MommyLynn
asks:
Q:
Why is my 3 1/2 yr old boy peeing on floor in his room at nighttime?
He is not wearing pull ups anymore. Trying to get him to have bladder control now. Sometimes I wake him and make him go and other times he wakes up having already peed on himself and wants dry clothes. (plastic mattress cover purchased) On the mornings he is dry I praise him and now I am finding urine spots in the corner of his bedroom does he do this knowingly or accidentally or is he just being lazy?
He is fully potty trained which wasnt easy but he did it. Now we have started to break him of pull ups at night time. He is doing as well as can be expected. If I wake up I make him go to potty and he doesnt want to but I make him.. other times he just pees in bed (have purchased the plastic mattress cover for mistakes). Some nights he comes and wakes me wet to change his clothes and the other times I praisehim for making it through the night without going. This is when I noticed strong smell of urine in his room. He is peeing in the floor on these so called "dry nights" help me.
In Topics:
Potty Training, Bedwetting
He is fully potty trained which wasnt easy but he did it. Now we have started to break him of pull ups at night time. He is doing as well as can be expected. If I wake up I make him go to potty and he doesnt want to but I make him.. other times he just pees in bed (have purchased the plastic mattress cover for mistakes). Some nights he comes and wakes me wet to change his clothes and the other times I praisehim for making it through the night without going. This is when I noticed strong smell of urine in his room. He is peeing in the floor on these so called "dry nights" help me.
> 60 days ago
What the Expert Says:
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Additional Answers (1)
Hi MommyLynn,
My 4 year old still wears pull ups at night, he simply can't wake to urinate in the middle of the night. At times he calls for us but sometimes he sleeps too deeply. Don't get frustrated. Peeing in the middle of the night for a little guy is a serious chore. They are tired and not focused. My first child was in night-time pull ups until he was six. But now he wakes himself. We are not stressed and will follow the low key relaxed approach with our 4 year old.
Nighttime bladder control is a capability dependent on physical development, so be assured that with support and guidance, your child will outgrow the bed-wetting and will eventually master dry nights. Don’t hold unrealistic expectations for a quick change in a process over which your child has little or no control. The key to an easy transition is for you to be well informed about what your child can and can’t do.
Not all children gain bladder control at the same time. Please be gentle and understanding if you have a child who still wets her bed.
Reasons Why Children Wet the Bed:
♣ Their bladders have not fully matured. This lack of muscle strength is causing them to wet the bed.
♣ They are very deep sleepers and simply can’t wake to empty their bladders in time.
♣ They have stresses brought on by a new baby, a divorce, transitioning into a new school or getting a new teacher, a death, a family crisis, or physical changes (such as diabetes).
♣ They are experiencing severe discipline, abuse, threats, or inconsistent caregiving, or they are living with parental yelling and fighting. Sudden emotional instability can cause serious psychological strain.
♣ The kidneys of some children produce more urine than a normal-size bladder can hold.
♣ There’s a hormone that causes the kidneys to slow their production of urine during the evening that only begins to develop when the child is between the ages of four to eight.
Ways to Help with Bed-Wetting
♣ Never punish, bribe, use rewards or sticker charts, or demand that your child stay dry during the night.
♣ Listen to the concerns of your child. Children rarely wet the bed on purpose. Take the time to listen to their fears and concerns.
♣ Assure your child that you’re there to help and support him. Always be matter-of-fact so that he doesn’t feel embarrassed or ashamed.
♣ Keep this issue private. There’s no need to tell friends, teachers, or neighbors.
♣ Limit liquid intake before bed.
♣ Wake your child up in the middle of the night, before you go to bed, for one last bathroom visit. Some kids are very deep sleepers and can’t wake on their own—getting them up will help them start the ritual.
I look forward to hearing back from you, I do hope you pick up a copy of my book that further outlines many other early childhood issues that you come across.
Kindly,
Kimberley Clayton Blaine, MA, MFT
Executive Producer, www.TheGoToMom.TV
Author of books, www.EmotionCoachingYoungChildren.com & www.TheInternetMommy.com
Watch Kimberley on ABC's View From the Bay http://www.thegotomom.com/about.htm
Follow The Go-To Mom on Twitter: http://twitter.com/TheGoToMom
My 4 year old still wears pull ups at night, he simply can't wake to urinate in the middle of the night. At times he calls for us but sometimes he sleeps too deeply. Don't get frustrated. Peeing in the middle of the night for a little guy is a serious chore. They are tired and not focused. My first child was in night-time pull ups until he was six. But now he wakes himself. We are not stressed and will follow the low key relaxed approach with our 4 year old.
Nighttime bladder control is a capability dependent on physical development, so be assured that with support and guidance, your child will outgrow the bed-wetting and will eventually master dry nights. Don’t hold unrealistic expectations for a quick change in a process over which your child has little or no control. The key to an easy transition is for you to be well informed about what your child can and can’t do.
Not all children gain bladder control at the same time. Please be gentle and understanding if you have a child who still wets her bed.
Reasons Why Children Wet the Bed:
♣ Their bladders have not fully matured. This lack of muscle strength is causing them to wet the bed.
♣ They are very deep sleepers and simply can’t wake to empty their bladders in time.
♣ They have stresses brought on by a new baby, a divorce, transitioning into a new school or getting a new teacher, a death, a family crisis, or physical changes (such as diabetes).
♣ They are experiencing severe discipline, abuse, threats, or inconsistent caregiving, or they are living with parental yelling and fighting. Sudden emotional instability can cause serious psychological strain.
♣ The kidneys of some children produce more urine than a normal-size bladder can hold.
♣ There’s a hormone that causes the kidneys to slow their production of urine during the evening that only begins to develop when the child is between the ages of four to eight.
Ways to Help with Bed-Wetting
♣ Never punish, bribe, use rewards or sticker charts, or demand that your child stay dry during the night.
♣ Listen to the concerns of your child. Children rarely wet the bed on purpose. Take the time to listen to their fears and concerns.
♣ Assure your child that you’re there to help and support him. Always be matter-of-fact so that he doesn’t feel embarrassed or ashamed.
♣ Keep this issue private. There’s no need to tell friends, teachers, or neighbors.
♣ Limit liquid intake before bed.
♣ Wake your child up in the middle of the night, before you go to bed, for one last bathroom visit. Some kids are very deep sleepers and can’t wake on their own—getting them up will help them start the ritual.
I look forward to hearing back from you, I do hope you pick up a copy of my book that further outlines many other early childhood issues that you come across.
Kindly,
Kimberley Clayton Blaine, MA, MFT
Executive Producer, www.TheGoToMom.TV
Author of books, www.EmotionCoachingYoungChildren.com & www.TheInternetMommy.com
Watch Kimberley on ABC's View From the Bay http://www.thegotomom.com/about.htm
Follow The Go-To Mom on Twitter: http://twitter.com/TheGoToMom
> 60 days ago
