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Our story: DS is a 6 year old boy. He was day trained reasonably early, maybe 18 months - 2 years.

For night-time, we were in pull ups until very recently I decided to "do something about it". We read this book, "Dry All Night", and it suggested that we should no longer put them in diapers/pull-ups when they are older, as that makes them feel like a baby and doesn't help the matter. We let him sleep in his underwear with extra protection on the bed.

Now that he wakes up at night because he's wet, we gathered more info: He pees his bed at least once every night. Sometimes twice (!) He is a deep sleeper. He said he really doesn't feel anything when he pees his bed. He usually wakes up and finds out he is wet.

Per the book we are reading, it suggests that the child should be responsible as much as possible when they wet at night. I told DS to not wake me up if it was something he can handle. He will change himself into dry clothes, put the dirty clothes into a bucket, peel off the wet disposable bed pad and throw it away. Unfortunately up until very recently, he usually wets his blanket too, or it leaks onto the bed, or he wets a second time, and I was getting up nightly to do laundry

There seemed to be some improvement the past 2 nights. He said he woke up as he was urinating. He tried to hold it (but he couldn't and still pee his PJs) , ran to the bathroom, did everything and went back to sleep. He didn't wet his blanket and didn't wake me up for the past two nights *fingers crossed*.

I am using GoodNites Disposable bed pads 30x36, but his bed is full size, so there is a risk that urine leaks onto the bed. It is so much more waste than diapers, I wish we can produce much less waste than this but I really can't wake up to do laundry if I don't have to. I also have a bigger machine washable protector that goes on top of the bed sheet, which ideally he can pull it off easily and put it in the laundry and go back to sleep. Lately I've been using that thing as a blanket protector instead, so it goes on top of him (thankfully it has a sort of soft cotton top which feels like an extra blanket). It has worked the past 2 nights *fingers crossed*. Any better ideas/suggestions for better products will be really appreciated.

For now we are reading a book called Dry All Night: https://www.amazon.com/Dry-All-Night-Technique-Bedwetting/dp/0316542253/

I couldn't say we are successful at all yet. It didn't help other than getting a lot more information, and raising awareness in DS. I purchased a enuresis alarm, which we haven't used because you guys on HB boards have convinced me not to . It has tiny parts that go into the underwear to detect urine (which sets off the alarm), and I have a feeling he'd go use the bathroom, and the tiny piece of plastic will fall into the toilet and get flushed. So we are still waiting it out. Funny to say, DS actually is the one who wants me to try using the alarm.

How DS feels: Whenever he woke me up to inform me his bed was wet, it was upsetting because he was usually laughing, jumping around as if he enjoyed this. I feel he realize it is a problem and he is embarrassed by it, he got embarrassed one day when I casually said it out loud in Target when I was trying to see if they sell disposable bed protectors (they do not). He whispered in my ear, "mommy, don't say it out too loud!"

How I feel: To be honest, I do get frustrated and upset, even though I try to make it like it is no big deal, "we'll try it again, I am certain you'll be dry all night very soon". It is hard. These few nights has been better as he hasn't waken me up 3 times a night. I almost felt it was better when he was a baby, because at least I was just breastfeeding a baby, not changing the sheets and starting laundry 2 times a night!

I have listed in OP that he has a nagging dry cough that comes and goes, to which we thought it was seasonal but we can't quite see the connection. He also snores some times, which the book says it links to enuresis problems.

Hope to hear from a few of you, and sorry I wrote an essay!

@skipra: Oh no, why did you delete your response? Thank you for sharing though, I read it when it was still up and so sorry I didn't get to respond right away... Wishing you all (and us too) consistent dry nights very soon!

@ShootingStar: Thank you so much ! you know, if he goes to the bathroom anytime before 1am, there is a pretty big chance he will wet again the 2nd time (with that said, "double pee" wouldn't work either) I noticed he got up to pee by himself around 10pm several times, but after that he'd go into deep sleep and can not feel anything. There is a few times I accidentally woke him around 11-1, asked him to use the restroom, and he'd refuse. Sometimes it was his request to wake him up to go to the restroom, and he would still refuse.

Ahhh... now I am a little worried as no one seem to share my same struggle

Thank you so much for sharing, all!

Just curious to know from all of you, what is the age that you'd feel it will be a concern that your child is still wetting his bed? I read that yes 15% of children would bed wet until an older age, some may continue to wet until 11 or 12. Yikes! I am praying we won't go to that extent...

@Mrs Panda: I definitely need to check out peapod mat! This is the type of suggestion I am looking for as I feel bad covering him up with a bed protector, and I couldn't find any waterproof blankets out there. Thank you!! And so happy to hear that you guys are making significant progress!

@MamaCate: @KT326: Thanks for sharing ! Does any of your child snore? (asking because I read how snoring and enuresis issues relates to each other)

@cnidaria: That reminds me of my son -- he announces he need to go pee and it has to be done right away. However, when I ask him to go, say, before we head out, or when we find a nice restroom at an outing, he would refuse. Glad to know that it is something you can grow out of, it is good to hear !

Thank you so much for sharing, all!

Just curious to know from all of you, what is the age that you'd feel it will be a concern that your child is still wetting his bed? I read that yes 15% of children would bed wet until an older age, some may continue to wet until 11 or 12. Yikes! I am praying we won't go to that extent...

@Mrs Panda: I definitely need to check out peapod mat! This is the type of suggestion I am looking for as I feel bad covering him up with a bed protector, and I couldn't find any waterproof blankets out there. Thank you!! And so happy to hear that you guys are making significant progress!

@MamaCate: @KT326: Thanks for sharing ! Does any of your child snore? (asking because I read how snoring and enuresis issues relates to each other)

@cnidaria: That reminds me of my son -- he announces he need to go pee and it has to be done right away. However, when I ask him to go, say, before we head out, or when we find a nice restroom at an outing, he would refuse. Glad to know that it is something you can grow out of, it is good to hear !

@QBbride: Thanks for sharing -- I truly appreciate that you share your feelings considerately instead of telling me in my face that I am a crazy terrible person. I do truly appreciate that as sometimes we don't type with proper social filters when we are behind our computers When DS turned 6, i brought up the issue with the pediatrician and he suggested a enuresis alarm. At around the same time I talked to my friend and she recommended me this book that she said had greatly helped her DD. The book suggested that we should get rid of the diaper (so they don't feel like a baby), and the child should be responsible as much as possible for wetting. The book does 100% treat the child with respect. I didn't want to start trying the enuresus alarm (which we did purchase) as I felt that is more degrading and stressful. Since we are reading the book and want to try out how it goes, it would defeat the purpose if we don't follow what it suggested at all. That's why we are here.

On top of that, I have asked DS if he wants to go back to pull up so he doesn't have to wake up wet and have to get up and change anymore. He actually prefers to be in underwear rather than going back to pull ups. One morning, after me getting up 2 times to change sheets and a third time he woke me up because he had a nightmare, I was a little frustrated, and I told him we should give it a break and go back to pull ups. He seemed defeated but didn't say anything (which is unusual). That night he quietly asked in a sad tone, mommy, do I go back to diaper? (Note: With him, he would just wear whatever he wants and wouldn't ask, as both pull ups and underwear are right there for him to get by himself) With that question in that tone, it broke my heart and I said, no, if you want to stay in underwear, we'll stay in underwear and we'll keep trying. OK? There he smiled and was happy. So honestly, it is not me trying to torture or punish him, he preferred to sleep in underwear.

6 is a big age and I feel he is a lot more different than when he was turning 5. I hope he will turn the corner soon... who knows, maybe we'll go back to pull ups in a few months, which I would feel bad for DS. DH had been one of these ignorant characters that's been "commenting" I didn't do anything to "night train" him (he advocated ditching the pull ups since last year, and I was the one who was against it), and even he was saying we should go back to pull ups in summer because he feels like the daily laundry power and water bill is going to hurt him lol. On top of that I think he gained some knowledge that DS didn't bed wet because "he's too lazy to get up to use the restroom". So we shall see...

@Finfan: Wow, what is the reason that she has to remove her adenoids? Only because of bed wetting and snoring? My friend's DS had his tonsils removed, but he had issues (one time his tonsils was swollen so bad he almost couldn't breathe). My friend has brushed the idea to me but I just don't think we would do that at all if there were no major issues.... well unless if he's still sleep wetting until age 25, yikes!

Best wishes to all and wishing the dry night fairy will come visit those of us who are still battling the problem.

Thank you all, especially @DesertDreams88: for standing up for me... Please don't chase me with a pitch fork guys. I am just trying to figure it out too.

@Truth Bombs: @pinkcupcake: When did i say he has to change his sheets himself?! He can't even physically do anything remotely like that! I said he handles whatever he can handle (change out into dry clothes, put dirty clothes in a bucket, peel off the disposable protection pad on top of the bed and throw it in the trash), and if his sheet / blankets got wet, then come wake me up. Again. I didn't come up with this. We are reading this book that my friend said helped her DD. The writer is supposed to be an expert in the field and she is some sort of phD., if that gives you some comfort. We are only a few weeks in. If we read and don't even try whatever it is saying, then there is no point.

@Silva: Thank you. I just talked to him about it, but he insisted that he really wanted to keep trying. Honestly it isn't me, he feels that he is going to get it if we continue, and I feel that by me forcing him to get back into pull ups it is just going to hurt his feelings more. He has been wanting to sleep in underwear for at least a year or more, it is not a recent development. Like @DesertDreams88: said, if you were here seeing what I am seeing, you would probably not want to force him to go back to pull ups because he feels quite strongly about it. We'll go for a bit longer and reassess, but thank you so much for your thoughts, I appreciate it.

The enuresis alarm only wakes a child up if the detector detects wetness in his pull up / underwear. After weeks of sleeping in underwear, the recent week he is doing what the enuresis alarm does anyway - he woke up as he was peeing and try to hold it while running to the bathroom. So we'll see...

@looch: Yes I worry about his sleep too... but he seem to be fine and not particularly more tired. So far he wakes up 1 time a night for the recent nights. He goes back to sleep pretty quickly. He was dry Saturday and boy he was glowing with pride. Will continue to monitor.

@Meso: Thank you! I need to look into it...

@pinkcupcake: Hey sorry, it was confusing replying to a bunch of people. I added @Truth Bombs: too. Thank you and hope your DD's night terror goes away soon !

@Mrs Panda: thank you so much! 100% agree to exactly what you said. Most people can understand and relate to parents doing sleep training/CIO (which can also be very inhumane for someone who doesn't have a child/ hasn't been through it), breastfeeding, PPD, autism, early intervention, terrible two, threeager, ...etc., but somehow can not relate to the extent we are going through as moms to late bed wetters. You are at the end of the tunnel real soon! I can aspire to get there one day, hopefully very soon!

With only 15% of all children continue with this problem until an older age, it became a taboo that truly no one talks about for some reason. That was why I wanted to open a topic on this to see if I can seek more information from you all (eg. @Mrs Panda: The peapod mat arrived and we are using it ), and hoping to continue to learn.

@skipra: Thanks -- please see my reply to Silva above!