5 Year old son still pees his pull-up at night. Help

[mom2kaivi]

So, I'm not sure if this is an issue but I think it's time that I start addressing it more aggressively. My DS will be 5 this June. He been potty trained since he was about 3 1/2 but he still wears a Pull-ups at night. We live in Reno, NV and it's VERY dry here. We do give him a small sippy at night. We tried to cut that out but he would wake up every night and in a raspy voice, like the voice of a person that had been wandering the desert, without water, for many days, he would beg for water.

His pull-up feels like it has one pee in it. Sometimes if he wakes up in the middle of the night I'll take him to the potty and he'll be dry in the morning. Sometimes he still pees in it. We've had stretches of 2 or 3 days where he has just been dry. We've had a week where he got up every night and went pee. I feel like we're back to him having a wet pull-up every morning.

We did run out of Pull-ups last week so I said, "That's it! No more diapers." We filled his sippy about a 1/4 full and talked to him about getting up to go to the bathroom and crossed our fingers. I checked on him at about midnight and he was soaked but sleeping soundly. I pulled the sheets off his bed and moved him to the guest bed. When he got up in the morning he had peed the guest bed too. That morning I washed mattress covers, duvets, sheets, down comforters and went to Costco and bought another box of Pull-ups.

I had told myself that I wasn't going to stress myself or DS about it. I thought when he started being dry for a long stretch of time, we'd go cold turkey on the Pull-ups but we haven't had any really long stretches.

What should I be doing? Just take away the pull-ups? Is this common? Am I on the road to having a child that will have bed-wetting problems? Help.

[JTsMom]

It is very, very common. Some kids just aren't physically ready, even at 5, 6 and 7. There is some good info here:
http://askdrsears.com/html/7/t071200.asp

[hillview]

My DS is almost the same age as yours and is still in a pull up. He is a very deep sleeper. I am ignoring it for now.
/hillary

[Corie]

This is totally common and completely normal!

My daughter did the same thing and my son is currently 5 yrs. old
wearing a pull-up to bed.

My pediatrician said they don't worry until the child is 9-10 year old.

Some kids are just sound sleepers. Others have a small bladder.
There are many factors.

FWIW, I still give my son a sippy full of water to put on his nightstand.
He is a thirsty guy. I'm not a fan of denying water to get a dry diaper.

[elliput]

Some kids take longer to outgrow night time incontinence than others- here is a good article about it. Urinary Incontinence in Children. (http://www.medicinenet.com/urinary_incontinence_in_children/article.htm)

First and foremost- don't make it a power struggle. Don't get upset, mad, etc. Neither you nor your DS need to add extra stress into your lives.

[o_mom]

It is very common at that age. 15-25% of kids are still wetting at night at that age. Here the urologists won't even see them until 7-8 years old for bedwetting unless there is another physical problem because most will resolve on their own by then. It is really a matter of time and there is very little you can do to move it along. Occasionally, there will be a kid who pees after waking, but doesn't go to the potty that can be helped by taking away the pull-ups, but if he was already wet at midnight and didn't even wake up, he still sleeps too soundly.

I have a 6.5 yo that is rarely dry in the morning. Most times he is wet before midnight. He just sleeps soundly. The 4.5 yo, OTOH is dry most mornings and has even gone a month or more between night accidents. We regularly hear him get up at night to go. It's just different for different kids.

[lmwbasye]

Totally normal....for boys until 6 or 7.

DS is nearly 5 1/2 and no where near ready to get out of Goodnights.

[Indianamom2]

We don't even give DD (5.5) any water at bedtime/overnight and she still can't stay dry. I have no idea when she will learn, but I'm just not stressing over it. It's basically one pack of Underjams a month...she'll eventually get it, but I'm not changing sheets every night in an effort to force the issue.

[Roni]

Thanks for that link. We have bed-wetting issues here, as well, although we have a known medical issue that is probably contributing to the problem. You might want to check with your pediatrician and rule out any problems, but out pedi told us that bed-wetting is a common problem that no one talks about.

[sariana]

I checked on him at about midnight and he was soaked but sleeping soundly.

I think this is a sign that he simply isn't ready.

My DS sleeps very soundly, too. He will be 6 this summer, and I anticipate he'll be in night-time Pull-Ups for a while yet.

[DebbieJ]

DS1 is 6 yo and wears UnderJams every night. It is always soaked.

[HIU8]

DS is 5. He has been PT since 3 1/2. He wears goodnites to bed every night. He is in no way consistently dry every single night. One night he is dry, the next soaked, the next dry, and then dry a few more nights and then soaked again. His body just isn't ready yet. It doesn't matter whether he has a drink before bed or not (sometimes no drink before bed and he wets the bed). It's totally normal. I wet the bed until age 9. I don't expect DS to be in undies at night until at least the same age.

[ged]

My DD will be 5 on Friday and is also in the same boat. I am glad to hear that is it not only boys who may have a harder time. I am trying not to make a big deal out of it, for her sake too....as she wants to go without diapers, but just can't yet (and I am not willing to change sheets in the middle of the night for it).

[lmintzer]

Another one with a 6 year-old in pull-ups at night. No worries.

[wolverine2]

Same here- DS is 5.5 and no end in sight to nighttime wet pull-ups. The pull-ups are getting too small though so he has started to leak on a regular basis- waking him up to pee before we go to bed helps with that, but clearly we need to move on to the next thing after pull-ups. What are the options for older kids- what are your favorites?

[Corie]

What are the options for older kids- what are your favorites?


We actually use the Huggies Good Nights.

[belovedgandp]

Chiming in with another 6 YO still wet a majority of the time. He is just not ready. He sleeps straight through everything. He's had periods of getting up in the night, but no long term success.

Until it becomes a social issue with sleep overs, I don't think it's a concern for another year or so. We've been fully potty trained for 3 1/2 years, but night wetting has stayed about the same the entire time.

[KpbS]

And yet another here. I was thinking about this the other day and feeling kind of frustrated about it all. Good reminder that it is normal (DS1 isn't the only one) and will outgrow it one day...

[mikeys_mom]

Same issue here as well. DS is 5.5 years old and soaks through his Goodnights every single night. He takes a sippy cup of water to bed and if he doesn't, he wakes up in the middle of the night asking for water.

We have discussed this with our Dr. and she says not to even think about it until 7-8 years old. Especially with boys, it is very common.
She told us not to stop with the water during the night because he is clearly thirsty and no reason to deny him water. We also do not believe in waking him up during the night to take him to pee because he is a very deep sleeper and it just upsets him to be disturbed. Dr. said he needs his sleep and that is more important at this stage than staying dry all night.

He can't help it, so no reason to make it a big deal or a power struggle. In fact, he asks about not wearing a pull up some nights so I know that it bothers him a bit. That's why we just don't make an issue out of it.

[jse107]

We don't even give DD (5.5) any water at bedtime/overnight and she still can't stay dry. I have no idea when she will learn, but I'm just not stressing over it. It's basically one pack of Underjams a month...she'll eventually get it, but I'm not changing sheets every night in an effort to force the issue.

We've got a 5.5 yo boy here and this is us to a tee. Only in the last two months have I heard him get up to go to the bathroom. It's not consistent though. I figure we'll be done with the Pul-Ups by the time he goes to college. ;)

[Meatball Mommie]

We actually use the Huggies Good Nights.

:yeahthat: I have DS1 who is 6 1/2 (7 in Aug) and DS2 who will be 5 in a month - both in them every night. Hardly ever do they wake up dry in the morning and at least once a week, they will pee right through the diaper and still soak the bed. With the older boy, we tried setting an alarm and he slept right through it. We have also tried waking him up ourselves and he will pee, but he's totally asleep doing it. Not a good long term solution, imo. Plus DH needs to be up for work at 4 and I work outside the home too - we need our sleep!

Your son is not alone!

[gatorsmom]

I didnt' read the other replies but I've read and or been told that children who are day-time potty trained often have to continue to wear a diaper at night for years afterwards. I've heard as old as 6 and 7years old still sometimes need a nighttime diaper. It's totally natural.

Personally, I don't think it's a big deal. And I saw this first hand with my own brother; when parents make an issue of it, it can become a source of shame, embarassment or low self-esteem. Really, it's more likely that a child will outgrow this naturally and at an earlier age if they are NOT pressured to.

I'd not put him in a pull-up at night. I'd put him in a regular diaper. They are more absorbant and when your son is tired of them, he'll let you know. :)

[zoestargrove]

My 5 yo ds is still in pull ups and they are wet most mornings.

My 6.5ds asked to stop wearing pullups for comfort reasons...so we wake him up before we go to bed and generally that helps with a dry night, but not always. He did wake up on his own to pee for a short while, but hasn't done that in months.

[Jenny_A]

I have not read the other responses, but I JUST asked my Pediatrician about this same thing. DD is 4 and is SOAKED in the morning. He said do not worry about it at all until she's 8. Just put a pull up on and go with it!

[gatorsmom]

Oh, I wanted to add that if your son wakes up with a parched throat, you might want to put a warm air humidifier in his room at night. That usually helps me inthe winter.

[tny915]

DD1 is 6. Ped said no reason to be concerned until age 8.

ETA: They make Underjams and Good Nites in the larger sizes for a reason. I've learned it's a very common problem.

[mom2kaivi]

WOW!!!! Thanks for all the replies. You have put my mind at ease.

:ROTFLMAO:

[kbud]

My dd is 6 and still in pull ups at night. She's soaked most mornings but has a dry one a few days here and there. She had her 6 year check up today and it's no concern until they are closer to 8. My poor dd says she can't believe some kids can wear underwear to be. She says it would be so hard no to pee in your sleep.

[almostamom]

Just another reason why I am still on this board after all these years - thank you for letting me know that DS isn't alone with this issue!

Linda

[Raidra]

To be honest, I was glad that we used diapers at night time for as long as we did. I had (have) absolutely NO desire to be changing the sheets in the middle of the night, so we did not rush it at all. It might cost a little more, but it's so, so much easier to just put something on them rather than dealing with accidents when everyone wants to be sleeping.

Lachlann was about 3 when he was consistently dry through the night, but Colwyn was still wet at that time (he was almost 5). I kept Lachlann in diapers for an extra few months because I didn't want Colwyn to feel badly that his little brother was out of diapers and he wasn't. Neither boy had trouble with daytime potty training, either. It's just so variable.

It's definitely within the range of normal, and it's really not worth worrying about or trying to push before he's ready.

The boys have been dry for a while but we still have a package of Goodnights for when stomach bugs hit.. Colwyn's sleeping in one now because he has trouble remembering that even if it just feels like he has to fart, he has to run to the potty.

[sarahsthreads]

I figure we'll be done with the Pul-Ups by the time he goes to college. ;)

I'll be thrilled if my 5.5 year old DD is done with them before grad school. :)

There's also a genetic component - I was a late bedwetter, DH was a late bedwetter...we figure our DC are doomed! I'm just very happy that they make night time pull-ups in big sizes now (we use Underjams) because my poor mom had to change sheets and such every. single. morning. when I was little. As embarrassing as it was, I went to a sleepover in Depends once, because that was all there was for elementary-sized kids...that was *so* not good for my social status...

We have to reassure DD1 over and over that it's totally normal, and someday her body will learn how to stay dry at night, and that lots of kids wear pull-ups while they sleep, because she *wants* to stay dry. We'll deal with sleepovers when we get there...

Sarah :)

[elaineandmichaelsmommy]

dd1 just got out of goodnights a few months ago. She turned 7 in november. Btw- a friend had a sleepover for her dd who's 7 and said there was more than one girl at the sleepover who brought their goodnights. Apparently it wasn't a big deal.