Night time training 4 year old help

[bluestar2]

Hi, my ds has just turned 4 and we decided we would try him without a nighttime nappy. He is toilet trained in the day but does have the odd accident through lazyness and distraction. He was excited to try but we had total failure. I got him up for a dream wee at abt 10 and had to change bed and again this morning.
His nappys are nearly always heavy with wee in morning . How should I Approach this? 4 is late for training at night so I have been told and I don't want him starting school still wearing a nappy at night.

Any advice appreciated thanks

[AmandinePoulain]

You can't night train. If he's not ready it's because his body isn't physically ready to either hold his urine all night, or to wake up when he needs to go, sorry. My 5.5 year old is still in nappies at night and sometimes soaks through her nappy to the bed below. As she's a bit older I've asked for a referral to enuresis clinic which I'm still waiting for.

Night lifting won't work either I'm afraid as it'll just teach him to wee half asleep, he needs to learn to be fully awake when he needs a wee.

Good luck

[MaryPoppinsBag]

It's not a big deal, my DS is 4.5 and we have just tried no nappies this week, due to forgetting to put one on him on Sunday by mistake. And him being dry.

Speak to your HV about it if you are concerned. It isn't a measure of intelligence

[nextphase]

Don't worry.
If he is 7, and still wetting at night, I think that is when you'll get a referal.

Have you thought about pullups and night lights to encourage going to the toilet at night?

Don't bother with the lifting.

He'll get there, its a hormonal change that needsa to happen to reduce the nighttime urine production, and if the nappies are very wet in the morning, he's not yet making enough.

The only possible thing you could try is getting to himas he stirs in the morning, and getting him straight on the toilet - it might be all the wetness is an early morning wee.

[kilmuir]

Night dryness is not same as day dryness. Needs to be producing antidiuretic hormone, may not be doing that yet, not unusual as only just turned 4. I would think if his nappies are very wet then not ready.

[bluestar2]

Thank you all for you advice and reassurance. I hve prob focused to heavily on the age thing over readiness. I will take a step back and maybe try nighttime pants and encourage toilet use before bed and first thing in morning.

[Mum2Fergus]

DS just turned 4 in early Sept...only out of nighttime pants for about 4 months now. Like yours, nappies were full to overflowing most mornings, then just stopped! Thought it was a one-off but he went a week dry and that's when we hit jackpot...been dry ever since!

Let it happen naturally, and I wouldn't bother with the 'dream pee' all it does is encourage them to pee while sleeping...exactly what you want to avoid.

Other tips we used initially- no drinks after 6pm and pee before bed.

He'll be grand...good luck!

[elfycat]

I told DD1 that one day her body will start to tell her not to do wees in the night and she'll hold on or wake up to go. That was about her 4th birthday. One day I went to put night pants on and she told me very firmly that her body was telling her and she didn't need night pants.

I then explained that to have a few wees in the night would be quite normal, and all she would have to do is come and tell us or call out. She's been mostly dry since her announcement with a dozen or so wet beds. She did 3 in a row the week she started school, but she was drinking more in the evening and we're discouraging that and she's dry again (4.7). Obviously there's a waterproof mattress cover on at all times and also on my bed as sometimes she sneaks in. Waking up to find your bed full of wee is quite odd, especially when you don't know initially that there is another occupant.

My niece is still a bit leaky at night and she's 8. They are now investigating that but medically they're not too concerned under 7 as it can take that long for the hormone messengers that control it all to be effective. I think BIL was also wet at night to about that age.

[macnab]

So glad to read this thread. Our DS is 5.6 and fully trained through the day but nighttime wetting is awful. He wears pullups at night, we call them nightpants, but they are heavy with pee in the mornings and sometimes (like last night) he even soaks through them.

He's very conscious of the nightpants, he started school last year and would die if any of his friends knew he was still wearing them at night.

We have tried to go without them but it was a disaster and I just couldnt keep up with all the laundry (I work ft) After reading this I think we'll just carry on as we are until the nightpants are dry in the mornings (has never once happened) and if he's the same this time next year I'll seek medical intervention.

[buffersandbumpers]

Reading this with interest. My DD is 5 next week and is still in nightpants. They are full to bursting in the morning and sometimes leak so I know she's not ready. She's becoming more conscious of it now she's started school but I'm not too worried.
Tonight by DS (3.5) told me he didn't want night pants on so I'm going to see how he gets on as he has had the odd dry nappy in the morning. I so hope they are out of them soon - they are so bloody expensive!

[bluestar2]

I took a step back and to focused on getting him to use the toilet last thing before bed and first in morning. He will do this himself now usually because he needs a poo first thing but his night time pants are still very heavy. He drinks so much water in night and gets very upset when he can't take his wter to bed and I don't feel I can restrict his fluids after 6 so just letti g him go at his pace at the moment but am less worried.

How do you get around the drinks at bedtime issue?

[breatheslowly]

I know that some people restrict drinks at bedtime, but we haven't found we need to. DD is just dry at night - irrespective of what she drinks. Given that your DS doesn't seem ready to lose the night time pants anyway, it would seem odd to restrict his bedtime drinks.

[gimcrack]

I was about to despair when my four year old was weeing through his nighttime nappy, but something just clicked and he stopped. At the time, he was wetting through even though we had him empty his bladder when we went to bed.

After lots of dry nappies (rewarded with stickers), we left them off. We carried on with the dream wee, though, as that helped. If we didn't do that he would wet the bed.

[Pull]

Reassuring to hear that it stops just like that. Our ds (almost 5) is still in night time pull-ups. He's been fully daytime dry since 2.5 but still has a heavy weight of wee in the pants every morning! We gave tried without them twice, for a good 2 weeks each time but to no avail. He's only ever had one dry night.
Also, as bluestar asked! I'd be interested to hear what others have fine about bedtime water. Ds never goes to be without his water bottle and will call out for it if you "forget" it. In fact he seems to do most of his drinking in the pm of the day rather than early on.
Does this really matter or is it purely a case of waiting for this magic hormone to appear?
I was glad to find this thread OP as I was thinking about starting one myself, pretty much word for word!

[Pull]

That's interesting and good to know that it makes no difference what your dd drinks breatheslowly
I'm not keen on restricting the bedtime water if it can't hurt

[mamaandmore]

Really relieved to read this thread. Our DD is 4.10, and has been daytime dry since 20mths, but not nighttimes. She is such a heavy sleeper (and likes a long sleep for which I am SO grateful!) that she just doesn't realise it if she pees. I have been going between worrying what to do, and thinking we just need to wait till her body is ready, and after reading this I am less worried. She is obviously not physically there just yet, so will give her time till she is. Thanks so much for sharing here. I rarely come onto Mumsnet, but happy to be on now.

[lorisparkle]

the website ERIC is the best information source regarding night time wetting. when ds1 started school i knew of 3 other children still in night time nappies. he is 7 now and he is still in them and at least 1 other child in his class is in them. dr is not concerened and said that it is only an issue when it is an issue iyswim. imo bed wetting is often related to heavy sleeping and also genetic. my family has a very strong heriditary bed wetting problem and ds1 can sleep through anything.