My son is 3 1/2 yrs old and does pretty well during the day with using the toilet. He has occassional accidents during the day but it seems to be when he is really involved in an activity or playing hard and does not take a potty break. At night however, I cannot get him to go without pull-ups. He rarely will go a night when he keeps them dry all night. I have tried cutting off the liquids an hour or so before bed and that hasn't helped. I never had this problem with my girls so I am clueless as to whether this is normal and I should just not worry or if there is something else I can do to help him.
Hey T.,
I just got done dealing with 2 boys getting potty trained, and i stopped liquids at 7, they both had to go to the bathroom before bed time. And so far neither of them have wet the bed. They like their big boy underwear too much. Now I am trying to get my daughter potty trained. Anyways, good luck to you.
I wouldnt really worry about it. I think it just comes in time. My son is almost 4, and I have him go potty before he goes to bed and I stop fluids at 7:00 and he will generally go dry all night long but every once in a while he has an accident. I still put him in pullups at night so if he does have an accident hes covered. So dont worry it will happen. Boys take longer to potty train than girls do. I was just happy that I have him in Big Boy underwear during the day.
I don't think you should worry about it. I have several friends with boys and they all potty trained at different times. Each child is different. My oldest starting making it through the night by age four. However, my youngest is 4-1/2 and is still wearing a pull up at night. One friends boy was through with night time pull ups at three, another was 5-1/2. Give him a little time. He'll get there.
Hi T.. We've been talking about potty training a lot on our blog ReadySetMom.com, and from everything I hear, boys are harder to train. Nighttime can be especially tough, and more so if your son is a heavy sleeper. At our preschool (for 3-5yr olds) a lot of families say that both boys and girls wear pullups at night sometimes until kids are 5. It just takes a very different skill set to stay dry at night. Hope this helps. R.
You might set a timer or alarm during the day to make him stop what he is doing & go to the bathroom hourly. At night stop the fluids 2 hours before bed. After you put him to sleep set an alarm for two or three hours after that time, wake him up and make him go potty and then back to bed. It will take a month or two of consistantly waking him up at the same time at night for this to work. Eventually he will get used to getting up at the same time on his own and do it by himself. Yes, boys do take longer than girls generally to potty train, remember they mature slower. There are potty training alarms on e-bay if you need. Hope this helps.
I think you should check with your pediatrician. By this age he should be able to go all night, at least on most nights, without wetting. It was something they asked me about when I took my son in for his three year check. When it comes to children's health I think it's better to take a somewhat cautious approach and have them checked out when ever you're worried. And if you end up going in to the doctor occasionally and the concern ends up being over nothing then at least you will know for sure and can stop worrying. :)
My oldest son wasn't fully dry at night until he was 4 yrs. old, but his pediatrician reassured me that this was normal. He also said that sometimes boys, especially ones who are very active during the day, may take longer than girls to train. I don't know if this is true, as I have all boys, and no girls to compare to ...) Anyway, best of luck to you.:)
Hi T.,
Not to worry this is completely normal. There was a good thread with a lot of good advice on this subject on 3/27/07 "Potty training at night"
I think you can search it, although I haven't tried. I would be happy to email it to you (I have done that) if you would like - I can be reached at ____@____.com
Good Luck and don't worry!
Hi T.
First of all, good work getting this far. I have 2 boys and 1 girl. I must say that the boys did take longer. I have noticed with them all that they do feel the difference between pull ups and regular underware.This being said, even when they sleep their mind makes the distinction and they are more likely to "go" in their sleep with the pull ups. There will be accidents but I can say that it's worth it to go through a few of these and get the complete training done with. Rest assured that some children can have bed wetting up to age 12 and this is very common and normal. If the "accidents" happen every night then the training may not be quite done for various reasons but if it becomes an on and off occurence then it may be that your child just happens to be a "wetter" for lack of a better term. My kids are older now and have had a couple of friends that stay the night and need pull ups at age 9 and older. I have taught my kids that this is no big deal so they don't make their friends feel bad and most important, they don't tell anyone else. Hope this helps please keep me updated! B.
That is totally normal. He's still pretty young and generally boys do take a lot longer to get the potty training thing down. Just encourage him and give him time. No rush! I have two boys and two girls of my own and the girls are easier in this department. . . hang in there.
Boys take a little longer than girls. It sounds like you are doing what you should be doing. I will be there in a year and a half with my son. One of the things that came to my mind to was bedwetting. It's when you have a small bladder and it hasn't grown up the where it should be. And it doesn't matter when you cut off the liquids. Also, you are in such a deep sleep, you don't wake up in time to realize that you need to go. It maybe a long-shot....also, bedwetting is hereditary too. So, if you or your husband did, your children may wet the bed. On the other hand like the other mothers - they have said some take a little longer sometimes until 5. Just keep doing what you are doing - It will happen. Good luck.
