Wet Bed Every Morning

Updated on November 06, 2009
B.S. asks from Redford, MI
18 answers

I'm seeking encouragement from fellow Moms who might have been through this.
My 3 year old (who is not yet potty trained...we are working on it!) wakes up soaked in urine every single morning - enough to have to wash the pjs, sheet, mattress pad & almost everything on his bed. He wears a Huggies overnight diaper, size 6. Are there any tips or tricks that might be helpful in order to prevent this?

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B.M.

answers from Detroit on

Hey B.!!

My 2 year old was having this problem also. A friend suggested diaper doublers, but I could not find them anywhere. So I bought a package of Meijer's womens incontinance pads. (They are like a super-duper absorbant maxi-pad.) I stick one in his diaper and night and no more soggy mornings!!

Good luck!
B.

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J.A.

answers from Detroit on

B.,

I had the same issue with my son. I now buy Goodnights size small/medium. They are for kids that are older and have not gained control of their bladder at night. I buy them at Walmart. I have not had an issue since and we have been using them for a year. Blessings! J.

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A.M.

answers from Saginaw on

Honestly also, make sure his pee pee is sticking downward...I know it sounds funny but it has helped me...

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A.H.

answers from Detroit on

make sure you aren't letting him over-indulge in drinking before bedtime.
I never had luck using any of the 'huggies' brand diapers. They not only leaked on us, but left too many marks on my son.
We found that using 'target' brand diapers really did a good job, but then later switched to Pampers Overnight. Also, make sure the weight is more in the middle of the diaper's 'weight scale'. We began to realize if the diaper was closer to his weight, it contained the overflow of urine better than those with the weight furthest from his body weight. I.E.: If your son is 25 Lbs, get a diaper that is in the range of 18 - 30 Lbs. (I can't recall where the weights break as it's been some time.). The bigger diapers leaked more on us.

I think they not only go by the size of your baby, but the amount of what can come out of the child!

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N.S.

answers from Chicago on

have you tried a pull-up? I am not sure how they hold up compared to diapers. I use Luvs when my kid was that age and they seem to hold it in all night. It is a LONG LONG battle for some of us. My 6 year old wets overnight EVERY NIGHT. He hasno underlying health issues and I am thinking about getting him the "big kid" pull ups. I have a young 3 that was just potty trained 2 months ago and staysdry all night- he wakes up on hisown if he really has to go. It is my #1 mommy struggle (bed-wetting).

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B.P.

answers from Kalamazoo on

I have dealt with this for many years. Goodnight pullups hold the most. Also, no drinks after supper and make sure he goes to the bathroom last thing before going to bed.

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K.M.

answers from Detroit on

Use pampers or cheap diaper at the store at kroger I think there cuddly's or something there like 11 dollars for a pack of size 6. Huggies are not durable diapers. ALso make sure his peeper is facing down when the diaper goes on so the middle gets to soak some of the urine. Don't give him anything to drink after 2hrs before bed. ALso you could try goodnights in the samll size. Thats what my son uses but hes older. Also maybe you want to try potty training.

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L.S.

answers from Grand Rapids on

Cut off all drinks for 2-3 hours before bed. If he needs let him have a sip right before bed just a sip. Then have him go potty right before bed.

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N.O.

answers from Detroit on

I have this problem with one of my sons (2 years) and it seems to be a pretty common thing according to many of my mom friends who have boys. Things got a little better by limiting beverages prior to bedtime but it didn't completely solve the issue. Now we double-diaper him and use vinyl pants. The first diaper is a Huggies overnight diaper and the second diaper is a regular diaper (we use Pampers Cruisers). The second diaper has to be up over the edge of the first diaper in front, since that's where urine seems to wick out, and the vinyl pants (you can get them at Babies R Us by the cloth diapers) also needs to completely cover the edges of the diapers. When we do this, we don't have any leaks -- and believe me, that overnight diaper is often a big balloon in the morning! If the second diaper is dry in the morning, we just use it as his first diaper of the day so there's no waste -- if it's wet, well then it's done its job. Sounds like a pain, I know -- but it's so much less work than washing sheets every day! All the friends mentioned above use similar tactics to prevent nighttime accidents. Good luck!

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S.D.

answers from Grand Rapids on

With my stepson, he did have this problem. We monitored what he was drinking after about 3p, and had him go to the bathroom, every 2 hours after that. After 3p, he got a drink with dinner, and it was only 1 cup, and if we felt he didn't get enough liquids early, he would get a second cup of water, but otherwise, we would only give him a half cup of water. This sounds like a long time to go without liquids, but it's not. When you think about it, you get a cup of liquid with dinner around 5-6, and then about 2 hours later is bedtime. so it's perfect. This really helped a TON for us.

We had to remind him to go to the bathroom. Otherwis, he wouldn't pay attention to his body, and then would make a mad dash to get there before he went in his pants. So by making him go every 2 hours, he forced him to start listening to his body. And now no problems.

Even though he isnt potty trained yet, if he stop te drinks and put him on the potty every two hours, it will help him train, but it will help out as well.

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L.B.

answers from Detroit on

I went through the same thing with my son. Even after he was potty-trained during the day, he still would soak the bed at night sometimes. The first thing to remember on those soggy mornings is not to panic, and not to be upset with your son - he'd like it to stop as much as you would!My pediatrician, and several wise friends, told me that boys often have this problem. They're usually sound sleepers who haven't developed the ability to wake up when they need to go. That's why they can sleep till morning in a soaking wet bed! You can help by limiting what he drinks after dinner, and you could also try taking him to the bathroom before you go to bed (assuming this is a few hours later than his bedtime). This helped with our son. Just remember he will outgrow it, and try to help him understand that too.

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A.O.

answers from Detroit on

make sure he doesn't drink anything about 2 hours before bed. Make him to potty RIGHT before going to bed.

It's not uncommon for boys, more than girls, to have this problem. My nephew had to wear pull ups until he was 6 years old.

If the above doesn't help talk to his Dr. I believe it's a condition called enuresis (sp).

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L.H.

answers from Detroit on

We were going through that recently, too. For a few weeks now, my husband has been getting him up between 11 pm & midnight (before he falls asleep), carries his sleepy body into the bathroom and has him go. It's worked really well. He is sleeping practically the whole time but does eliminate himself. Sometimes he is just barely wet in the morning when he wakes. Limiting beverages after dinner has helped, too. Good luck!

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J.O.

answers from Grand Rapids on

B., I was so happy to see this question, not because I have any answers but we have the same problem with my 6 year old son. We have tried everything imaginable with the exception of medication and those devices that electric-shock the child. I just wanted to let you know that you are not alone and our family continues to struggle with this. I look forward to seeing the replies!

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E.J.

answers from Detroit on

I would consider trying pull ups for boys. In my experience we had less leaks with the pull ups versus diapers. Also, since your son is three and probably has an earlier bed time you can wake him up to go potty before you go to bed and this may help with the accidents. It may also help with getting him accustomed to waking up on his own to use the bathroom. My nephew had a similar issue and the doctor suggested this method which has worked well for him. Good Luck! ** Also, my sister's doctor (he was a specialist) explained that limiting liquids is not the answer. If you let them drink enough it actually helps train the bladder better.

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H.M.

answers from Detroit on

My son just turned three, and we had this problem a month or two ago. Here are three solutions that have worked for us:

1. If you can find adult diapers in size XS, they are GREAT!

2. We buy the Huggies GoodNights (designed for older boys, NOT the Nighttime Pull-ups), and have good luck with them.

3. My in-laws prefer to put him in a size 6 diaper with a Pull-Up over it. This has worked well, too.

Good luck!
H.

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L.G.

answers from Detroit on

give him more to drink in the morning, and nothing after dinnertime. also, someone gave me these things they didn't need anymore called "diaper doublers". they are like a big, plain maxi pad, but with no adhesive. you stick it in with the diaper. not sure where to find them, but you could look for a cheap maxi pad to try.

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C.B.

answers from Detroit on

Restrict liquids the evening before. I know too well the consequences!

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