Night diapers for 5+ year olds

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DS is almost 9 and we are finally getting dry nights. We started using the Therapee alarm back in late November. With the alarm we went from it going off 2-3 times per night, to once per night, to once per night but much later like 4-5 am vs 12-1 am, to occasional dry night to more dry nights than wet nights. I don't think it is completely over but we are getting very close.

I pushed the alarm because I'm sending him to overnight camp this summer and I want him to be able to go to sleepovers and be completely comfortable.

We're really hoping for summer camp as well, but it's looking unlikely, because he hasn't had a dry night since before Christmas.

Do you happen to know if the alarm can still work with a pull-up/diaper..?

What is he using now? In my experience alarms are almost always a bad idea. They are extremely loud and more traumatic than anything else. If he’s still wearing a diaper to bed and is waking up wet more often than dry he might just need more time. He will outgrow it and the best thing to do is be understanding and don’t make a big deal about it.

[Anonymous]

I'm the OP of the TheraPee post.

No the Therapee does not work with any type of Pull-up or diaper. It is a pad attached to an alarm that is under the sheet. The sheet/pad must get wet to trip the alarm. What I've done is layer a puppy pad or an incontinence pad under the fitted sheet, and then put another pad over the sheet, layer another sheet in about 3 layers with the outermost layer having the Therapee pad. In the middle of the night all I had to do was dry the pad and slip it under the next sheet down. The pads are bigger than the Therapee pad in case he didn't stay all the way on the pad.

It took a lot of work. Part of the program is getting my son up to go to the bathroom even after the sensor went off. It was clear in the beginning that he wasn't really awake. We also started to limit liquid at night. What I mean by that is that my son used to drink lots of sparkling water and I stopped buying it for the moment and he is not drinking as much liquid. We don't limit water or other beverages, but he is naturally drinking less. We also make him go to the bathroom several times during the bedtime routine.

Thanks for the suggestion of Goodnights underwear. I've also seen another brand that looks like regular boxer briefs. I was planning to buy some for camp this summer. I will compare both brands.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for the suggestion of Goodnights underwear. I've also seen another brand that looks like regular boxer briefs. I was planning to buy some for camp this summer. I will compare both brands.

Does he get upset or embarrassed when he has an accident? I would try them out at home and get him used to wearing it before. Try letting him go for a week without any alarm and see how he does.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just realized that this post was in 2018 but was bumped recently.

I thought I would chime in anyways. My son recently turned 8 and still wets the bed. He is tall and very slim and just hit 45 lbs. With him weighing less than the majority of other kids, I dont see how diapers can fit an 8 year old even as small as he is.

There are size 7 readily available for kids over 40lbs and they have enough elasticity that a slim 8 year old can still fit them

Are you referring to a regular diaper and not a pull up? His 3 yo cousin still wears diapers so I dont know if he would be keen on wearing actual diapers again.

He might question it at first but it is much better than waking up cold and wet. It is only for night so he shouldn’t be bothered much what it looks like. Remind him that it is only for just in case.

I have brought it up to him and he is against it. He spends a lot of time at their house with his cousin and wouldnt want him to find out. Yes it would be nice to not have to wash all the time but on the other hand, I dont want to force him either. Its been years since hes worn one.

He needs a new mattress and he really shouldnt be sleeping on is current one (its his 3rd one). Its pretty much shot even with those mattress covers on it. Plus I cant really afford another one at the moment. I wish they made ones that you can just wipe off thats already protected.

[Anonymous]

If he’s having regular accidents he should wear protection at night just for hygiene reasons. His three year old cousin probably will not care very much. Tell him can wear shorts over the diaper and it is only for nighttime. Tell him he can take it off when he wakes up in the morning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If he’s having regular accidents he should wear protection at night just for hygiene reasons. His three year old cousin probably will not care very much. Tell him can wear shorts over the diaper and it is only for nighttime. Tell him he can take it off when he wakes up in the morning.

I totally agree regarding for hygiene purposes. He is prone to rashes from laying in wet sheets all night. I know his cousin wont say anything, he just doesnt want him to find out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If he’s having regular accidents he should wear protection at night just for hygiene reasons. His three year old cousin probably will not care very much. Tell him can wear shorts over the diaper and it is only for nighttime. Tell him he can take it off when he wakes up in the morning.

I totally agree regarding for hygiene purposes. He is prone to rashes from laying in wet sheets all night. I know his cousin wont say anything, he just doesnt want him to find out.

Is there any reason he can’t put it on in the bathroom before bed? If he is having accidents every night he needs it on. Make sure he understands it is not a punishment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If he’s having regular accidents he should wear protection at night just for hygiene reasons. His three year old cousin probably will not care very much. Tell him can wear shorts over the diaper and it is only for nighttime. Tell him he can take it off when he wakes up in the morning.

I totally agree regarding for hygiene purposes. He is prone to rashes from laying in wet sheets all night. I know his cousin wont say anything, he just doesnt want him to find out.

Is there any reason he can’t put it on in the bathroom before bed? If he is having accidents every night he needs it on. Make sure he understands it is not a punishment.

I am sure he could yes. He has/had no problems putting a pull up when he wore them. I know its not a punishment but on the other hand, I dont want to force him to wear one and I feel he should have a say in the matter at his age, especially if its a diaper not a pull up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I recently realized that wearing diapers at night is not that uncommon for kids over the age of 5 or even 8. If your kid still wears diapers, I am curious at what age you started potty training them. Wondering if there is a correlation with starting late and then having trouble dropping the night diaper.

Mine were fully potty trained by 18 months during the day and by 2.5 at night.

This is so lame. A humblebrag about your kid not wearing diapers after 2.5 is just, well, please get a hobby.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I recently realized that wearing diapers at night is not that uncommon for kids over the age of 5 or even 8. If your kid still wears diapers, I am curious at what age you started potty training them. Wondering if there is a correlation with starting late and then having trouble dropping the night diaper.

Mine were fully potty trained by 18 months during the day and by 2.5 at night.

This is so lame. A humblebrag about your kid not wearing diapers after 2.5 is just, well, please get a hobby.

Eh, I'm not this poster. But, I have twins where one was staying dry at night a month before we started daytime PT at about 2.5.

Meanwhile her brother is 6 and has had maybe 2 nights in the past year where he's woken up dry. All kids are different.

[Anonymous]

I think it’s more common for boys although there are some girls who have it also.

[Anonymous]

Is there ever a time where you have exhausted all remedies and precautions that a diaper is the only option? Has anyone experienced any positive outcomes from their childs perspective?

My daughter is 8 and is tired of waking up in a soaking wet bed evert morning. She knows its not her fault and we just had her to her dr last week. Her dr told her she is very healthy and its something her bladder needs to catch up to her body and it takes longer with some kids who are deep sleepers to outgrow it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agree that age of day training has relatively little to do with age of night training— but I tend to believe that method has *some* effect. My kid started waking up dry in the morning at least occasionally at 3 months old, more than half the time by 6-8 months, and always by 15 months. Hard to believe that had nothing at all to do with the fact that she wore cotton diapers and we took her to the potty every time she woke up, from close to birth. Definitely anecdote, but it kind of defies belief to think that absorbent disposable diapers have nothing to do with the increasing lateness of night training (on average).

You're wrong about your diapering method mattering for nighttime dryness.

You're also wrong about the prevalence of bedwetting growing. What's changed is not the percent of kids who still wet at night but the willingness to admit it. Bedwetting used to be viewed as deeply shameful. Kids who did it were usually punished, even spanked. Parents typically did not reveal that their kids were bedwetters. Thankfully, things have changed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree that age of day training has relatively little to do with age of night training— but I tend to believe that method has *some* effect. My kid started waking up dry in the morning at least occasionally at 3 months old, more than half the time by 6-8 months, and always by 15 months. Hard to believe that had nothing at all to do with the fact that she wore cotton diapers and we took her to the potty every time she woke up, from close to birth. Definitely anecdote, but it kind of defies belief to think that absorbent disposable diapers have nothing to do with the increasing lateness of night training (on average).

Agreed. Somehow the average age for potty training in the prior generation was 1.5. Just about everyone was potty trained by 2. Nowadays most people don’t even try until their kid between 2 and 3. Then you add in absorbent disposable diapers and it’s no wonder we’re creating all these potty training issues that people convince themselves are biological. Funny how they weren’t biological for previous generations...

But that's daytime trained. Not night dry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree that age of day training has relatively little to do with age of night training— but I tend to believe that method has *some* effect. My kid started waking up dry in the morning at least occasionally at 3 months old, more than half the time by 6-8 months, and always by 15 months. Hard to believe that had nothing at all to do with the fact that she wore cotton diapers and we took her to the potty every time she woke up, from close to birth. Definitely anecdote, but it kind of defies belief to think that absorbent disposable diapers have nothing to do with the increasing lateness of night training (on average).

Agreed. Somehow the average age for potty training in the prior generation was 1.5. Just about everyone was potty trained by 2. Nowadays most people don’t even try until their kid between 2 and 3. Then you add in absorbent disposable diapers and it’s no wonder [/b]we’re creating all these potty training issues that people convince themselves are biological. Funny how they weren’t biological for previous generations...

My husband wet the bed until he was 10. There were no pullups, they just had to change the sheets a lot. It happened in previous generations too, just people didn't talk about it or have the accommodations of pullups.

Of course! I'm the original PP here. There have absolutely, without a doubt, always been some kids who wet the bed far past 2 or 3 or 4-- and have been, forever. My aunt wet the bed until she was 8 or 9 and she was born in the 1940s and "potty trained" otherwise before she was 2. [b]But the *average* age of night dryness has risen quite a bit in the past 50 years. That really undermines the credibility of all these pediatricians (not necessarily well-trained on the subject) claiming that night dryness is "100% biological" and it's "totally normal" for the *average* kid to be wearing a night diaper at age 6 or 8. I don't think it's usually conscious-- although I've heard of more than one parent realizing their kid waited until waking up to poop or pee their pull-up. I think it's more of a biofeedback thing, even in one's sleep. Of course, that's just for most kids, and it's *also true* that if it's not causing problems in your household and it's easier for you to keep your kid in a night diaper until they're "100% dry for 2 months" (or similar, as I've seen recommended)-- then go for it. Except for a small amount of additional landfill fodder, I don't see how it affects me. I'm just not going to be convinced that *for most kids* nighttime bladder control is impervious to absolutely any sort of outside influence.

Citation needed.