How can I help my 13-year-old stop wetting the bed?

Looking for any help/suggestions for 13 year old that still wets the bed. Done been to doctor and specialist. Done medication-cut back on fluids - made sure to go to the bathroom before bed. Nothing seems to work. HELP

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Help a mama out and respond anonymously on our forum. How can I help my 13-year-old stop wetting the bed? - Mamas Uncut

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Wake him 2-3 hours after he goes to bed - tell him to pee. Then go back to bed. If he’s already wet wake him sooner the following nights. If he wets after you wake him to pee, wake him 4 hours after he goes to bed to pee. What would be ideal is find out when he’s doing it- it will give you a better time frame to know when to wake him

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There’s a alarm with a sensor that sounds when the kiddo starts to urinate to wake them up. Might try it

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Have them checked for diabetes, bed wetting is a sure sign!

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I had the same issue until i was 16…it was stress…my parents and life was too stressful

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When I was 15 and I had the same issue my psycho therapist gave me a book about dan the camel but dan was an acronym for dry all night. And it worked id really suggest finding the book maybe a a therapist aswell.

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There is an alarm that might help. He may be such a sound sleeper that he doesn’t Wake up. Also maybe a sleep study. God Bless

Okay, so im comfortable talking about this. I wet the bed until i was 22. 22 years old. I tried everything. And I mean everything. I recently found out that I was wetting the bed due to trauma from my childhood.
Just try making sure he pees before bed and get him up every hour. Good luck.

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Stop drinking a few hours before bed

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Once they hit puberty there’s meds they can get on. I’d go to a different doctor. Try a urologist

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Hate to be the one to say this but, it is also a sign of sexual abuse. Pray that it isn’t the case. :pray::pray::pray:

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Laxatives. Bed-wetting: The simple cause your doctor probably missed.

My little brother still does this too. He just can’t wake up.

Request a sleep study.

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It’s actually normal for upwards of 40-70% of boys through age 15. Some do it through college. It’s simple, their insides didn’t grow as fast.
My son did too.
His issue was mostly psychological.
So, take him to a specialist and get him checked. If It’s not medical, see a therapist. He needs to get something out. My sons issue regarded his father. It 14 he stopped talking to him and hasn’t wet the bed since.
Regardless, buy plastic covers, good nites mats and good nites pull up things. Have extra sheets and an extra pillow. I assure you, he feels bad enough. Yelling or being mad won’t help. Love him theough it. :black_heart:

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Physical therapy! My son was having problems and while he’s not dry 100% of the time yet he went from being dry maybe once a month to being dry at least half of the month. They were able to work with him and train his muscles how to work properly! His therapist said that we learn to use the restroom but we are not taught how to actually use the muscles. Physical Therapy has been amazing for my son!

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Another doctor or specialist for a 2nd opinion and more options.

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Maybe he can set an alarm every hour or two that might help

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Some people with sensory processing issues do not have that signal that tells them that they have to go.

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one reason i know of is possible abuse/trauma that’s happening. i’m hoping that isn’t the reason :revolving_hearts:

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My 13 yr old wet the bed too. She was constipated really bad… once we dealt with the constipation and got her regular, the bed wetting stopped.

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Aww maybe his bladder hasnt caught up to his growth. Sometimes that can be a factor. Try those goodnight bed pads, and try wake him to pee. Maybe keep a commode by his bed to help.

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There are special pads that wake you when it’s time to go potty

I heard someone once saying that this could be a mental problem, try to get yer kid to a shrink.

Two of my siblings had the same issue, they ended up having type one diabetes. Not to scare, but it’s never a bad idea to get tested or have a second opinion.

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There are bedwetting alarms. I used one with my son when he was 6/7. It took a good 2 months of sleeping in his room & waking him up when the alarm would sound, but it was totally worth it. He’s about to turn 13 & he’s never had an accident since.

Has he been checked for allergies?
My sister knew a kid that peed til he was a teen…the parents finally had him tested and one of the things he was allergic to was apples.
Guess where he lived?
A apple orchard…
Quit consuming apples and it fixed the problem.

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Check for diabetes insipidus

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Maybe a counselor to see the underlying problem.

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Set an alarm and get them out of bed. Train their body to wake up in the night to pee on the toilet

My son did. Went to urologist and had test done ultrasounds. I evem did the alarm thing where you hook up a wire to the underwear and when it get wet an alarm went off. It distrubed his sleep for school the next day. Few yesrs layer he stopped on his own. I bought the mattress protectors and used the adult depends or whatever they were called. Wr spent alot of time trying to stop then i figured that i didnt want to make him feel bad and stopped worry about it sonce all test were normal. He stopped on his own whe. He got older.

Trauma related from personal experiences u need to find out what’s goin off

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I’ve heard that sexual abuse could play apart. Not accusing anyone!!

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Any problems at school? Having trouble with studies? another kid giving him problems. Is this a boy or a girl? I know my sisters & I would have accidents once in a while, where my brothers never seemed too! We all out grew it.

My sons dr gave him meds that have helped

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My niece does same thing…14 yrs old …she had alot of mental n sexual trauma…could b psychological…may need to speak to a counselor

Keep doing what you’re doing plus set alarms to wake up once or twice during night. She has to “train” her body. Counseling may help also.

Childhood trauma is a possibility

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Dig into their dreams. What are they dreaming about at night? In my case, I was dreaming of being in the shower or actually sitting on a toilet. Try a pinch test before peeing. It stopped it for me. To this day, I’ll STILL occasionally dig my thumb nail into the top of my thigh to feel pain before I pee sitting down. That’s what worked for me. Something painful that would wake a sleeping me. If it doesn’t hurt, don’t pee, it’s a dream.

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Check into diabetes or childhood trauma. Hopefully something gets figured out so it won’t continue. It’s very embarrassing for the child & makes for tough times sleeping over at friends or relatives houses, etc.

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Check for sleep apnea . Sleep study

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1 question, serious question, has your child been messed with? I started wetting the bed after I was molested by my brother and a baby sitter.

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Have you tried keeping it warm in his room?

My brother wet the bed until he was 11-12. Idk what the situation is with your son but with my brother, he has severe ADHD and had to take medicine 3 times a day, including one at night so he would sleep but he would sleep too hard and not wake up if he needed to go to the bathroom.

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Psychological issues cause bed wetting also.

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Sometimes it just takes extra years…ask if Detrol LA can help…I have bladder problems because of chemo damage…it helps for many different reasons…it stops spasms for me which in turn helps other problems…good luck

Ok, so my thirteen year old still wets the bed, it happens nearly every night. We’ve tried all the things…limiting fluids, waking him up, talking to the doctor, mentioning it at every single appointment, etc. We were told that it is fairly common, some kids wet the bed until they’re eighteen even. In our case, constipation issues have contributed to the problem and my kiddo is also on the spectrum, which may also be a contributing factor for us. No abuse in our situation.

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Could be sleep apnea.

I was a bed wetter, and 2 of my 3 children were as well. It wasn’t psychological. All of us stopped as we approached puberty. My kids were fortunate to have the “pull ups” for older kids. It’s still embarrassing to navigate that in social circumstances like sleep overs. :heartbeat: Once you’ve ruled out a medical cause, (psychological too), it’s just wait and have faith that there is in fact an end to that :pray:

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Has their been any abuse inside or outside of the house. This can happen when kids have been s€x assaulted

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Is your child given melatonin before bed? I know some who stopped giving kiddo melatonin before bed and the bed wetting stopped she was knocked out and wouldn’t wAke up to use bathroom during night.

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when you or his dad wakes up to go to the bathroom wake your child up also

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Have they had a sleep study?.

Random, but ask for an eeg. My son wet the bed no matter what we did and it turned out he has epilepsy, but majority of his symptoms were in his sleep. So we had no idea until last summer when he had his first TC seizure.

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One of my brother’s got yelled at by our dad when he was little he ended up pissing the bed till he was 21. Has someone you know made your child scared in anyway? Also some children are just like that, my son’s Kindy teacher has two kids and her younger boy is out of nappies at night yet her older girl can’t seem to shake them- they’re from a good household so it sometimes can just be our bodies. We’re all different and mature at a different pace. Not saying you do but try not make a deal out of it because that could cause it to continue unknowingly.

One thing I’ve heard to be true…too much self pleasure at that age will cause it

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Needs bladder muscles checked

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I heard cutting red dye out of their diet can help

My uncle wet the bad until he was 17. One of my brothers wet it until 14. It seems to be more common with boys :woman_shrugging: mattress protectors, a layer of blue chuck pads, disposable or washable, plenty of fitted sheets. There is absolutely nothing you can do. We set alarms to wake us every two hours to get him to go potty and he would still wet the bed. We did diet changes and drinking schedules and limited fluids (which is dangerous). One doctor suggested it was an immature bladder or even a prostate issue. Everything tested and tried. Just make it so they can clean it up discreetly. Don’t make a big deal, don’t shame them. If they COULD stop they would. Seems you had everything checked out as it is… just let it be. Set ONE alarm around 1am for them to wake and try to use the bathroom. It’s NOT your alarm, it’s theirs on their cell phone or tablet. :grin: give them independence and LITERALLY don’t go “dang it little jimmy!!! I need the washer and your pissed in sheet is still in there! Come put it in the dryer!”
Simply give them the tools to handle things on their own.
Odoban in the gallon is amazing! I made it stronger concentration so they can add it to the washer or wipe down the mattress protector.
Sadly no sleep overs allowed. No couch sleeping. Their bed only. We don’t want them embarrassed.
But most of all, sit them down, explain you realize it’s NOT their fault and you just wanted to find something that could help so they won’t have to limit their teen years experiences. Tell them you aren’t mad, you are sorry they have to handle such a struggle and together you can tackle it.
The less you stress, the better!
If the sheets start to smell musty… half a cup of Odoban in the wash, wipe the bed protector with Odoban OR pet stain/odor eliminator with enzymes. :grin::grin:
One tip for fresher smelling laundry … wash with tide/gain, a splash of Odoban and borax washing powder… add a good fabric softener and LINE DRY! For some odd reason the long lasting fresh smell lasts longer if the clothes aren’t tossed in the dryer :woman_shrugging::woman_shrugging: my gram told me that long ago and seems to work … long before we got the news scent beads and such for laundry. :grin::grin:
Relax!!! Make it not a big deal, don’t let anyone tease them. Just let time handle it. They eventually grow out of it. :grin:
If not, have them seen yearly and have their hormone levels checked during their annual
Check up. :grin:

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Try a nightlight. Maybe he/she is afraid of the dark, and won’t go to the bathroom because of that fear.

Just get ladies (or men’s) adult pull-ups… will help and maybe help give confidence ? Can get ones that look like underwear, they’re also great for menstruation aswell.

I had the same problem. I was sexually abused as a child by my “uncle”. I’m 52 and recently discovered the nightmares were real.

It’s not normal. My parents did not know. Talk to a therapist please. Best of luck and prayers your way.

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Is the child snoring? My son was wetting the bed and come to find out his tonsils and adenoids were very large. His pediatrician sent him to the ENT and he scheduled surgery after going through everything. The night before he had surgery, he wet the bed, but since the day of his surgery, he never wet the bed again. You can also ask your childs doctor for a sleep study. That may help too.

Hear me out… constipation can contribute to it. Def something to consider

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does she suffer from bladder infections or uti? Also I wet the bed at times and I was older ( I was sexually abused) also if she’s having night terrors she could be getting stuck in her dreams and unable to wake up

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Have you tried correction therapy/physio ? This could definitely just be a hormon issue :)

My daughters ended up being not enough fiber to keep her bowels regular and the pressure from her bowels on her bladder caused it. We added Miralax daily and more fiber and it worked!

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My daughter was a bed wetter. There are medications for bed wetting but they don’t always work for all kids. This Dr was my daughter’s urologist. His therapies work. I highly recommend you look into his methods.

I had the same issue as a kid up until I was at least 13. Nothing medical or psychology.(not abuse, or self pleasure as I’ve read above) Sometimes it just happens. And it did. They attempted everything. We just had plastic sheet on bed and so on. I didn’t do sleep overs. Nor would I wear plastic undies or pull ups or anything like that. I already had confidence issues that would have sent me for more of a loop… so far two out pf 4 of my kids don’t do it. (My other two are to little to know)

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Have him or her wear an adult diaper. Maybe they are sleeping too soundly to wake up. Maybe having the wetness closer to their body will help wake them up.

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I have the same problem with my 9 year old, so I’m no help. But I know how frustrating it can be. Best of luck to you!

She maybe to scared to get out of bed.Make sure there nothing going on in her room.Is there any chance there’s a spirit in her room.Get some sage an sage her room. An make sure to open a window then after you sage close the window.Tell them there not welcome in her room as you sage it.

Have his kidneys checked. My dad wet the bed at that age too and later find out he was born with one kidney.

Set an alarm to wake up in the middle of the night.

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If there’s any one in the home Like an older sibling . That is a bully ?

I had a biforcated ureter when I was young, which caused urinary reflex and recurring UTI’s … Def see a urologist asap

My daughter wet the bed every night til she was eight. It’s been years and years ago, and we tried everything mentioned in these posts and nothing helped. She was an extremely deep sleeper, just like her dad, who was also a bed wetter as a child. My mom found and purchased a product for us that cured her bedwetting within days. It was a pad that was placed under her sheet. When she peed, a very loud alarm went off to wake her. For a couple of days it woke us all up, but it was worth it bc it fixed my daughter’s problem almost immediately. I cannot recall the name of the product, but Amazon might be a good place to start. BTW, my daughter never had any “setbacks” and she never wet the bed again.

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My daughter was having issues. We wake her a little after midnight and get her to go to the bathroom. We haven’t had any accidents for almost a year.

Therapy if you’ve already gone to a urologist, then definitely start therapy.

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I’ve had a similar issue with my 2 of my kids and they will just grow out of it making a scene about it causes more anxiety and makes it worse don’t worry mama he /she will grow out of it one of mine was fourteen try to get to the root of the issue and provide extra support and make sure you don’t punish the child that can make it worse

Also, bedwedding can be due to severe constipation which constipation can go unnoticed for a long time because something called overflow comes out which makes a parent think things are moving smoothly when they’re not so do a miralax clean out, 1 capful of miralax 3x a day mixed in juice or water NOT milk or soda, must finish the drink within 30 min, do this once a month for 3 days each month. You can then use miralax once per day in between clean outs if needed. See if this helps as sometimes constipation can cause pressure on the bladder.

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test for sleep apnea. Solved all our issues when we found out they were too tired to wake up as they were not getting quality sleep.

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Is she on any type of stimulant medication?

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It is not a matter of getting them to stop wetting the bed… their bladder is not fully matured yet. In time they will stop (usually 11-13) have them wear pull ups or adult diapers until their bladder matures. It is not something they are doing on purpose… it’s not a matter of not drinking at night - because I drink at night and don’t wet in the bed. Once their body makes it will either hold the urine at night or wake them up to go.

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Also test for type 1 diabetes , could be kidneys , I would continue taking her to a doctor to get another opinion .

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U obviously done been traumatising the kid. Therapy.

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Get the child check out very well by and ENT and urinary specialist.

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Waking them up at scheduled times.

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I cant remember what it’s called but I know I read something about an alarm that tells them when they need to go , hope u get sorted xx

Wake him or her up in the middle of the night

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Find out why, mentally. I wet the bed for years. Somebody finally asks me what happened when I did it.

I told them that I dreamed that I was walking to the toilet and that it was ok to.go. I would wake up, AFTER I went. I can’t remember what stopped it to be honest, but I always go before bed.

Maybe ask her what’s happening during sleep time.

Yes agree start setting alarm half way through the night , approx 4 hours and wake the child and take bathroom break

And you’ve had their adder checked? Like as in mri?

I didn’t have a horrible childhood but when my parents divorced and things weren’t best that’s why I wet bed I eventually grew out of it I know someone who is
16 and still
Does it sometimes

Has the child been traumatized in any way

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sometimes it’s the body’s way of releasing trauma. It may not be a physical defect but he may be going through something. I would look into that if he’s already been to the doctor.

My now 14yo wet the bed until she was 11/12. I was told for years she would grow out of it but finally pressured the Dr for medication. She was prescribed a pill that absorbed water. Started off with 2 pills 30 minutes before bed for the first month then slowly tapered off until she didn’t need them anymore. BTW, my child was never traumatized so ignore the Karen’s.

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My sister did that way into her 20… She had heart attack at 30. When they ran dye threw her body for test. It picked up her blood vessels and tube going to her kidneys. Where size of 5 yr old. Even though her kidney and heart where normal size. They said cause she was born with her twin that grew inside her body. Blood flow had went to both of them. So it didn’t let vessels form right. 21 when she found out she was a twin. When they went in to do emergency surgery. To find out why she was pee straight blood. They couldn’t get stop. Tumor had rapped around her twin and her ovarie. So might check into have vessels to her kidney looked at

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My doctor suggested this for my son: https://bedwettingstore.com/products/dri-eclipse-bedwetting-alarm-treatment-kit?gclid=CjwKCAjw0a-SBhBkEiwApljU0r5BQ3cPOB0xRGAN-my8wJQgaFz8kShffnMn31RQcQWjPWubCJjythoCbzoQAvD_BwE&variant=17182602952775
It’s a device that wakes them up when it feels a bit of moisture, so they get up abs actually use the bathroom.