Help with 3.5 y/o who soaks the bed in urine every.single.night

[annekevdbroek]

He is actually nearly 4. I don't expect him to be dry at night. He isn't ready. The problem is that I haven't found anything that is capable of keeping up w/ his urine production at night. Currently I change him around 11pm or midnight every night, and still end up w/ soaked sheets every morning. I am sooo tired of changing his bed on a daily basis (and today w/ nap too). The boy just pees - a lot!. He weighs 45 pounds, so the size 6 diapers and the size 5 or 6 pull ups hardly fit, which I think it part of the issue. I've restricted fluids, encouraged him to get up to pee (but he really is asleep when it happens), etc. etc. etc. I just need more absorbancy!

Any suggestions on what might be up to handling a lot of pee? He also waits until nighttime to poo, which is another issue, and part of the reason I do a midnight change on him.

[waiting2bemommy]

my ds pees the bed failry often but if i remember to I get him to pee around 1 AM and he will get up, go pee and get back in teh bed (with me helping him along) and hardly even wake up. I don't turn any lights on or anything. he rarely pees again after taht until he wakes up in the morning. he would never let me put a pullup or diaper on him atthis point and I too am sick of washing bed sheets every day. even worse is when he pees in MY bed. sO I just make him get up at night and go. twice, if I think it's necessary.

[ecoteat]

 Have you tried these? http://www.goodnites.com/na/Bedwetting-Products/Underwear.aspx

I know a kid with incontinence problems that wore them through 5th grade, so I'm assuming they are pretty absorbant, along with being larger.

[Llyra]

I have bedwetters-- mine are 6, 3 1/2, and 3 1/2. The younger wear cloth-- they don't wet that heavily, and I got tired of paying for disposables. But my 6 year old wets a LOT. She wears the Good Nites, size S-M. She's about 45 pounds, and four feet tall, and they fit well. There is also a larger size, intended for older children.

Something to try-- take one pull-up, and use a pencil to punch a few holes through the outer layer, leaving the rest intact-- four or five holes should do it, up front where he pees. (Or down further for a girl...) Then put a second pull-up over top of it. Leave the second one intact-- no holes in that one. It'll work with the Good Nites, too, if you try those and find out they're still not enough absorbency.

[lyterae]

If he doesn't mind wearing diapers to bed, we actually were ordering size 7 diapers from diapers.com. My dd is a heavy wetter as well and while the size 5 and 6 would fit she would leak right through them. We also tried the good nites and they worked some nights, we also used the Happy Heiny trainers with two inserts. Again both of the latter options would work some nights, it depends on how wet she was. We started having problems with potty-training regression and that is why the diapers were no longer an option.

[~Charlie's~Angel~]

I absoultly suggest these.  My 3 year old was peeing like a madman at night up until about 3 months ago.  He would soak through everything.  THe nighttime pullups worked great, albeit a little large.  but seriously, they can go up to 65 pounds!  I got the mediums for him.  That was the smallest size they had.  They were big on him, but worked perfectly. 

 

Originally Posted by ecoteat 

 Have you tried these? http://www.goodnites.com/na/Bedwetting-Products/Underwear.aspx

I know a kid with incontinence problems that wore them through 5th grade, so I'm assuming they are pretty absorbant, along with being larger.

[annekevdbroek]

Thank you! I am going to try the Good NIghts. I will pick up a package today. I will also try the double diaper/pull-up technique. I did try putting a maxi pad in his diaper but it didn't accompish much. And to be clear, I get him up at 11 or midnight and make him pee and/or change him every night. I am so sick of changing his bed. BLECH. We did try rubber pants over his pull-up, but even those leaked.

[mom2happy]

My 5 year old wets every night too. He wears pull ups every night and I double and triple his sheets with bed liners.

I just snap off the top sheet and the liner and a new fresh set is right underneath. It is the best way to deal with it. In the morning I do the laundry and replace the clean stuff.

What a difference from the nights of having to do all the work or listening to DH stomp around looking for a sheet and sighing.

[ecoteat]

Originally Posted by mom2happy 

What a difference from the nights of having to do all the work or listening to DH stomp around looking for a sheet and sighing.

This made me laugh. I could totally see my dh stomping around and sighing in the middle of the night to the point where I would just say "forget it!" and get out of bed to do it myself.

[annekevdbroek]

Well, so far no sucess. I got the Goodnights, he soaks absolutely through them. I layered a Goodnights over a regular pull, soaked. I layered a Goodnights over a regular pull up w/ little holes poked in in, soaked. I tried all of above w/ rubber pants: soaked. *sigh* Last night he was completely soaked from head to toe and I ended up having to give him a bath at 12:25 am because he was so covered (and changing the bed, of course). PLus he is usually soaked again in the morning.

I am going to try getting him up at 10 and 12 to pee, and *sigh* just hope for the best.

Any more ideas or suggestions?

[kcparker]

Have you tried taking him off all dairy products and red food dyes for a month to see if that helps? My son pees a LOT at night if he is eating dairy, but if we keep him away from that and get him up to pee at about midnight, he pretty much is only wet if he pees before he makes it to the potty in the morning.

[sewaneecook]

My DS is 4 1/2 and has never had a dry night in his life.  If we use sposies we put a size 3 diaper folded inside a size 6 diaper that is on properly.  Then I add a pull-up.  If we use cloth I put a doubler insert with 2-3 Mother-Ease inserts as well in a Mother Ease One Size diaper and a cover.  We went through a period where we used a sposie put on properly, then added a MEOS cloth diaper (making sure the sposie was completely contained within the cloth) with a few inserts between the fitted diaper and cover (otherwise I couldn't snap it shut) over it. 

I'd definitely stay away from dairy and juices.  When DS drinks juice, he'll pee through anything.  He's been cut off until further notice!

[Llyra]

When you layered, were both diapers soaked? If they were, you need even more absorbency. I know it sounds ridiculous, but have you tried layering with three? In the meantime, I think I'd be limiting drinks after about 4 pm. That's a LOT of urine!

If both diapers weren't soaked, then I'd give different advice-- like more holes, maybe.

[darcytrue]

Make sure to limit his fluids 2-3 hours before bedtime and make sure he goes to the potty before bed. Also, I used a padding underneath the bed sheet to catch urine if my child did wet the bed and that way the mattress rarely got wet.

[annekevdbroek]

Both diapers were completely soaked, as well as his clothing, sheets, and blankets.

We do have a waterproof vinyl cover on the mattress, so it does stay dry.

I am continuing to limit fluids. I've been getting him up at 10 and midnight to pee, which he really doesn't like. (Often it is getting him up and discovering he is soaked and changing him - but whatever.) The rubber pants are working about 1/3 of the time. I am also using bribes to get him to potty more during the early evening by offering him additional reading him at bedtime.

I think we may need to try some cloth diapers - I used to know how to sew them so when I have free time (Ha ha hah a ha LOL *gasp*) I may sew a coupe and some doublers/triplers and see how those work.

[BeckyA]

Originally Posted by annekevdbroek

I am continuing to limit fluids. I've been getting him up at 10 and midnight to pee, which he really doesn't like. (Often it is getting him up and discovering he is soaked and changing him - but whatever.)

Im giving this suggestion since you mentioned that he dsnt like having get up to pee. (Ok, yeah,NOBODY does!)

Im thinking I'll get Gasps of "Eeeeeek WHATT?" and raised eyebrows for suggesting this, but this works so, so well for us.

A plastic jar.

Let me explain. DS, 3 does not wet the bed, and many times he wakes us up if he REALLY wants to pee.(We cosleep) Otherwise, we've not had an accident in over a yr and the simple reason is that when he's wriggling too much, that's a sign that his bladder's full. So, either dh or I sit up, sleep-wake him and make him pee into the plastic jar, and none of us need to be fully awake to do that. (Ok, we've got the aiming part pat down - its a wide mouthed jar! Im expecting in Jan, and Im so worried I wont be able to use the jar if its a girl!!)

Now the first one wk (at 1.5y -we CDed and I didnt want to still have to change diapers at nite)when we began the jar thing , he used to get upset/fuss. But we kept it up, and he willingly peed into it. Nowadays, we dont even get a whimper. He stands up asa we slightly rub his back and whisper into his ears to get up to pee.

This is ONLY for the nites,cos lets face it, none of us wants to get out of bed. He's never asked to pee in it during the day. It has really, really made the nights sooo smooth.

If you dont co-sleep, maybe you cld try the jar thing -  co-sleep for a fortnight so he gets it established that a not-wet sheet feels great...or until you ensure that he goes to the loo by himself.

FWIW, I know many here maybe thinking "Oh c'mon, how many steps to the loo and bk?" For me, its a chore to have to wait up for a preschooler to finish...AND ensuring that he hsnt gotten distracted by something in there to want to stay awake for a few more mins.

[LynnS6]

I would also take him to the pediatrician. This amount of urine appears excessive to me. Does he go a lot during the day? I'd just want to rule out pre-diabetes or diabetes.

The other thing to know is that the time to get the larger size of goodnights is when your child hits the bottom weight of the next size up, not the top of the smaller size. Don't ask me why, but that's what worked for our family.

I would think that if it's not medical, and not food intolerances that I would try cloth. I'd try something like this Drymids (I confess that I don't sew, so that wouldn't be an option for me). They are absorbent and allow a prefold for additional absorbency. I've also heard suggested a wool pad to absorb leaks. I think it's more absorbent, and it doesn't take on the smells so badly. 

[karin95]

If disposables aren't cutting it, I woudln't really suggest cloth. I never found any cloth that worked for my heavy wetter. Of course, he's a skinny guy, so it wasn't possible to stuff/line the diapers too much to make them more absorbent. that might help for you.

What did work for a while for him was a really absorbent cloth diaper w/liners, with a good cover, and then wool shorts over everything. If it's a thick wool cover, well lanolinized, then that can catch the overflow. You need something pretty good underneath, because the wool can't hold an actual stream of pee, but if you put 2-3 disposable night diapers on, plus the wool, that might help? I guess just figure out what the best option is, even if it's still leaking, and then throw wool over it. And the wool doesn't need washing, just dry it out and it's clean. You might need 2, though, if the wools too wet to dry by the next night.

I like that idea of making the bed with 2-3 sets of waterproof and regular sheets. makes changing in the night really easy!

[ssh]

Originally Posted by LynnS6 

I would also take him to the pediatrician. This amount of urine appears excessive to me. Does he go a lot during the day? I'd just want to rule out pre-diabetes or diabetes.

I was thinking this too. Diabetes causes excessive urination.

[sunnygir1]

My dd  is almost 4 and a heavy wetter.  She usually doesn't leak through her diaper and doublers, but she is usually totally soaked in the morning.  She doesn't pee when I get her up in the night to do so, so I gave up on that for now.  I have a few pads that are quilted cotton on one side with waterproof backing (I got them when I was caring for my ailing grandfather).  They are absorbent and easy to change in the night if need be.  They are about 3 feet square, so you can just put the lo to bed on them (with a diaper too, of course).  Also, I highly recommend hemp doublers; they are super absorbent, even thin ones.  They saved me with my ds who was leaking through everything I tried.