Bedwetting is not something you hear discussed all the time, but it’s a lot more common than you may realise and can continue well past the toilet training stage. We’ve been working with DryNites to share our progress on this journey over the past year.
Once your child starts to grow older, you might start to worry more about bedwetting but each child really does master it in their own time. It’s a myth that they can just be “trained” out of it.
With three boys, we’ve been through this stage before and despite following the same routines, it has taken longer for some of my children than others. Here’s how we’ve been handling the issue now that all of the boys are getting older.
With my eldest boy, he passed through this stage really quickly and was dry at night very soon after being dry during the day, but it’s taking longer with the younger boys (5 and 7)
One awkward situation that we’ve come up against recently is that the youngest seems to be mastering his night time dryness (still not quite 100%!) whereas his brother has been making slower progress. So it’s been really important to me not to make a big deal of it, and not make my older child feel bad about himself around this issue, and to avoid any sibling issues especially as it’s something that’s out of his control.
We use DryNites pyjama pants quite regularly to make night times go more smoothly. DryNites are different from nappies, and offer age appropriate protection for older children, with five layers for maximum protection. They’re available in ages up to 15 years, and the size that we use comes with fun Spider-Man designs. Once children move up to the next size, the designs are slightly different and more mature so that it stays age appropriate.
What I find with the DryNites is that it gives my child more independence over this issue too. He’s 7 years old, and will be going up to Junior school soon. He’s not a baby, so he wants to take on his own responsibility and do things for himself. With the DryNites, he’s able to get these ready himself and put on a pair when getting dressed for bed. It’s just a normal part of our bedtime routine, like reading a story or brushing his teeth.
DryNites can easily be pulled up and down like pants too, so both the boys do get out of bed and come to the toilet while wearing them if they need the toilet before falling asleep.
If they do have a wet night while wearing the DryNites, then the bed is totally protected. I usually keep the DryNites bed mat under the sheet for back up, but with the pants on it’s not really needed. If my seven year old wakes up in the morning and the DryNites are wet, then he’s able to take them off by himself and put them in the bin (we have nappy bins in the house anyway as we’ve a young baby too.) This lets him manage the issue without too much fuss, and keep his independence, which is really important for his confidence at this age, especially when it’s an ongoing issue.
With our seven year old, we have not seen a lot of progress on the night time dryness so far. Since my last DryNites update we’ve had a slight set back as he’s had to go back onto some medication which makes him sleep more deeply, and of course that doesn’t help! I’m planning to ask for a referral for the bedwetting clinic this year and see whether there is anything further they would like us to try. As we’re under the consultant paediatrician for Autism and sleep issues already, this is something that I’ve heard our hospital offers, as sometimes it can take longer for kids with Autism to master the night time dryness so they might be able to offer some more support and suggestions.
Meanwhile, DryNites are an absolute must-have for us to prevent this issue becoming a bigger deal.
If you’d like to try out DryNites with your child, visit the DryNites website for a free sample and you’ll also find some more helpful advice there to help guide you and your child through this stage.
Anna Marikar, mum of four and seasoned blogger, has spent over a decade sharing her parenting journey and passion for kid-friendly crafts and free printables.
Her easy-to-follow craft ideas and practical parenting advice have transformed In The Playroom into a cherished resource for parents.
It can be really hard when the first child does it easily. We had similar issues with Mini taking a lot longer
Are they both still wetting the bed or are they finally dry? My son had problems as well