2 Year Old Potty Trained VERY Early Having Problem W/ Bedwetting

Updated on July 18, 2008
V.Z. asks from Norwood, MA
28 answers

My 2.10 yr old will sleep right throuh a bedwetting episode.
She was potty trained a couple weeks after her second birthday so I just put pull ups on at night time and recently decided it was time to train at night and it is NOT going well. Any suggestions?

1 mom found this helpful

What can I do next?

  • Add yourAnswer own comment
  • Ask your own question Add Question
  • Join the Mamapedia community Mamapedia
  • as inappropriate
  • this with your friends

Featured Answers

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

D.B.

answers from Boston on

2 is very young to be trying to train for nighttime too. I don't think their bladders can go that long. I would suggest you put her back in pull ups at night; when she consistently has a dry diaper then try regular underwear. My son was trained in the day at 2.5 but didn't go through the night until 3.25 years.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

D.M.

answers from Boston on

Try not to give her anything to drink to close to bedtime and always have her try to pee before bed even if she says she doesn't have to go. My 8 yr old daughter sometimes will say she does not have to go when we are out and I will tell her to try anyway and she goes. My niece was the same way and the Doctor told my sister that some kids bladder muscles take longer to develop. My niece was about 6 or 7 when she stopped having accidents at night. Good luck

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

K.W.

answers from Boston on

How exactly do you "train" a child not to have to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. Her body is simply not ready. Leave her in pullups for now until she starts either getting up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom or wakes up dry. You could limit/restrict liquids at night to help but that won't "train" her if she does need to go.

More Answers

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

M.K.

answers from Boston on

It's great that your daughter potty trained so early! Like other readers said, bedwetting is very different from daytime potty training. Very few children stay dry through the night before their fourth birthday, and the pediatricians I know say they don't consider bedwetting a problem before a child's sixth birthday. Trying to train too soon has also been shown to increase the problem, so just hang onto those pullups and be grateful that you don't have to use diapers during the day!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

C.B.

answers from Boston on

Hi V. - My advice is really simple. Put the night time training on hold for a while...

My daughter trained during the daytime in a snap. But her bladder didn't mature for nightime dryness until she was something like 8. Yes - 8.

Make no big deal of it. It's a physical thing. Her bladder is just too small to hold all the urine all night. It's no big deal - just a pull-up issue!

Good luck. Relax and enjoy her... The next 10 years will fly past - and then you'll have a teenager. Good God.... :-)

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

E.C.

answers from Springfield on

My understanding is that you wait until the kid is dry through the night to potty train the night. A lot of time the bladder can not hold through the night yet. So it is more difficult to train this period. Has your daughter been dry through the night when she sleeps with pull ups? I might wait until that happens before you move forward with this one. Just my thoughts.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

T.N.

answers from New London on

V.,
Night time potty training is very different from daytime. Especially if your lo is a deep sleeper. My son was trained (daytime) at 2 years and he just turned 4 in May and it's only been about a month now that he has been night time trained. It was a long road of pull-ups. Go at the child's pace of readiness, decrease fluids, giving the last drink with dinner, and monitor daily fluid intake. Don't worry it will happen...the worst thing you could do is rush it and put un needed stress upon your two year old for wetting...keep the potty training positive or they will even regress during the day with the training. Good luck:)

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

K.D.

answers from Barnstable on

Both my kids potty trained early, but they both still needed pull ups at night. One had them till she was 5 the other 3 1/2. So just be patient. It takes time before they are ready to go all night.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

C.L.

answers from Hartford on

My son will be 3 next week. He's been dry all day since November. However, he still wears a pull-up or night-time diaper (whatever I have a coupon for!). I don't see an end to this practice in the near future. My older son wasn't even day trained until he was 3.5 - and after about 2 weeks he said he wanted to try going without anything on at night - he never had an accident. Therefore, I say - hold off on trying - your child may very well tell you when they are ready.

I'm just grateful to only have to buy one package of diapers/pull-ups a month! Good luck!!!

C.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

S.D.

answers from Boston on

V., I'd keep the pull ups on during the night. My two boys were both trained by three during the day but night time is an entirely different story. We didn't even attempt a night without a pull up until they had gone 10 nights waking up dry. We still (at 6 & 5) wake them up right before we go to bed and bring them into the bathroom. (This also helps them sleep longer in the a.m.). So, don't get rid of those pull ups just yet.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

L.E.

answers from Hartford on

i really don't have any advice but was wondering....could it be that she's a very deep sleeper so she doesn't feel the urge during the night? that was the case with my daughter, who is now 26. she was potty trained during the day at around the same age as your daughter, but it wasn't until she was 5 that we could do away with the nighttime diapers/pull ups. at that time, i didn't worry about it. what was most important to me was for her to get a good nights rest. i also figured that sooner or later she'd start waking up on her own and wouldn't need the pull ups anymore. and one night thats exactly what happened. she took them off and never needed them again.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

J.L.

answers from Burlington on

I would wait and deal with bedwetting when she's older and shows an interest in it or starts staying dry/getting up during the night to pee. That's what I've done with both of our children.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

K.S.

answers from Hartford on

Hi V.,
My kids where also potty trained early. My son was right around the age of two (daytime before two, nights a little after) my daughter was about the same age only the night time took a little longer. With my son, I got him up every couple of hours through out the night to go. He hated it and so did I, but it deffinately seemed to do the trick. I just gradually increased the length of time he slept before waking him to go. (I know it sounds mean, but he was a HEAVY wetter and would soak thru EVERYTHING.) In the end it worked great. Within about a month of doing this he stopped wetting himself at night. (My daughter I didn't do this with and it deffinately took longer to stop the night time wetting.)
Good luck!
K.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

J.M.

answers from Boston on

That is great that your little one trained so early. I would recommend just wearing a pull-up at night or they sell underwear type cloth diapers for nighttime use (which would mimic underwear).

My oldest potty trained right after she turned 3 and did day and night at the same time. She said she was ready for both and never had an accident. I think, when they are ready, they just do it. It is not worth it for any of you (especially changing sheets daily) to have him pee every night in his bed. He will let you know when he wants to/is able to go through the night.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

S.K.

answers from Boston on

Your 2.10 year old may not be ready for night potty training. Give yourself and your child a break. Use diapers/pull-ups for another month or so and try again. If your child is a heavy sleeper, it may take months to years for her to stop bed wetting. I have this same issue with my oldest child and the doctor told me not to worry about it until after he turns 6. So I still use pull-ups to save my sanity and every month when the pull-ups are used up I try again for a couple of days. I am still waiting for him to be dry at night.

Relax it will happen eventually....

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

K.A.

answers from Boston on

My daughter was also just 2 when potty trained and NEVER had a problem it was great except she was about 4 before she would get through the night. I bought cheap diapers and woke her before i would go to bed. I don't think there is a problem i just think that their bodies are so very active during the day at 2yrs that when night time rolls in they crash. Don't worry or waste money on pull-ups.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

M.E.

answers from Boston on

I would make sure she didn't have anything to drink right before bed time. It might even have to be an hour before. And have her go potty before bedtime. Also when mine were potty training, every time I got up in the night to go - I'd pack them in and set them on the potty to go. They might of been half asleep but they got used to getting up to go if they had to.

D.B.

answers from Boston on

She is very, very young to be truly "trained" - I think your expectations may be too high. She is going often enough during the day, either on her own or through reminders, that she doesn't have accidents. That doesn't mean that her brain is really getting the signal that her bladder is full. That is a developmental issue, and not a "training" issue. You can't teach a child to talk at 2 months or to walk at 5 months - they aren't developmentally ready. Your daughter could be a deep sleeper, which complicates things, but she also isn't able to hold a whole night's full of urine in a 2 year old bladder. You really can't rush it, and you can't make her wake up. Some kids do have a problem called nocturnal enuresis (nighttime bedwetting) and require medication (my son did) but it is WAY to early to tell that now. Just put her in a diaper that has the best absorbency, and let her sleep! Reducing evening fluids is fine, and a good habit to develop for later, but don't expect miracles that she is not capable of delivering! She will NOT go to sleepovers in middle school wearing pull-ups, I promise you! If she doesn't outgrow it by the time she physically outgrows the largest size diaper, then you can pursue other options.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

C.H.

answers from Boston on

leave her alone until she is a bit older, shes still very little, count you're blessing, your lucky to have her trained so young! They still sleep so deep when theyre little that its hard for them to know when to get up and pee... good luck

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

L.S.

answers from New London on

My two kids both potty trained before 2, but everything I read said they were not developmentally ready or able to be counted on at night - something you cannot train. I suggest (and it worked great both times) that you keep going with the pull-ups (or "nighttime undies" as I called them) until you start to notice that they wake up dry. Almost guaranteed that will happen naturally by age 4. Good luck!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

M.B.

answers from Boston on

I held off on the nighttime training till my son was four. He was doing the same thing. I just let him sleep in pull ups every night. He was totally potty trained during the day but would wet at night and sleep through it. I learned about what time each night he seemed to be wet by and started to get him up around 12am to make him go pee. That seemed to help. He still would have an accident here and there but it was much more rare. It has been a few months now with no accidents. Also cut the liquids after a certain time. If your daughter goes to bed around 8pm don't let her have any after 7:30. have her pee before she climbs into bed.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

H.Z.

answers from Boston on

Just because a child is trained during the day does not mean their body is ready at night. 15% of children are not yet even ready when they are nearing their teenage years surprisingly. So stick on that pull up and just wait a few years (or even months!) Check with your ped...he/she will probably tell you the same thing.

Good luck,

H. Z (SAHM 4 3/4, 3 1/2, 12 month old boys)

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

M.B.

answers from Boston on

At 2.10 I think there's a very good chance she just doesn't have the control at night that she does during the day. Her bladder doesn't have the capacity. Keep her in pull-ups until you notice the pull-ups being dry all the time. If you make a big deal of it she might get upset and then not sleep as well or stop being trained during the day. 2 is an age where kids want to be independent. If you try to control too much your daughter could go exactly the opposite way you want her to. If you don't want to use pull-ups use a rubber sheet or cloth diapers. Pull-ups are certainly the most convenient thing to use.

M.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

T.M.

answers from Boston on

Even though your daughter did well potty training at age 2, she seems too young for nighttime potty training, which is a whole other story. I'd put her back in pullups for a while (she is still quite young for nighttime potty training). I'd suggest trying again in 3 or 6 months, or when she expresses interest in using the toilet at night. And even once she is fully potty trained day and night, accidents will happen for a while. So don't get discouraged!

L.R.

answers from Boston on

I have nos ideas for you but I'd love to hear how you potty trained!!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

M.F.

answers from New London on

Hi V.,

From what I have read, kids aren't fully ready to potty train until closer to 3+ yrs. We started our oldest daughter just after she turned 3,also with the help from her daycare throughout the day. It took her about 2-3 months to master night time, but still with our help.

We made sure not to give her too much to drink after 7 (she goes to bed at 8). Also, and probably most important, my husband and I would take turns waking her once a night (like 11pm) and having her go. She'd complain, and was half asleep, but she would go every time, and have her little bladder empty until morning time.

She's had maybe 3 accidents since then, and will turn 5 at the end of this month. I also found out that the reason she wet her bed (the last time she did it) is because she didn't know that she could get out of bed during night time, or before wake-up time, without persmission from mommy or daddy. Once I told her that she could go potty any time she needs to, without asking permission, then she has been ok.

P.S. Do keep her in pullups at night, until you have at least 5-7 days in a row without anything in them, come morning. Don't forget to praise her in the morning for a job well done. :o)

Good Luck!

Mari

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

N.R.

answers from Boston on

Hi V.:

Potty training can be an emotional/frustrating time....for parents!:) (As I have discovered). Although it is true that girls do start earlier than boys and some girls are trained at your daughter's age, this is still pretty early to be able to go all night without peeing. Kids sometimes have "relapes" when they first start.

My two cents...keep pull ups on her at night and give her some time. It might still be too early to expect her to be dry the whole night. She will be there before you know it, be patient:)

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

N.V.

answers from Boston on

My son was ptty trained around his second birthday (March) as well and we still have him in pull-ups during naps and nightime. We've tried not giving him any liquids before both down times and he still wakes up with a wet pull-up. I think it's still too early for them to have the bladder control while they are sleeping.

For Updates and Special Promotions
Follow Us

Related Questions

Related Searches