I have 3 other children and my 7yr old is the second oldest. My eldsest son was able to sleep through the night dry by the age of 4 years. My 3 year old daughter often has afternoone naps for 2-3 hours and does not require a nappy during this time.
My 7yr old was born 6 weeks early, and I am wondering whether that has anything to do with it. He has not had any developmental delays.
I have limited his drinks before bed, and often he does not have any. He goes to the toilet before bed, and then again before he actually goes to sleep. I wake him 2-3 hours after he has gone to sleep, and often he is already wet, and very difficult to wake up. The toilet is close to his bedroom and he is often still half asleep when I get him to the toilet that he isnt actually awake enough to know what he is doing.
I think it is probably time that he saw a specialist and I would appreciate any ideas or suggestions.
Hi Gina – firstly in the short-term I would recommend trying DryNites rather than Pull-Ups, these are specifically designed for nighttime use and are much more absorbent than Pull-Ups which are really only suitable for children who are toilet training. Secondly, I would certainly recommend that you make an appointment to have your son seen by a continence specialist. While it is true that some children are able to outgrow bedwetting on their own, other children benefit from more formal interventions. Given the frequency and amount he is wetting it is unlikely that he is going to outgrow this sometime soon. While his bedwetting may be the result of delayed development you also need to investigate whether there is any underlying medical issue which is always a possibility given his prematurity. Once the doctor is able to rule this out you can then look into the different treatment options. Your doctor is most likely to recommend a conditioning alarm which may be particularly challenging at first given your sons deep sleeping patterns so it is essential that you receive proper support in instigating the program in order to maximize your chances of success. It’s always a good idea to practice during the day first (dropping some liquid onto the sensor) so your son can become more accustomed to the sound of the alarm. You can also purchase (or hirer) conditioning alarms that have variable or recordable sound options which can sometimes be better suited in waking particularly deep sleepers. Good luck!
Regards,
Dr Cathrine
Comments
Be the first to post a comment
Add a comment