Wetting pants?

jennd23

New Member
I'm full of questions today....

S has been having a lot of accidents lately. I can't tell if they're because he's too busy or what but he's had 3 in as many weeks lately. Could this be a side effect of his medications? or something else? Should I bring this up to his psychiatrist? He's 7 and been day and night trained with 0 accidents since he was 3 so its just kind of weird to see so many all of the sudden.

Yesterday he was playing and all of the sudden stopped and said "uuhh...i think I just wet my pants" he did but I didn't make a big deal out of it, just lets get some dry pants, etc. I asked him what happened, if he was too busy and didn't want to go. he just said he didn't know he had to until it was too late....
 

keista

New Member
I've only had this experience with DD1 who ALWAYS had issues both day and night.

Since he didn't realise until it "was too late" it could be really anything. Definitely bring it up with with psychiatrist as well as pediatrician. Continue to not make a big dieal out of it, but try to observe closer - what activity was he involved in, what was his mood, interest level, etc. See if you can find any patterns emerging, however slight. Think also of any changes in laundry detergent, fabric softener, style of underpants, do they still fit right? too loose, to tight. Keep fingers crossed, it could also just be a phase. Ages 5-8 many kids have accidents, but usually just a random incident.
 
Z

zba189

Guest
My difficult child was on Abilify this winter and was wetting his pants three to four days a week. He didn't have accidents as soon as he was put on the medication, it seemed that once his body became accustomed to it, that is when we noticed the problem. He didn't have these issues before and was weaned off the medication (due to extreme aggression and more mood swings than when he wasn't on it) and has not had an accident since. I know all medications do different things to different kids but Abilify was not a good fit for us.
 

ready2run

New Member
mine goes through stages where he will pee and poo his pants for a while and it seems to come out of nowhere. i know once he's done it once it will keep happening for a few weeks.
 

Marguerite

Active Member
Boys especially are often slower to get the body message. It can also be connected to Sensory Integration Disorder (SID) (Sensory Integration Disorder). There are things you can do, including reminding him to go at intervals. But the current management is also good - no shame, just deal with it.

Marg
 

susiestar

Roll With It
I don't think it would take from Feb to now to have this show up, but it IS possible. It could also be possible that he is forgetting what the urge to go feels like when he is really wrapped up in something. It could also be any of a lot of other things. It is even possible that it is due to a structural problem that is showing up now that he is bigger and likely consuming more liquids due to warm weather.

This needs to be discussed with the psychiatrist AND the pediatrician. I would also start asking him to use the restroom every hour or two. Sometimes when a child has held the urine in past the point the urges happen for a period of time- not just one time but many times of "holding it" because they are involved in something or are distracted, it can create real problems in their plumbing, so to speak. I have known a couple of boys that this has happened to.

By having him go and sit on the toilet every so often during the day, it can help retrain his body. If he won't sit there for more than a minute, try letting him play a video game or read in there. Maybe have one game that he can only play while he is trying to go would help get his cooperation..

Make sure that you do NOT make a big deal about wetting his pants. It is probable that he is MORTIFIED, esp if other kids are around when it happens. Adding to his embarrassment will only make things worse. Instead, show him how to properly care for his wet clothing and if it happens at night the wet bedding. Putting them into the washer or a special container and then taking it to the laundry room would be the best way to handle it, in my opinion. I don't remember his age, but if he is seven or eight he can be taught to put them into the washer (after taking anything in there out and putting it in the dryer, even if starting the dryer is just too many steps for him to handle), add soap, and wash. Or at least to work through this with much supervision. A written and pictorial list of the steps would be a very good thing to have posted by the washer and dryer. A picture of someone looking into the wash with "see if washer is empty", then a picture of someone taking clothes out of the dryer with "take clothes that are in the washer out", then one of putting those clothes in the dryer, etc.... the picture can be stick figures or maybe cut out of a magazine if you can find one.
 

jennd23

New Member
He had one night accident a few weeks back. In MY bed :p

I didn't give him a hard time about it though. He told me he had a dream that he was going potty and when he woke up the bed was wet LOL I told him that happens to grown ups some times too LOL

I would never embarass him or make him feel bad about it, I know he can't help it. I will remind him to go potty more often.

I LOVE the washer/dryer chart idea. Even just for general laundry help, not just wet bedding :)
 

InsaneCdn

Well-Known Member
He's getting to an age where the positives of ADHD start to show up... including "hyper-focus". If he's into a really engaging activity, he may not notice at all until it is too late. If this is the case, then it makes sense to plan for breaks, so he has to "come up for air" and be aware of the rest of his world... including his own needs.

Could also be plumbing-related... anything from growing out of underwear, to an infection, to "uneven development" - as in, his capacity to drink is growing faster than his holding tank...
 
Top