D.G. asks from Alamo, CA on July 04, 2008
Night Time Potty Training - Alamo,CA
I've recently potty trained my 4th child - a boy 2 yrs 3 mos. old. He's completely dry all day and poops in the potty and he initiates the visits each time - I rarely ask him if he needs to go...
So here's my question:
I struggle with naps & night time - I am nervous leaving them in undies - sometimes he wakes with a dry pull-up, sometimes it's wet. I don't want his nap/night sleep interrupted b/c he wet the crib... Is this where I've gone wrong with my girls? My 1st son held his pee all night and through naps since he was trained at 2 y 9 mos. My 2 daughters (ages 7 and 4 1/2), trained right at age 2, STILL wet at night. However, there is so much said about this being hereditary, and I've had several nieces and nephews (and at least one sister as a child) with this same bed-wetting problem for YEARS. Anyone have any feedback on this - how do you handle nights with a 2 year old who is TOTALLY (pee and poop) potty trained throughout the waking hours? Do you use pull-ups at night and wait until they wake at night dry or do you just put them in undies from the start?
Thanks!
PS - We have tried the pee alarm (and are using the book Dry All Night) with the girls - and are doing it again right now with my 7 year old. She is starting to have some dry nights, but still sounds the pee alarm several times/week. She's making progress, but it's slow and irregular.
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More Answers
C.T. answers from San Francisco on July 05, 2008
You're doing great to be daytime potty trained already! My son still wets at night. Our pediatrician said that there is no "blame", "fault", or "behavior" issue here. It is a matter of brain development and bladder development catching up with each other. He said it can be particularly hard for heavy sleepers. Get him up to go in the night when you go to bed or if you wake during the night. Eventually he will get there on his own.
We use pull-ups because I got tired of washing the sheets. If you do keep them in undies you may want to make the bed with two layers of sheets (waterproof pad, sheet and then another waterproof pad and another sheet). This way if you must change the bed in the night it is quick and easy. You just pull off the wet layer and you are good to go.
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E.M. answers from San Francisco on July 05, 2008
My daughter potty trained at 2 yrs 5 months (although it was gradual leading up to that). We had always used cloth, but I switched to disposable pull ups at naps and nighttime when that transition happened. AFter the first couple of months, I noticed her diaper was dry at naptime, so I stopped using it. Then at 2 yrs 9 months she had a week of dry diapers at night, so I stopped using them. It's been 3 months now and no accidents so far. Our rooms are adjacent and on a couple of occasions she's woken up and said she needs to go potty so it's easy to take her.
We also go potty before bedtime and no big drinks (milk, etc) in the hour before bedtime, although she keeps a sippy cup of water in bed with her in case she gets thirsty. I think it's mainly just luck - some kids are heavier sleepers or whatever. I am glad I took the leap of faith and tried it - the worst that can happen is you have to change the sheets in the night, and the upside is no more diapers!
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S.B. answers from Sacramento on July 04, 2008
a lot of kids just sleep to heavily and won't wake up.
My 4 year old still wears pull ups to bed. She will even get up and go pee most times but she's still wet..
I would talk to the doc, because often times the bladder might not have caught up with them.
We use pull up always, she would sleep right through a wet bed and I can't stand the thought of her laying in it all night.
I kind of feel like that would be a punishment (albeit not a purposeful one) for something they can't control.
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A.S. answers from Sacramento on July 05, 2008
I'm basically in the exact same situation right now-daughter, 2 years 3 months. There have been a few times I've let my daughter nap in undies but it was only because she had just gone to the bathroom before she went down. I'm kind of moving more in the pull up direction for sleep, but am thinking about just sticking a potty in her room so she can get up and go by herself if she needs to, but at this point she's still in a crib and doesn't climb out. Our training has been pretty gradual over the last 2 months and so I'm assuming she'll just start waking up more and more with a dry diaper and when it seems to be the majority, or if she begins insisting on undies, that's when we'll just go for it.
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J.R. answers from San Francisco on July 07, 2008
Try having your child, especially the older ones, drink a small glass of water before going to sleep. I don't know why, but it seems if there's already a small amount of liquid in the bladder it holds better through the night. Strange I know, but it was the only thing that worked for me.
T.S. answers from Sacramento on July 06, 2008
Hi! My son (2 years 6 months) just started sleeping in underwear at night after being day trained at 26 months and nap trained a month later.
My advice is this: 1) Make sure you wait about an hour after the last food or drink and then ask him to go both pee and poop as part of his bedtime routine.
2) Make sure he knows that he is allowed to get up during the night and use the bathroom if he needs to but that he needs to use the potty and go straight back to bed.
HTH
T.
J.S. answers from San Francisco on July 05, 2008
Two of my 4 kids were peeing at night until they were 7. Our doctor said it's completely normal for some kids, and that you're not supposed to worry about it until age 8 or 9. That said, I say use pullups at naps and bedtime to avoid messes. When my oldest was little there were no pullups and we had a mess to clean up a couple of times a week.
M.B. answers from Sacramento on July 05, 2008
I have a 3yr 5mo old boy who is dry during the day also, and usually dry through nap time. From what I have read it is harder for them through the night, which makes sense. They have to wait until their bladder grows to a size that can physically hold the potty all night before they can stay dry. I don't know about your older daughters not being able to... I would ask my pediatrician for some advice on that. But you don't want to put too much pressure on them.
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