8 year old deep sleeper & bed wetter

[RMou1982]

I've just joined here as I've got nowhere else to turn. Our 8 year old son has never been dry at night since he was born. We've had the occasional dry pull up on holiday but that's because we never went to bed until 1am and he was up at 8am! He goes to bed around 8.30pm and sleeps until I wake him at 7.45am to get him up for school. He is wet every single morning and often soaks through his pull up so his bed is wet.

We were given desmopressin which didn't work, we tried a bed wetting alarm which woke me but didn't wake him. We've tried no drinks, drinking more, peeing more, peeing less, movicol (which to be fair seems to have solved any constipation he may have had) but nothing is working. The main problem as I see it is that he just does not wake up! I've tried him without pull ups but he stays sound asleep in soaking wet PJs/bed sheets and often in the morning it has dried in. Our house alarm went off a few months ago and woke us and the neighbours at midnight, my husband had to disconnect the battery after 15 minutes of trying to switch it off and yet Junior was still sound asleep! If we take him to the toilet when we go to bed (or at 2am as I've tried in the past), he doesn't wake up fully even though we shake him and talk loudly at him and try to get him to talk to us - although he pees, he wakes up about half an hour later screaming and hallucinating. It's upsetting for all of us so I just don't do it anymore. Also he will still wake up wet even though he's gone in the night.

He has been dry during the day since he was 2 and a half, I don't think there's anything medically wrong apart from he sleeps like the dead. Our GP has told us he will grow out of it and there isn't an enuresis clinic anymore for children where we live, it's all done by the school nurse. (we are in NE Scotland)

Does anyone else have this going on??

[Apgapas]

How long did you try the alarm for? My son is also a deep sleeper which is why I think it took longer than usual to work - several weeks for a dry night and 4 months before he was consistently dry. 8 months later and he hasn't had an accident since October (he had never had a dry night before we used the alarm). I had to sleep in his room for the first 6 weeks to make sure he woke up and felt like I was going crazy when it was going off several times a night but it really was worth it.

[RMou1982 in reply to Apgapas]

To be fair I only tried it for 17 nights and he was never dry. This time I’ve told my husband we have to take it in turns as I was absolutely shattered and we both work full time. Ordered a wireless alarm which should be more comfortable for him, it arrives on Wednesday 🤞🏻 Thanks so much for your feedback, it helps to know I am not alone x

[Apgapas in reply to RMou1982]

Definitely ask your husband to help - it was so exhausting! Another tip was not to switch the alarm off - make sure your son does it (I think I helped too much during the first few weeks) He has to be fully awake for it to work so try to help him wake up and remind him how to switch it off etc then get him to go to the toilet even if he doesn't need to (lots of praise when you manage to wake him). I almost gave up on several occasions as kept reading instant success stories online & didn't think it was working for us - I'm so glad we stuck with it but take a break if it gets too tiring etc. Good luck 🙂

[Busymum1]

I feel your pain. We are in the same position. Our son will be 10 this year & still wet at night. We have tried all the things you mention but nothing really helped. We are told it is very common & that he will grow out of it......its hard to imagine.

[RMou1982 in reply to Busymum1]

It’s so frustrating isn’t it? I feel like I’ve missed a step in the parenting manual and it’s all my fault

[JessGirl]

Firstly big hugs to you. I’m am in the exact same position as you although my son is 7 1/2.

At currently we are on a course of Movicol and have been told to try the bed alarm next.

He’s such a deep sleeper, it’s terribly tiring and heartbreaking getting them up. My son isn’t with it at all when we did, so we stopped it.

We are under a paediatrician at a enuresis clinic and it sounds like you have done all that they would suggest.

Try speaking to your GP see if they can refer you somewhere even if it’s slightly further out. X

[RMou1982 in reply to JessGirl]

Thanks so much for your reply. I feel your pain! I’m going to give this alarm a solid 6-8 weeks no matter what and if there’s no improvement at all then I’ll go back to the GP and ask to be referred to urology.

[JessGirl in reply to RMou1982]

Can I ask what alarm you have gone for?

Let me know how you get on with it. X

[Sarah01234 in reply to JessGirl]

I’d like advice on choosing an alarm too if anyone has any?!

[JessGirl in reply to Sarah01234]

I’ve read the Malem alarms are good that sound and vibrate, but then also read that the clip breaks easily. 😟

So confusing.

We have also been told he will grow out of it, but is refusing to stay over friends and beaver camp because of it. My daughter who is 6years old also is the same but only bonus is the pull up doesn’t leak. X

[Apgapas in reply to JessGirl]

We used this alarm amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00LX0...

[RMou1982 in reply to JessGirl]

Sorry, just saw this now. I ordered the Dry Easy alarm from Amazon, it seems to be working well and a shorter wire is a bit more comfortable for him.

[Sarah01234]

Hi, I have no idea what the answer is, I just wanted to say that you’ve just described our son. He’s 7 and a half. We’ve not been to the doctor yet (although laxatives have helped with daytime accidents!) but we’re trying everything else. We did have a few dry days over Christmas and we thought we’d cracked it, but he’s back to wetting every night again and we’re not sure what to do. I’ve liked into alarms but I can’t imagie it waking him. Like your son, we can pick him up, change him, sit him up etc ad he won’t wake up, so I don’t know what to do. He’s not being ‘naughty’, he’s just a very deep sleeper!

No answers here I know, just letting you know you’re not alone!

[RMou1982 in reply to Sarah01234]

It’s so good to hear we are not alone! I’m hoping in 10 years we can all look back on this and laugh...!

[Mum0fBoys]

Well I have a 12 year old who doesn’t wet every night but often. I live in Kent and for years I have been told that he’ll grow out of it. It affects him as he is worried about going to sleep overs and school trips. I have been told on a number of occasions that there is not a specialist clinic. I got really pushy at the doctors and then they told me I could self refer through ‘school nurse’ even though my son is at a private school with a private nurse and I have already spoken to her?!?

I would strongly advise making a big fuss at the GPs as I wish I had done so many years ago.

I am currently looking at my husbands private healthcare plan to see if I can get a specialist to see him.

We have exactly the same problem that he just doesn’t wake up. Makes him tired and affects his confidence....

I would be very interested to hear from anyone who has found a solution...

Alarms (doesn’t wake up), movicol seems to help a bit, waking doesn’t work just makes him really tired and walking him half a sleep to the loo when his bigger and heavier than me is a problem!

Will watch your post.... hopefully we’ll both get some answers.

You are not alone....

[Sarah01234]

I hope so!! I know it is meant to be genetic. His sister didn’t have a dry night until she was 7, and she’s now nearly 10 and hadn’t wet for a good couple of years. I know I was quite late too so I’m hoping he’ll grown out of it! I do feel for him though as he’s already saying he doesn’t want to go on the school residential next year because of it and won’t go for a sleepover at friends’. I do think it is a lot more common than we realise though, it’s just not talked about!

[OPsmum]

My son is 7 and a half. Such a deep sleeper (like me) so wet most nights. Wears night time pants but sometimes soaks through that too. We have been an 'urgent' referral case to our local clinic for almost 2 years. The waiting list is so long. So tired of it all but mostly for him. Going to look at the alarms next. No medication as yet either.

[JessGirl]

Well we are now just finishing the 10 weeks of Movicol as suggesting by our paediatrician and it’s made no difference. Had 2 “cleansing poos” but still bedding completely soaked every night.

We are starting the bed alarm next week. Not convinced it will wake him up though. X

[Chopsmith in reply to JessGirl]

Gosh I really hope it does, fingers crossed for you!!! xx

[JessGirl in reply to Chopsmith]

Thank you x