've mentioned all of the stress YOU'RE going through. Does he sense it??

By Susan10 on Saturday, September 20, 2003 - 11:05 pm:

My son also went for months with no problems, then would have a few accidents in a row, then go another few months. This went on until he was about 8. He's 10 and ok now.

By Paulas on Sunday, September 21, 2003 - 01:28 am:

Marcia...you could be right. A lot has changed in his life. In March he was still wearing pull ups at night and pooped in his pants constantly. This continued until July 5th. I know the exact date b/c it was the date DH came to pick us up to move to Alberta where he had been working since March. DS hasn't had an accident since that day (with 2 exceptions 1. he was sick and didn't pee b4 bedtime 2. we were visiting friends and my friend forgot to get him to pee before bed). So, other than that he has been perfect.

There has been a lot of stress in our home lately and I'm sure he senses it. He's a very bright boy, you know (lol). I'll keep an eye on it and see if it improves. If not, I'll make a dr. appointment.

Thanks ladies

By Oliviasmom on Monday, September 22, 2003 - 09:29 am:

My DD is 6 y/o and she still wets the bed. We thought maybe it was the sleep apnea/tonsils thing, but those were removed 3 wks ago and she's still wetting almost nightly! It's frustrating but she won't wear pull ups (of any kind) and I guess I don't blame her.

By Tklinreston on Friday, September 26, 2003 - 11:28 pm:

My ds will be four in two weeks. Our pediatrician advises me to keep his diaper on at nights because until the age of 5 (on average), he will not be able to control his bladder (hence... bedwetting) during the middle of the night. He on occasion has accidents during the night but hasn't had one in a few weeks ever since I've been really monitoring how much he drinks prior to going to sleep. Have any of you been told the same thing by your pediatrician? I'm thinking he's too old to have a diaper on at night. What have been your personal experiences?

By Trina~moderator on Saturday, September 27, 2003 - 08:50 am:

Joyce, as I mentioned above, my DS needed to wear Good Nights (like Pull Ups but for bigger kids) regularly until he was 6.5. It didn't matter what we did. I spoke with our ped. and he said they usually don't treat bedwetting until a child is 8 because it's that common. Some kids just aren't physically capable of staying dry all night until they're older. Our ped. assured me not to worry and said we'd discuss treatments if it still continued to be an issue when DS was 8. Well, it's no longer an issue. DS began getting up on his own to go to the bathroom at night. He announced out of the blue one morning, "Hey Mom, I don't need Good Nights anymore!" WOO HOO! During his 7 yr. old well visit our ped. asked how that was going and DS proudly stated, "Not a problem!"

By Tklinreston on Saturday, September 27, 2003 - 10:45 am:

Awww... that's great Trina. Thanks for sharing. My ds is a very deep sleeper and will sleep right through even when he gets wet. No. 6 diapers barely fit him. I'll have to go buy Good Nights. Thanks so much.