Should I have done something earlier?

[PetraBP]

DD now 7 was potty trained just before she turned 2.

Quick learner and no fuss.

We kept the pull-ups on at night and she’s never been dry.

I assumed she would just grow out of it, start to wake up dry and we could stop using them, but she hasn’t.

All the advice seems to just leave it and she’ll be dry in her own time.

I’ve never spoken to her about it as I’ve not wanted her to feel bad or embarrassed about it. I’ve never really thought much about it until recently. We’ve just sort of drifted into the situation.

Should I have done something earlier?

Is there anything I could do now without upsetting her?

Should I just leave it or is there a risk that she will go into adulthood still needing them if I do?

Shes at the age now where you should get some advice I reckon. Give the gp a call. Some kids do need help with this.

Contact www.eric.org.uk/ for advice on this.

I think seven is about the age you start to ask. I did find my boys were using pull ups as a personal toilet. What happens if she doesn't wear one? Is she wet every night without one or is it occasionally?

I could have written this about my daughter - dry in the day before 2 with no issues but never dry at night. I did wonder if I’d left it too long and missed the window to take her out of pull ups, but we were where we were! At 7 and a half we used Therapee (it’s a mat and an online course) and she was dry at night in a few months. I’d really recommend it - hard going at night with alarm wake-ups for the first few weeks (I slept in her room) but very much worth it. Good luck.

Boys are typically slower to be out of nappies at night then girls. I agree with a previous poster that seven is normally the point when you would visit the GP. Have you actually tried her without pull-ups? I have a five-year-old and a couple of months ago stopped using and pull-ups at night. In the beginning, I would get them out of bed at 9 pm for a quick wee as if I didn’t, they would wet the bed. Suddenly, I don’t need to do it anymore and we haven’t had any accidents for a while.

Oh and I use a Joizi mat which is useful if there is an accident.

General advice is to seek help when they turn 6.

No, you have done the right thing IMO and now is the time to start investigating.

in case you are worried. IMO you have followed the standard guidance.

Have you tried her without the pull ups and see what happens? She might be weeing in the pull ups because she knows she doesn't need to get up.

DD wee'd in her pull ups untill we removed them, then we had a period of quite frequent accidents, but not every night. I think sometimes she even wee'd as she woke up rather than going to the loo just because she could. It was just habit/ conveience. We would also wake her up for a wee when we went to bed, so she got into the habit of getting up to use the toilet at night, rather than going in the pull up.

So what I would do is stop with the pull ups and see if she catches on to the need to get out of bed when she needs to wee within a couple of weeks. Expect a few accidents along the way of course. If after a couple of weeks she is weeing the bed every night then see a GP. It's largely hormonal and not soemthing you can "train", but she might have got used to not having to get out of bed to wee.

Hi OP

I had this, I spoke to the school nurse about it. She was saying that my child wasn't drinking enough and her bladder muscles hadn't ever developed properly (my child didn't drink much in the day and went to the toilet little and often).

She suggested that we give her 2l a day with two thirds over the morning and a third over an afternoon and, from 2 hours before bed she was only allowed sips of water.

It worked out as 4 drinks in the morning and 2 in the afternoon. We actually only achieved 2 in the morning and 1 in the afternoon as was such a battle getting them to drink but they were dry at night within a week

Oh any my child was 5 at the time but the nurse said they dont really start doing anything about it til they are 7 usually

I think 8 tends to be the age docs will start taking an interest. My dad is nearly 12 and still has accidents fairly regularly if she doesn't take desmopressin.

Meant to say that she was dry in the day at an average age, around 2.

Middle son the same, though he was dry at night by around 6/7 reliably.

Youngest dry at night 80% of the time at 4.

All very different, it's a hormone thing.

I have similar with my DS. He's 6 ATM and I called the GP earlier in the year and they said 7 is the age where they would get involved.

My ds was like this and his pull up was getting heavier every night

He finally admitted he couldn’t be bothered to go to the toilet so would wee in his pull up.

We took them away and prepared for wet nights but he didn’t. We’ve had the odd accident but he’s mostly dry now. He was 6 when we did that and he’s now 7 and has been dry for a good few months

Just a guess but if she can pee in her pull ups at night there's not really an incentive for her to get up to the toilet at night, or go before bed. I'd talk to her about how she's old enough now to not use pull-ups at night etc etc and then just be prepared for some wet beds for a while while she gets use to it.

Does she drink much during the day? The bladder needs stretching by upping consumption so it holds enough wee to last all night.

You are aware that some 7 year olds still need a “nappy” at night.

Some 13 year olds are in a pull up.

Hell, some 60 year olds are in a pull up.

Grow up

What a horrible comment.
Being dry at night is mainly hormonal and nothing than can be trained. Some children need a little help or get there later than others. The only thing that is embarrasing is your ignorance.

I think it's admirable that the OP has made no big deal of it. It's not shameful or embarrassing. Why would anyone think that it was? I think it's really sad when a child feels embarrassed for wetting the bed, something they have literally no control over. It's a chemical thing that kicks in at different times for different kids. At around seven it's worth seeking medical advice. As far as I can see the OP has done / is doing everything right. And has probably saved her DD being ashamed of it.

Some children do need extra help and yes its great you don't make them feel ashamed, but I disagree that you can't train them to some extent. I do think you need to try before you go to the Dr

Goodness, how ill-informed. Waking to urinate in the night is triggered by the production of a hormone, and that varies by child.

It's generally considered bad form to be such a dick to someone, particularly when you're wrong.

How embarrassing for you.

How embarrassing you know f-all about primary nocturnal enuresis.

Disgraceful comment.

I’ve never spoken to her about it

how would she know it's usual not to use one then?