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She needs to help--not as a punishment but because she is old enough to help with the situation.
I agree 100% that she needs to help. I have made it clear to her that it is NOT a punishment but a responsibility. I don't make her clean up and change the bedding all by herself, I only ask her to help me do it.
I haven't read all of the posts, just the first page. Some children just don't have the enzyme or whatever in their bladders that wake them up to go. The good news is that they tend to develop it as they enter puberty. My son wet the bed nearly every night until he was about 11, then it turned off like a switch and he never wet again. There's really nothing you can do about it other than buy GoodNites and use a waterproof pad. You can buy two waterproof pads: Put one on the mattress, then a fitted sheet, then another waterproof pad, then another fitted sheet. When she wets the top one, just peel it and the middle waterproof pad off and the bed is all set for her to get back in. Please don't punish her for something she can't control.
Take her to a specialist. Our local children's hospital has a bed wetting clinic. My son was wet every single night until we finally went when he was about 7, close to 8. They had us buy a sensor that attaches to the underwear. As soon as it gets wet, an alarm wakes him up and he goes to the bathroom. You will be up with her for several nights. Something about waking up when they should be sleeping causes an enzyme to kick in, and they stop having to go over night. I think it took less than a week, and he's only ever been wet at night maybe once since then (7 years).
There is a medication for this! Don't ask me what it's called. My son had the same problem much longer and when he was hospitalized for another issue, the doctor found out about the bedwetting and put him on medication.
My special needs grandkids also have issues and the doctor finally gave them the meds and they did much better right away.
Sorry, I don't know what it's called except a parenting lifesaver.
I am desperately seeking advice regarding my daughters night time issue. She is 7 (8 in Nov) and she still wets the bed every single night no matter what I try or don't try. I have taken her to her pedi multiple times and was basically given the same answer every time....that she is perfectly healthy and its just something that she needs to outgrow on her own. I have tried waking her, not allowing drinks past 7:00 (her bedtime is 8:30), only allowing sips of a drink, making her go before bed and having her help me with the bedding and nothing has helped. I just don't know what else to do. The laundry is killing me and there are times where I am changing sheets twice in a night! Up until a month ago, I was buying pull ups and while the largest ones still fit her, they just don't make it through the night and I still end up with a wet bed. I moved up to the goodnites thinking because they were made for older kids they would be better but that was not the case. Not only did they not work but they cost more than the pull ups and you get less in a pack!
I don't know if its a good thing but it doesn't really bother her that she does it. She hates waking up in a wet bed every morning but her still wetting the bed at her age doesn't phase or embarrass her her one bit if that makes sense. I am beginning to dread mornings with her because most mornings I have to deal with her being upset and having a fit because I am asking her to help me with her bedding. Usually she will flat out refuse to help and it gets to a point where I am late getting her to school on time.
I am hoping someone else here is going through this with their older one and could offer some suggestions. I just cant handle all the extra laundry and having to argue with her over this every morning.
Thank you everyone,
Laura
Take this child to a child's Psychologist, preferably a female. If her Pediatrician states there is nothing wrong with her medically, something has happened to this child, EMOTIONALLY, that is making her at age 7, wet the bed. And will continue to impinge in her life, unless steps are taken, NOW........the best of luck.
First, let me say I am not a parent, so my advice is not from experience but hope it might help or brainstorm a new thought or two. I was wondering how long it takes for the pull-up she wears to get to the point of leaking? Is it a matter of three or four hours?
Could you tell her that you need to change the pull up in the middle of the night so it doesn't leak? Let's say 4 hours is necessary to change so it's not overflowing? And when you get her up, even if she doesn't want to be up insist and stay by her bed until she gets up with you. Then head for the bathroom to change the pull up and have her sit down on the toilet as she changes. Then of course in encourage her to go and return to bed.
Maybe this is something you've tried or doesn't work? But if the idea is off of her ability to stay dry or ability to wake up, maybe the pressure would be taken off? And if the sheets aren't wet because you change the pull up in the middle of the night that would be a win too.
I think you are doing a good job at navigating a difficult situation. Best wishes to you and your daughter.
First, let me say I am not a parent, so my advice is not from experience but hope it might help or brainstorm a new thought or two. I was wondering how long it takes for the pull-up she wears to get to the point of leaking? Is it a matter of three or four hours?
Could you tell her that you need to change the pull up in the middle of the night so it doesn't leak? Let's say 4 hours is necessary to change so it's not overflowing? And when you get her up, even if she doesn't want to be up insist and stay by her bed until she gets up with you. Then head for the bathroom to change the pull up and have her sit down on the toilet as she changes. Then of course in encourage her to go and return to bed.
Maybe this is something you've tried or doesn't work? But if the idea is off of her ability to stay dry or ability to wake up, maybe the pressure would be taken off? And if the sheets aren't wet because you change the pull up in the middle of the night that would be a win too.
I think you are doing a good job at navigating a difficult situation. Best wishes to you and your daughter.
Thanks for your post. I can't say for sure how long it takes for her pull up to leak. I can only assume that pull ups just aren't meant for overnight use. They are meant for training is my understanding. I am guessing that is why they just aren't keeping her bed dry. I suppose I can start having her change her pull up in the middle of the night, that probably would alleviate half of the laundry in the morning. I just hate having to buy them if they don't even work in the first place. I would have no problem buying them if they did the job they are supposed to do. You only get so many pull ups in a pack and they don't last that long. I am willing to try just about anything at this point. I just wish there was something out there other then pull ups that would allow her to sleep in a dry bed ALL night ugh.
Practice sphincter control - shutting off flow while awake. It may be a contributing factor.
I was actually going to suggest the opposite. It's a not-well-known fact that people do not entirely empty their bladders when they go to the bathroom. Some amount remains behind (how much varies from person to person). So not only would I recommend keeping the flow open, I would also suggest to the OP to have her daughter use the bathroom during the daytime more frequently than she thinks she needs to. That way, there are more opportunities to drain that much more out during the day, and thus leave more "storage" room in the bladder at night.
My son was in pull-ups until around age 8 or so, when they no longer could contain the overnight deluge. After that, I would have him go regularly during the day (though, on school days, I'm pretty sure that he only went the bare minimum necessary), then have him go 2 hours before bedtime, then again at bedtime. And then 3-4 hours after he went to bed, I'd wake him up and have him go to the bathroom. He would stay dry through the night, but only if I did all of these things. Otherwise, he'd stumble into my bedroom at Zero Dark Thirty to inform me that he had wet the bed.
And then finally, sometime around his 10th birthday, his nocturnal control finally kicked in, and he was able to stay dry through the night without external help.
So yeah, I fully understand the OP's frustration. She can try the ideas that have been presented, and hopefully something will work. But in the end, she may just have to wait it out.
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