Older children with Bedwetting issue (baby, toddler, son, diapers)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Your nephew is a lucky young man that you'd like to learn more on his behalf, and are willing to open a dialogue with him. I'd commend his parents for giving him his space since he is a teen at this point - but if he hasn't been medically evaluated - if he is willing at his age - maybe get him in to see a good urologist? If nothing else, it will help him hear from a professional, that often times, we just 'quit' as we mature. And if there is a physical reason, he will learn that and what steps might be necessary, if any, to correct the concern.
My doctor told my parents all those years back, they could help me 'stretch' and/or 'strengthen' my bladder by helping me 'hold it' for longer periods of time during the day - instead of 8 little pees - try 4 bigger pees - well - that resulted in some really early on bladder infections - so we stopped that.....and he discussed a possible surgical attempt to enlarge the bladder, but my parents didn't want to make any of those decisions for me - rather opting to see if it continued into adulthood, I could make my own decisions.
I never wore diapers, or rubber pants, as my parents really tried, as your nephew's parents are trying, to let me be as normal as possible. I slept on folded towels and as I got older, it was very routine for me to get up, change my bed linens and take the soiled linens to the laundry room - my poor mom did a lot of pee laundry those 14 years
I think there is a fine line between 'no communication' and 'too much' with this - particularly with teens.....it was part of who I was and everyone close to me knew it - my best friends all helped me as much as they could if I was sleeping over, by letting me sleep in my 'own' sleeping bag/linens, so I could cart it all home if I had an 'accident'. I don't remember keeping it a 'secret' with those close to me.....but I do remember that my parents didn't really talk about it with other adult family members, at least not around me.
If you have specific questions - please feel free to ask, or if you aren't comfortable posting them publicly, send me a DM.....this was a very real time in my life - until I was well into my 30's - it was 'more' of my life to that point than not.......
We though by now he would completely outgrow it and although its down to occasional accidents it’s still an issue.
Our family is very close and open so dialog is something that is normal for us. He has been to a doctor who told them that sometimes he just has to grow out of it, and thas why the space
Thanks for the information and sharing I might PM you later today
Everyone, Is this an occasional bed wetting or do your kids (or did you) do it every night? My 6.5 year old son has woken up in the morning dry maybe once ever. He's been wearing pull-ups over night since he potty trained. I don't think he even realizes that most kids his age don't wear them anymore. My 4 yo has been dry overnight since potty training. Knock on wood, he's never wet the bed. Two different kids... I hope thins doesn't last until he's a teen.
Everyone, Is this an occasional bed wetting or do your kids (or did you) do it every night?
For me personally - it was a nightly deal. As I got older - say 12 or 13 - I would have one or two dry nights a week, but I could never determine 'why', so I could try to repeat it.....it stayed that way the last few years, then when I was 16 - the bedwetting just stopped.
Hopefully your oldest son will outgrow this around the time most kids do - which I believe is 8-10 years old. I feel for you - it must be so very frustrating and helpless feeling to have a child who wets the bed.....but I can assure you - if he could control this - he would choose not to wake up wet every morning
Primary enuresis is never being dry. That is my 10 year old. Maybe 5 times in his life has he woken up completely dry. My 6 year old has been dry at night since potty training....luckily he is a gentle soul that would never make fun. We have no history of this in our immediate families.
I've heard, as Rottnboys says, that it just happens - just stops - all of a sudden.
My younger sister wet the bed (this was back in the late 1960's/early 1970's) until she was about 12 years old. I can understand my mother's displeasure at having to change wet sheets on a regular basis, but she made my sister's life h*ll on earth by hollering at her and shaming her in front of the rest of the family.
As someone mentioned in another post, there can be a family disposition towards bedwetting. We found out many, many years later that one of our grandfathers had the same problem. Bedwetters do NOT do this on purpose!
I have found that the Mayo Clinic website has lots of good (and accurate) info about a variety of health issues. Here's their article about bedwetting. Good luck!
I think most parents who have children that bed wet will tell you that even with all the information it often times doesn’t help or solve the issue. Sometimes for many the person wetting simply has to grow out of bed wetting almost as if it’s a physical developmental issue.
Granted there are those with medical issues that have a need for a doctor’s intervention or a medical procedure but I would guess that is the exception rather than the norm. No it’s not their fault they wet the bed.
I remember seeing a news story a few years ago about a father that beat his child to death because the kid had a bed wetting problem and they were at a hotel and the child wet the bed, the father claimed he lost it over the fear of having to pay additional for damaging the mattress. Truly a sad story and made an impact on me to this day regarding the “issues” the children and the parents / family face.
I wet the bed until I was a teenager. It was mortifying. As a young girl, I would be so scared and embarrassed to go to bed at sleepovers--I'd try to stay up the whole night, or be the last one to go to bed so I could put on my pull-up and not have anyone hear the crinkling noise it made. I remember one time a friend found the diaper at the bottom of my overnight bag in 6th grade...that was mortifying.
I went to the doctor, and he prescribed some drug that was supposed to help, but it did nothing. I'd have 1 or 2 dry nights a month, but that was it. Went to a urologist when I was in junior high who basically said to just wait it out. My parents tried everything. No liquids after 7:30, waking me up when they went to bed so I could pee again, waking me up super early...nothing worked.
It was SO FRUSTRATING. I was so scared that I would never get married because I wouldn't be able to sleep next to someone else. Luckily, around 8th grade or so, I finally outgrew it. It really was an overnight thing. All of a sudden, I could last the night.
I found out later that my dad had similar issues as a child, wetting the bed until 8 or 9. It scares me that it's genetic I don't want to put any future kids of mine through it
It scares me that it's genetic I don't want to put any future kids of mine through it
You and I sound very similar - but don't let this hold you back from having a family.....I was concerned too, as I said earlier - but I made a promise to myself that 'if' one of my kids had the immature bladder and bedwetting - I'd be as loving/supportive/helpful to them, as my mom was with me. Two sons later - easily potty trained - never any bedwetting with either.
And look at you and I now - we can quickly offer words of encouragement to parents and kids with this - that one day, they WILL grow out of it - like we did....and go on to have very normal lives and VERY dry beds . It was a difficult 'addition' to growing up for sure - but we survived it! I think of the families who had an 'addition' to growing up like lukemia, or other cancer.....bedwetting can sure seem trivial when compared....
I know I went to college & had a roommate (another thing I never thought I'd be able to do!), got married, can go to sleepovers now...(although at 24, they aren't as appealing as they were at 14!)
Life works out in the end.
While it's not leukemia, it's still really traumatic to go through, so I'm glad to see that there are more resources and information for it today than there were even 10 or 15 years ago.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I don't want to put any future kids of mine through it 
. It was a difficult 'addition' to growing up for sure - but we survived it! I think of the families who had an 'addition' to growing up like lukemia, or other cancer.....bedwetting can sure seem trivial when compared....
I went to college & had a roommate (another thing I never thought I'd be able to do!), got married, can go to sleepovers now...(although at 24, they aren't as appealing as they were at 14!)
