Why Does My Child Still Wet The Bed?

It’s years after you finally succeeded in potty training your child. You are constantly breathing sighs of relief, no longer having to worry about your child having accidents, namely, those wet the bed nighttime accidents.

Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. Children are not immune to having intermittent accidents post-potty training. If they continue to wet the bed weeks, your child may be actually regressing from their potty training.

Why Do They Regress or Slip Up?

It’s not embarrassing or odd for a grown child to still have the occasional accident at night. In fact, stress can cause a lot of children to temporarily forget their potty training or to fully regress. Anything from moving homes, going to a new school or even friendships can cause school-age kids to become overwhelmed.

Also, evaluate how much your child is drinking before bedtime. Many parents limit this while actually potty training and forget that their children adjusted to less fluids at night. So if they suddenly have big drinks before bed, they may not be able to control themselves.

Lastly, think about if their sleep schedule is not letting them recognize the nighttime urge. If your child is being rundown during the day and becoming overtired, they could be so sleepy at night that they do not even realize they need to use the bathroom.

How Do You Remedy This Issue?

First, determine if your child is having a true regression or a setback. That way you have a better chance of solving the root cause and putting a stop to the problem. If it only happened once or twice, it could be a fluke. If it continues, try to pinpoint what stressors your child could have in their lives and have a conversation with them to talk it out.

Does your child need to take a nap during the day? Are they involved in too many activities? If you don’t think it’s a stress issue, try to adjust their sleep and relaxation schedules so they don’t run into overtiredness at night.

While uncommon, there also could be a medical reason for your child’s regressions. Even if you have the slightest worry, we recommend consulting your pediatrician.

While it will not fix the issue, adding a waterproof pad to the bed is a good idea even for school-aged children. Just remember, this is a temporary solution. You may think your child has no issues with lingering accidents or that you have remedied the situation, but why not be sure clean-up will be a breeze just in case?

Have you dealt with nighttime potty training regression? Tell us about your experience in the comments.