Bedwetting Support Group
Bedwetting (or nocturnal enuresis or sleepwetting) is involuntary urination while asleep. It is the normal state of affairs in infancy, but can be a source of embarrassment when it persists into school age or the teen or adult years. Find others who are coping with a bedwetting problem and share your experiences and questions.
One thing I've come to learn throughout the years dealing with my son's bedwetting is that routines come to a stand still. My own son is now 19-years-old is STILL occasionally urinating in his sleep. I'll go through the negative realities of living with this first-year college student who still pees himself:
1. He's too embarressed to have friends over after dark. Frankly, I wouldn't want any of them staying over, either. I don't need people in our neighborhood gossiping about us.
2. Toiletries are expensive. Adult diapers do not come cheap (although you can save a ton of money on cases, and online brands are now more cost effective than the stuff in pharmacies). Plastic pants don't come cheap. Wipes do not come cheap. The only affordable items in our possession are baby powder and one-offs like change-pads and sleep-pads.
3. Changing time becomes increasingly difficult (yes, I'm still diapering him, I know he should probably do this himself). It seems like twice a week we have to sit down and have a conversation about why it's okay for me to make him wear protection to bed.
4. Explaining it to close-family and friends. I have to be very upfront with them now as we've had issues in the past with them discovering this accidentally. Every time I have a new friend over for a glass of wine, I offer up the information less they discover him scavegging for a snack in the middle of the night with a diaper quite clearly under his pyjamas.
Is anyone else frustrated with a bedwetter who should clearly know better?
1. I've never had friends after dark too.
2. Why don't you buy cloth wipes? However if he just has a shower after removing his diaper, he doesn't really need wipes.
3. He should definitely be able to diaper himself. I've been diapering myself since I was 12 years old...
The frustration you have with his wetting the bed is nothing compared to the humiliation, embarrassment and overwhelming stress he no doubt has because of his wetting problems.
Support understanding and empathy is what he needs intimidation and humiliation would only add to his stress and no doubt often leads to him having wetting problems because he stresses and worries about wetting the bed so much .
Perhaps letting him put on his own diaper would be worth trying you could change your roll to making sure he puts it on and making sure it is on properly.
He definitely knows better but unfortunately he can't help that it happens reassurance that it is a medical condition that in no way is his fault would also help him a great deal.
Rewarding him for dry nights might be worth considering maybe after a certain number of dry nights he can try it without the diaper with the understanding if needed he goes back to wearing the diaper.
A good mattress cover will protect his bed and he could also take on washing his bedding himself if he does wet.
Your telling people that he still wets the bed is only adding to his humiliation and embarrassment you could get him an inexpensive bathrobe and on the nights you have someone over tell him to make sure to put it on if he gets up all his bed wetting supplies could be kept in his room so other people don't see them.
Your son would most likely really appreciate a different approach to his bed wetting and one that offers him the chance to give his input would help him in so many ways and hopefully in time reduce the number of times he wets the bed .
Him starting to cry when you have your discussions with him about his bed wetting clearly shows just how much his bed wetting has affected his well-being.
Hopefully things improve for him but there is a chance he could have this problem for the rest of his life he could benefit a great deal from trying different ways to manage his wetting problems.
I suppose I could create some sort of chart to reward him. Perhaps extra spending money. He does have a job for the summer, although he only gets about 25 hours per week in this Student position.
You're also probably right that the supplies shouldn't be on open display.
My mom is using disposable adult diapers but also cloth diapers and plastic pants. They are washable and less expensive.
Feel free to talk to me.
In regards to the costs of his diapers you may look into cloth diapers. Plastic pants you already have. You can add as much layers as you think he needs. So you are very flexible.
I also think you both should consider sleepovers to get him more socialised. It maybe at your place first. You can call him and diaper him but then let him go back to his friends. If they are real friends they do not bother at all.
I hope I could help you a little bit.