Hi Debbie1234,

Thanks for your question.

Dealing with bedwetting - regardless of the child's age - can be very challenging and frustrating.  Bedwetting is not uncommon - even for older children.  I have a niece who is 12 and she still wets her bed at least once a month.  Children who bedwet need much patience, understanding, and support from their parents.  Below I've included a special edition page on bedwetting.  Here's you will find all the facts and statistics on bedwetting, the dos and don'ts, and how to gear up and get ready for those wet nights.

Hope this helps!

Vicki

Hi debbie1234,

You already have good answers here and I can understand your frustration.  I would like to add a few tips that may help your situation.

1.  Limit all beverages before bedtime.

2.  Be sure that she always uses the bathroom just before laying    down.  Brush teeth and use toilet.

3.  Be sure to keep a mattress pad over the mattress and under the sheets to protect your mattress, keep an extra set of clean sheets ready and immediately change the sheets after an accident.

4.  When you say "it stinks" are you referring to the situation itself OR to the smell of her urine?  If it is the later, you may want to provide her with Cranberry Juice Cocktail, NO sugar-just 100% juice and PLUMSMART has a juice for digestive health.  Of course, don't give her this before bed, just in the morning with breakfast or at snack, and 4 ounces is enough, but do it on a daily basis.  This is good to do regardless.  All girls and some time may get a urinary tract infection and by limiting use of bubble bath and other bathing supplies such as those smelly fun bath products, because they contribute to UTI's and cranberry juice helps with preventing this condition.  (This advice is straight from my OBGYN and my pediatrician, so it's from a trustworthy source).

Hopefully, by just limiting beverages before bed and reminding her to use the toilet before she lays down each night, will prevent further accidents.  After all, she should have an empty bladder at this point.

Best Wishes!

Here's a site that may provide you with important information.

Children who wet their beds sleep so tight that they do not feel the urge to urinate, thus do not get up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night.  Instead, they wake up in wet bedding.

Every year, your  child's chance of outgrowing bedwetting increases.  With time, it should stop.  In the mean time, although it cannot be cured, it can be helped!  I can imagine how frustrated you are, but your daughter probably does not like it either.  It is embarrassing to her, and affects her social life (going to camps or sleep overs) thus impacting her self-esteem.

Please read this article written by a bedwetting specialist:

http://www.pluggedinparents.com/component/content/article/456

Best regards.

Hi, my  name is Grace. I am a retired RN, and I raised 3 step children. I read several answers by doctors who said "it's nocturnal emesis". Yes, we know that;it means urination at night. Here are some common sense answers that I tried &  WORKED:
A) Try to limit amount of fluids, esp. tea, coke (diuretics-they help the body eliminate water). Push fluids in the DAY TIME.
b) I acted like nothing unordinary happened, "It's Ok. No big deal, just sheets".
Please DO NO YELL AT THEM. It makes matters worse. Often with young boys, their bladders don't grow as fast as the rest of them. ** With older kids, there could be some stress somewhere that you have not seen. Try to be nice and see if they will tell you. Is there someone abusing or bullying them at home or school? At sports practice?  If they are 9, they could still use some support from the parents to watch them at practice & /or games.

C) TRY 1 TSP. OF HONEY OR MORE JUST BEFORE BEDTIME. Used it on my 5 yr. old & worked in a couple of days. They discovered not to give it to babies bec. of the bacteria, so I RECOMMEND A TSP. OR 2 IN A CUP OF HERBAL TEA, (Is there decaf hot chocolate?)  My son stopped bedwetting within a week,  2 max.

D) I tried it on myself, same way, and it works for adults, too!!!!  Women who get that dribble when they cough, or MEN who have to get up at night should try this before you get put on another medication. WORKED FOR ME!

FOUND THIS IN AN OLD BOOK I READ WHEN I WAS 20 (56NOW): "VERMONT FOLK MEDICINE". THANK YOU.

I had this problem until recently with my son who is 10 years old. My son is a very smart and good boy.I discussed the issue with the pediatrician and tried all I could try, but nothing helped. I understand how frustrating is the answer " it will take time, but it will change..."  he used to wet the bed twice every night.
Recently I found an article in a Costco magazine. The author is a pediatrician and he stated that usually the children go to bathroom in a rush. They do not take time to release all the urine from the bladder. He suggested to discuss this with your child explaining that all the urine needs to be released before bed. They need to push, and try hard to make sure all is out. When he/she goes to bed, the bladder needs to be empty, so that there is room for the fluid to accumulate for the whole night.  It is amazing how a simple piece of information can change a child's and parent's life. At the beginning he went from having accidents twice a night to once in 4-5 days. This lasted for about 3 weeks, and during this period he did not use pool ups. Since then he never wet the bed again (1.5 months).
I am so happy, and of course he is even happier. I hope that our experience can help you.

Bed wetting is not a simple problem with a simple resolution. It is a complex issue at age nine with the potential to harm your child's self-concept.

There are lots of things you can try to improve the possibility of a dry bed. The Internet is full of helpful support ideas.

The most important thing is to remove yourself from the equation. Your frustration with the addition of work and reaction to the smell is most likely adding an additional layer of stress to something your daughter is already aware she is not successful in overcoming.

My first reaction is that you need a second opinion from a doctor who specializes in pediatric urology. Either article I listed the links to below will help you see that 1) you and your daughter are not alone in this and 2) there are a lot more causes of bed wetting than simply your child is not trying hard enough.

Your daughter deserves the best support you can provide. Let the specialists who deal with these issues decide whether there is something physically wrong or not. Let your daughter know that while bed wetting is a disappointment for both of you, it has nothing to do with whether she is loved or not. A parent's love is something she can count upon.