Both my daughters were about 24-26 mos. when potty trained during the day. I didn't even try for nighttime until well over 3 years old. So they were both potty trained about a year before I tried at night, and the very first night, with each of them, they stayed dry with their panties on, and from then on too. They weren't dry in the mornings with a diaper because they knew they could pee in them, but once they had their panties, the just knew they couldn't pee in them.
we let our daughter wear underwear with pullups over them at night. so at least she's more aware. she's almost 3 and rarely wets herself. If she does, it happens when she wakes up in the morning and doesn't make it to the potty in time. also, this helps so you can reuse the pullups when she stays dry because her private parts weren't touching and it's still clean. :) saves money!
Kellie-- Hi, I'm Dr. Wolffe from the GoodNites NiteLite Panel. Mamapedia is wrapping up a partnership with GoodNites and your question is definitely relevant to what I talk about with the NiteLite Panel and in my practice. Potty training, when the child is physically and developmentally ready, is accomplished with the behavior techniques you know—lots of encouragement, coaching, and positive messages. But children can't really change what they do when they're sleeping. So even if they know you'll be so proud of them when they are dry in the morning, if their bodies aren't ready, they will feel bad about failing you. This is something we discuss a lot on the GoodNites website. Be patient with her, and assure her that wet or dry, you'll always be happy to see her in the morning!--Dr. Wolffe, GoodNites NiteLite Panel
Thanks for the encouragement and great advice!! I’m going to wait out trying the night with panties/pull-ups until she has a few dry wake-ups in a row.