Night time toilet training

[islurpmyspaghetti]

I'm just throwing this out there on here in case anyone is able to help...

We're about six months into life with DS who recently turned four.

He came to us very potty trained and there have been very very few accidents during the day. He does, however, wear a nappy (now pull ups) at night and we always wake up to a full nappy.

I'm posting here because I feel that this might be something I need to seek specialised advice from adopters on. A lot of the reading I have done suggests that night potty training should be linked to daytime and we've obviously not had the chance to do this... as it happened during one of his FC placements.

I feel we've had to work very very hard with communicating and building bonds of trust on so very many aspects of life with DS... and we don't have much time for the nighttime nappy conversations!

Does anyone have any direct experience or wisdom on how we can approach this? Or does anyone have a resource they could point us towards?

Many thanks.

[dementedpixie]

You can't really train for nighttime as they are asleep and it is related to a hormone they need to produce to reduce urine overnight. Night wetting isn't seen as a problem until around age 7/8 so I wouldn't worry just yet.

[Kazza299]

Our DS is (mostly) ok in day but full pull up every night. We are not concerned at the moment as we are still only 3 months into placement and feel we have bigger battles. Lots of my friends say their children (not adopted) wet at night, even as old as 10/11, so what with all the addition issues I wouldn't think it was a massive issue at this age? I may be wrong?

[UnderTheNameOfSanders]

AD2 was dry in the daytime age 3.5, not dry at night until age 6.

Personally I'd ignore it for another year at least unless he regularly starts waking up dry. It's not like it impacts socially as presumably he's not doing sleepovers yet?

[Littlefish]

Please don't worry. As demented said, night-time dryness is linked to the presence of a hormone. If a child doesn't have that hormone yet then they will not be dry at night.

Your ds is well within the normal limits.

[islurpmyspaghetti]

Thanks so much. It's so reassuring to be able to put these questions out there and get such a prompt and helpful response.

I will not worry and we'll keep on with the pull ups.

I really appreciate everyone's contributions.

[slkk]

Our ds regressed into daytime nappies after placement until just before his 4th birthday. He wore pullups at night and they were always full, sometimes almost as soon as he dropped off. Then suddenly, a few months later, he was dry. No training needed, it just happened. There was a period of him waking to wee and struggling to go back to sleep so dh lifted him for a sleepy wee for a while but only does this now if ds is really exhausted or upset as this is when he tends to wet. Other advice for helping bladder control once he gets there is lots of water early in day and cut back juice. But as others say, until he is ready, there's no point thinking about it. Lots of ds' s nursery classmates are still in night nappies.

[Kewcumber]

Exactly what pixie said.

In fact its linked to 2 things - the combination of production of hormone at night which reduces production of urine and the bladder physically getting bigger. Until both things collide you can train all you like but you'd be wasting your time.

I just waited until DS had a consistently dry nappy and just took it off. No training necessary.

[Hels20]

Slurp - DS has been with us 18 months and we only toilet trained him when he was 3 years 2 months (massive struggle to do it). Still wears a night time pull up but I am noticing that about 1 night in 4 it is dry...he is getting there.

I second what everyone else has says - don't worry! DS will likely start school in September still wearing a night time nappy and it isn't worrying me. I will only worry when he starts having sleep overs - but he is a long time from that.

Good luck

[PotteringAlong]

My DS is not adopted but has been toilet trained in the day for about 6 months and nowhere close at night. He wears pull ups at night and will do until he regularly wakes up dry.

[Threesocksnohairbrush]

dont sweat the small (or soggy!) stuff.

I believe a significant gap between day and night is not at all unusual. DS was dry by day quite easily at 2.5, but wasn't reliably dry at night until well into reception year.

DD is another and soggier story altogether, but really there has been nothing significant we can do to hurry it up. Services regard 7 as the top limit of normal and will resist offering help until then, so you have loads of time.

Id keep him in pull ups until either you have several spontaneously dry nights or he expresses a clear interest.

If it drags on the ERIC website has very good and parent friendly advice.

Good luck!

[Italiangreyhound]

Agree with others. My birth dd was dry in the day at age 3 but not dry at night until about 6. They can't really control it and need to develop ability to do it.

Our ds is 4 (adopted) came to us at 3 and it will be a year very soon and he will be 5 in the summer. He wears pull ups and we did have a few over flows. So we limited drinks after dinner, to just sips, last drink just before dinner, and now no more wet beds. We will keep on for another 6-12 months before trying the pull up free night, but will try and get our son to be on board, and maybe to ask for it (as our daughter did - but even with her we had at least one false start if not two, when she thought she was ready and really was not).

All the very best.