You did what in the bed last night?

My friends, I have a bedwetter.

That may not be something you would see on a blog everyday but today it is what I am going to talk about.

You all know I have 4 children, 2 girls and 2 boys. 

Out of all four of my kiddos I have one who wets the bed.

He is 9 years old and he will wet the bed nearly every night.

I have to tell you that I have been really discouraged by all of the methods I have tried to use to prevent him from wetting the bed. I would limit his fluid intake after 7pm. I have woken him up every few hours to make him go to the bathroom (that just made us both tired and cranky). I have tried rewarding him on dry mornings and I have tried a little discipline (thinking maybe it was an "I'm sleeping so good and I am so warm I don't want to get out of bed" problem. I have even taken him to our family doctor and to an urologist. Both docs said he was ok.

He has ruined two mattresses so far because he tends to go through mattress protectors like jello. I tried good nights pants but that was a big flop as he decided he didn't need to go to the bathroom at all. 

So I have decided to do some research into genetics and I found out some very interesting things. My husband and his oldest brother were both bedwetters. My hubby suddenly stopped around age 13 when he reached puberty. His older brother wet the bed until he got married! The males in his family are very deep sleepers and they just don't feel it when they gotta go like the rest of us.

I have learned a few things dealing with my son. For one, if you make the child feel bad about his issue, it tends to make the problem worse. Good night underpants are not that absorbent. Washing bed clothes every time they are wet is important and finally good cloth mattress protectors are essential. Buy several so you can change them out and replace ones that are torn.

To parents of bedwetters, be patient! If you cannot find a reason why this is happening your child is probably just a very sound sleeper. 

As for me, I still remind my son before he goes to bed to go to the bathroom. I still try to limit what he has to drink at night, and if he does have an accident I hug him and let him know it is okay and we will work on it until he stops.

Erin