Really wet nights - 9 year old

[Phoenix78]

We are struggling with how to help our 9 year old (very soon 10) - he has primary enuresis. He is getting very conscious of his wet nights.

We have just been camping for 4 nights and 3/4 he was wet so much it came through everything (he wears a drynite) and through to his air bed.

The drynites are getting too small for him I think. I've suggested adult incontinence pants but not surprisingly he said no.

Any suggestions ?

[ERIC-Charity Partner]

Hi Phoenix78 , It may be worth contacting Tena to ask for some samples which your son could try and see if he is comfortable with wearing them. There's a company called Hartmann Direct which has a range of products too, as well as allaboutincontinence.co.uk/... . Our shop stocks sleeping bag liners and duvet protectors. Has your son been referred to a continence service for the wetting? Also, your local school nursing team may be able to offer support and help you find other available products.

[StellaA]

Tesco junior plus nappies are well worth a try, getting the fit right requires a bit of trial and error but once you find a tape position that works for your son he won't experience any more wet bedding.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/p...

[River_Beaver]

My son was the same at this age (he’s now 14). He still has the odd accident even now. We have to ensure he drinks pints of squash to stretch his bladder so it can hold more at night. Under his cotton bed sheet but above his waterproof sheet I strategically place either a disposable bed mat or a washable incontinence mat (in the summer). This drastically reduces damage to the mattress. For school trips etc he also used to take medication to help. He refused to wear pads.

[Phoenix78]

Thanks for this. Did the medication help ?

[River_Beaver in reply to Phoenix78]

Yes I think it helped reassure him and give him some confidence. He was taking desmoMelt daily and this was then increased to a higher dosage to make it more reliable. Hope this helps.

[River_Beaver]

Also taking Oxybutynin Hydrochloride. I’ve blocked it all out now! He started to improve between age 12-13. He’s still wet now if he doesn’t drink enough in the day.

[Phoenix78]

Did you find the drinking (or not) also affected mood ?

[River_Beaver]

Good question. I’ve never really thought about his mood and amount of drinks being linked before. He’s now a 14 year old so is usually more moody than not! He never seems to be thirsty in the morning of early afternoon. Often I discover that he’s been up for hours and not had a drink. Often till 1pm. So even now at his age I still have to make him drinks 🤦‍♀️. He’s only thirsty in the evenings which really doesn’t help matters at all!

[CherryRose13]

Hi Phoenix78, we were in a similar situation with my son, who's 11 now. We have good weeks and bad weeks, but overall he's loads better than he was. These things seem to have helped: * desmopressin (definitely reduced the quantity of urine at night)

* drinking lots of water during the day (to help stretch the bladder so it holds more at night)

* laxatives (constipation can reduce the amount of room in the bladder)

* taking him out of pull ups and giving him a bedwetting alarm

* cutting out fizzy and caffineated drinks

He seems to have wet nights when he's poorly, hasn't drunk enough during the day, or has had fizzy drinks. He's more dry than wet now, so I'm hopeful that we'll get there eventually!

[EddieReader]

Home Bargains shop as well as a shop called Savers now do Dry Nights pants for up to the age of 15. They fit my 9 year old perfectly. I'm using them for his constipation, as he is regularly soiling himself and doesn't drink enough.