Hi ladies, my son is almost 6 and a half (prep) and still needs to wear a nappy overnight. He is totally fine during the day with both poos and wees, but he literally cannot have a dry night without a nappy (never poos). Our GP said this is hormonal and can drag on for a few more years in some cases. I am very supportive of him and never make him feel bad about it though I know he is starting to feel self conscious - mentioning that no other preppie wears nappies (he assumes). I keep telling him it's normal and totally ok. I should also say he sleeps like a log so waking him up in the middle of the is not an option - I've tried. I guess I'm just wondering if any of you have had similar experiences? No amount of withholding liquids in the evening really helps either - he loves a warm glass of milk after dinner as part of his routine and not sure whether it's really worth me telling him no. Not sure it will actually fix anything. Advice?
8 Replies
Keep reinforcing that it’s completely normal. He will wake up dry when his body is ready for it. Nobody will know he’s still in night nappies unless he tells them. My youngest son wasn’t night time dry until 6 1/2 nearly 7.
Keep reinforcing that it’s normal.
Stopping the milk won’t do a thing.
Your GP is absolutely correct.
Try a bed wetting alarm for a few weeks.
Exact same boat with our boy the same age.
Over the recent school holidays, we trialled waking him before I'd go to bed, taking him to the toilet. He was pretty hard to wake coz he sleeps like a log but he did have a few dry nights but also accidents too.
Since he has gone back to school, its far too hard to wake him. He is just out to it. So we've been leaving it. And will trial the waking again in summer.
I just reassure him, that he can be in pull ups for years yet and that it doesn't matter. Its just nice to have a go at things to see if youre ready, if not try again later.
Listen to your GP - you've actually got a good one! Around 8 is when kids generally start to produce the hormone that stops the bladder filling too much overnight. I don't know if boys tend to take longer but by this reckoning alone he has a clear 2 years before you'd even expect it consistently. I would find some good, age-appropriate ways to explain that there are chemicals in the brain that when they start to develop then you will start to be dry at night.
Yeah, my nearly 8 year old still needs a nighttime nappy. I've taken steps to teach him how to keep this private for Joey Scout camps and sleepovers, and re-enforced that it's normal, and many kids his age are still going through it, and you can't tell just by looking at them. Know one will know unless he says something.
My 6 year old son is the same! Over the school holidays we tried no pull-ups again and he only wet the bed once, but he’s such a deep sleeper, it doesn’t wake him when he does. I’m glad you posted, I was wondering about it too but it sounds like it’s quite common from the responses.
My daughter wore a night nappy until she was about 7. Then one day she said to me “mummy I don’t want to wear a nappy anymore” so we got a few extra sheets and some Matterases protectors from big w and gave it a go. It’s been nearly a year I’d say now and she has had a few accidents but is normally pretty good including waking up in her sleep to go to toilet. (When wearing nappies she was wet every night) I’d give it a go him not wearing a night nappy. Take him before he goes to bed and monitor (don’t cut out) his water intake and give it a try. If not let him know a lot of children still wear night nappies. It’s just not talked about.