Nighttime Nightmare!

[Swaliswan]

DD1 is doing brilliantly with potty training. She has been dry during the day since day 4 of PT and has been dry during nap time since day 1. I do admit to having used pull-ups for insurance at times (nap time, quick whizz round the supermarket etc) and have explained to her that she should try not to wee on them or the flowers will disappear. I fear this may have backfired. She woke up during the night of PT day 3 and was unhappy. Eventually, DH thought to put her on the potty and she produced a huge wee. Ever since then (a week ago) she has been waking up twice a night because she 'needs a wee'. Most of the time she has just wee'd in her training pants (refuses to wear a nappy) or very occassionally she does a wee on the potty. One night she managed to do all of her wees in the potty. She doesn't seem to have a big enough bladder capacity for nighttime and she rarely wakes up in time to get to the potty.

What do we do? It's driving DH mad getting up at night (I'm already getting up with 4mo DD2) with no end in sight. It wouldn't be so bad if she seemed to be improving but she isn't. DH is going away this weekend so I don't know how I'll cope getting up with both girls. I need a strategy to work through this now. I do know that there is a family history of bedwetting continuing into teenage years so I'm not expecting a dry toddler but she does seem to want to be dry at night.

[Swaliswan]

BTW, DD1 is 2.3yo.

[Feierabend]

Hi Swali. Could you try lifting her for a wee before you go to bed yourself, and maybe restrict her drinks in the evening? That way if you're lucky she might only wake you up once at night.

Does she go to the potty all by herself during the day? Could you not convince her that she doesn't need your help during the night and should just use the potty on her own?

[Northernlurker]

For only just over 2 she seems to be doing fantastically to me! I wouldn't generally attempt day and night training at the same time, usually children are quite a bit older before they can manage night as well. It sounds like she has made the decision though but I wonder if there is something behavioural going on as well - she says she needs a wee and everybody comes running. Maybe the thing to do is put her back in pull ups and explain that they are ok for nighttime and she doesn't need to worry about it. You could try lifting her for a wee before you go to bed but she may be a bit young still for that.

[WhatFreshHellIsThis]

I'd agree with NorthernLurker - maybe she's enjoying the fact that this is a way of getting attention from you and Daddy at a time when little sister is stealing a lot of it?

Maybe try putting her in different pull ups for nights, with no disappearing pictures, and as Feierabend says, try lifting her for a wee last thing and banning drinks in the evenings?

DS1 is recently potty trained and now the novelty has worn off, is much more blase about weeing in his pullups - to the point where we're having to be very strict about morning and last thing wees, or he'll just happily do them in his pull up. So maybe the novelty will wear off?

Sorry not to be much help, but wanted to add some support.

[ches]

Can she get herself up and use the potty herself? DS is 31 mth and isn't that awake in the night when he wakes up so just sits on his bed and yells. Sometimes we're there in time, other times he doesn't wake up in time. He's getting better, and our washing machine is getting lots of practice at washing sheets. I would feel rocks for my DH having to get up twice as I've been getting up 4 times at least for the past 31 months. :D