Bedwetting, a soggy mess – Part II

I had several comments and even more e-mails from people who had read the post “A soggy mess to be in” last week about my son’s unwillingness to wear a pull-up to bed. So I thought I’d give an update.

While washing mounds of sheets last week, I called my friend Emily and mentioned my situation to her. She has two boys, 7 and 10, and a laid-back style of mothering I find comforting. She doesn’t sweat the small stuff. And bedwetting, she said, was nothing to get upset about. Her 7-year-old was still wearing pull-ups to bed. He hated it but every time he went without the pull-ups, he would wet the bed. I mentioned that a few people had commented to me about waking the child up in the wee hours to go potty, but neither she nor I were much into that idea. That sleep thing is just too precious – both to the child and to us.

And then Emily called yesterday. She said she watched Super Nanny Friday night. In that episode Super Nanny visits a family with two sets of twins, ages 3 and 5. Both sets of kids were still drinking out of bottles and wearing diapers. (The 5-year-olds were only wearing the diapers at night.) Super Nanny was appalled. She asked the mother why the 5-year-olds were still wearing pull-ups to bed, and the mother said she didn’t want to get up at night and change sheets. Super Nanny apparently chewed out the parents, telling them that they needed to get up in the middle of the night and take their 5-year-olds to the potty so that the kids could get out of diapers. The mother said, “but I need my sleep.” Super Nanny apparently said something like, “Screw the sleep! You’re a parent! Your job is to raise these kids.”

Emily was riddled with guilt. (And so was I, after hearing this.) That night, she put her 7-year-old to bed in underpants, much to his delight. Then she set her alarm for 2 a.m. and, when her alarm went off, she got up and dragged her sleeping son to the potty. He went to the bathroom, crawled right back into bed, and then woke up five hours later with dry sheets. He was elated. Emily did this for the next several nights and every morning her son’s sheets were dry. He also didn’t remember being dragged out of bed to go to the potty. She said she’s exhausted, but it is a small price to pay.

Coincidentally, during this time, I was still losing the pull-up battle with my son. One reader, Aimee, suggested I get one of those waterproof mattress pads, which I had every intention on doing. But I just haven’t had time! I did give in two days later and let my son wear underpants to bed. I was completely prepared to wake up a dozen times at night to change sheets. But, amazingly, my son woke up dry. This happened for three days straight.

Last night I inadvertently gave my son a big glass of juice right before bedtime. I had told my husband about Emily’s nighttime potty training and so my husband agreed to rouse my son at 3 a.m. and get him to the potty. But getting him up was impossible. He wouldn’t budge. And so we held our breath and let him sleep. Amazingly, this morning both my son’s sheets and my son were dry! After we danced around the house, I told my son we would pack up the rest of the pull-ups and take them down to the homeless shelter. He was thrilled with the idea, even throwing in one of his prized Hotwheels cars for that special little boy who would get his pull-ups.

So thanks for the many suggestions and words of encouragement. Sweet (and dry) dreams!