Dr. Gwenn Schurgin O'Keeffe, MD, FAAP

Dear Dr. Gwenn,

I have a 5 yr. old who will be turning 6 in 3 months and is still wetting the bed. I put him to bed at 8:00 and by 10:00, when I take him to the bathroom again, he is already wet. Other examples include a 3 hour road trip where all he had was a bowl of cereal, no other liquids. We had to pull over twice!

He is always going to the bathroom and does drink a lot. He never wet the bed as a toddler so something is wrong. We tried behavior modification programs and nasal spray from the DR. with no success. He had urine tests that were all normal and showed no infections. What do we try now other than cutting back on liquids?

Signed,
Melissa

Dear Melissa:

This is a tough situation and the first step is to help your son feel more in control because this could take a bit to sort out. In addition to the behavioral modification, continue to use Good Nites so your son does not have accidents at night. The goal is to help him feel less helpless since this is not something he can control. Daytime wetting kids can control but night time while kids are asleep is beyond their control at young ages.

Medically, once urinary issues are ruled out as you have done, you have to consider plumbing issues. The urinary system is really an internal plumbing system with a bunch of tubes. A urologist can help you evaluate if there is a problem in that system. If everything checks out fine, this may be maturational - meaning you just have to give it more time. If that's the case, there are medications that can help your son stay dry at night when on overnights.

Another common cause of bedwetting is constipation. This is something to explore since your son was once dry at night. Even if your son is having a bowel movement daily there could still be stool backed up that is putting pressure on the bladder. A simple xray called a KUB can help determine this.

These are the considerations. Your pediatrician can help you determine what would be in the best interest of your child.

Here's a couple of links for you and your son on bedwetting: Bedwetting
More on Bedwetting

Best,
Dr. Gwenn

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About the Author
Pediatrician, Dr. Gwenn Schurgin O'Keeffe, MD, is a board-certified pediatrician and Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Dr. Gwenn is an experienced columnist, educator, and practicing pediatrician. Dr. Gwenn strives to write as if she were talking to a parent. As a parent herself, she knows how important it is to obtain information but also understand how precious little time parents have to find that information on the internet. Pediatrics Now was developed to fill that gap and provide a bridge between the parenting and pediatrics worlds.

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