Wetting Pants - Age 9
My son is 9 years old and he has wet his pants during the day on and off for years. Sometimes it doesn’t happen for weeks and then it happens 2-3 times/week. I can’t connect it with anything in his diet or environment.
A few years ago, we met a few times with Angelique Champeau at Children’s, but her go-to theory (for many kids like this) is that he is constipated. It’s difficult to believe that this is still the issue 3 years later. I have a sense it’s a sensory issue but doing OT hasn’t addressed it. He gets plenty of fiber and has Miralax several times a week to keep things going, but I would like to get at the root of what is happening.
I am looking for other parents who have gone through this and to learn what has worked for them. Thank you!
Parent Replies
Hello:
My son went through bed wetting like yours, although he was 7 at the time. We went to see many therapists but the thing worked for us is the method by Enuresis Center. They provided a sensor for him to wear at night, on his underwear. He wore an alarm on his wrist. There was also a water drinking requirement so that he would feel the fullness of his bladder. When the alarm sounded, I have to wake him and get him to go as quickly as I can. They also provided weekly log and checking, plus the reward system for him. It took several months and he finally was cured. He is 25 now and no problem ever since.
Shen
Can you talk to his teacher and make an arrangement for him to go to the bathroom and try to urinate hourly? My 8 yo son wets the bed weekly, although doesn't wet his pants during the day. I agree with your sense that this is probably not a medical issue per se (but I am not a doctor). Or does it only happen at home? - which would be another clue that it is not related to medical problems. I would also have him help you do the laundry with his wet clothes; not in a punitive way but to take responsibility for the accident. Ask him if he would prefer to wear pullups during the day - I mean, maybe he *would*, and it wouldn't hurt anything to take the pressure off for a while. Good luck, sounds like a very frustrating situation for all concerned.