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Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

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Original poster

Dry Nights...any tips?

13 replies

Nelly2478 · 10/09/2006 12:12

My daughter is 3 and she has been dry in the day since about two. I am pregnant and I would like to get her dry at night.

I am pretty sure that she is more than ready and we have had conversations with her to prepare her for the event. She has responded very positively and wants to wear her big girl pants and get rid of the nappies.

However, she wet the bed twice last night, which I expected to happen. Trial and error and all that. My concern is that she did not alert us to the fact that she had wet the bed and was quite happy to sleep in it! Clearly a wet bed is not motivating her to use the loo!

Does anyone have any tips about successful dry nights? I know that Olivia is more than ready to do this, but I am not sure how to motivate her...

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

NotQuiteCockney · 10/09/2006 12:20

Does she normally wake with a dry nappy? If not, she's not ready. Readiness to be dry at night has nothing to do with conversations and interest, and everything to do with physiology. If her bladder isn't big enough, or she's a heavy sleeper, she will wet the bed, and there's nothing you or she can do to stop it.

I'd stick to nappies at night for a while.

Orinoco · 10/09/2006 21:22

Message withdrawn

NotQuiteCockney · 10/09/2006 21:25

My DS1 was dry in the day at 2 or so, and soon after dry at night. But not through any effort on our part, he has a huge bladder and so doesn't generally need to pee in the night (or sometimes for several hours after getting up!).

colditz · 10/09/2006 21:29

If she isn't waking up, she isn't waking up. nothing to do with motivation. You can't motivate her while she is asleep, you could set your alarm and lift her three times a night, but the chances are she will still not be dry, and anyway, why bother? It is so so so much harder when they are out of nappies, believe me. You don't need it while you are pregnant.

Wait until she does it herself, you won't have to do anything but empty the potty in the morning - and a tip for the future, don't put pants or jama bottoms on her at night, she might not be able to manage them half asleep.

MrsSpoon · 10/09/2006 21:43

I would just leave her. After years of struggling with my DS1 this is what I wish I had just done. I decided to 'accidently' leave his nappy off when he was about three and a half and he was dry, thought we had cracked it, he is now seven and a half and although capable of having dry periods I have been told by the Enurisis (or however you spell it) Clinic that he has never been officially dry.

However they did give me some advice that may be worth noting, don't limit drinks in fact encourage drinks, six to eight a day being optimum, only give water, milk or pure fruit juice, keep away from blackcurrant juices. Watch caffiene, even chocolate, especially close to bed time. Stop drinks an hour before bed. Encourage a bedtime wee. Your DD might be a little young but they also advised charts to colour in how many drinks they have had during the day and another one with how many dry nights they have had.

This is a very helpful website.

All the best and don't worry, it is perfectly normal to have a three year old who is still not dry at night.

kamsmum · 11/09/2006 18:21

I was in just the exact same position as you - pg with dd who was dry in the day since 2 but in nappies at night at 3. She started having dry nappies in the morning and calling in the night when she needed to go. So we thought we had cracked it!
However, 2 wet beds later she started to get a bit anxious about it so I gave up and put her back into pull up pants at night.
She is now almost 4. Recently she wanted to go to bed without the pull up pants but she still can't wake up when she needs to go so I suppose she just hasn't reached that development stage yet.
I've also realised that wet beds are a lot more work than pull ups!!

mumsee · 01/03/2009 14:22

My wee girl is 5 years of age and still wears pull up pants at night! Her nappy seems to still be wet in the morning after getting her up before we go to bed and she always goes before she goes to bed. Last night we put her to bed with no nappy and she woke up dry but we were up twice in the night taking her to the toilet! Is this normal? Should we have concerns?

Sidge · 01/03/2009 14:59

If she doesn't wake when she has wet the bed then she isn't ready.

bytheLiffey · 01/03/2009 15:01

Put the knickers on INSIDE the pullup.

Saves the bed and the pyjamas and the sheets, but she'll be uncomfortable.

My 3 yr old isn't dry during the day yet, but this worked quickly 3 yrs ago for my dc1

DesperateHousewifeToo · 01/03/2009 16:22

I agree with everyone else, I don't think this is something you can 'train' them to do tbh.

It is not something that is under their control. So sticker charts, conversations, etc are just setting them up to fail. Which I think is a little bit unfair, imvho.

They will do it when they are ready.

Pheebe · 01/03/2009 18:12

Being dry at night is a hormonally controlled milestone. Nothing to do with motivation. You can't train them to do it or prepare them in any way. No amount of talking, rewards, 'big girl' encouragement will get her to be dry if her body isn't ready yet. She is after all asleep and wee is warm so unlikely to wake her up so she can 'alert you'.

What's the rush anyway? And how exactly do you 'know' she's ready, what criteria do you think make her ready?

Much easier to leave her in pull ups at night with no worries about accidents and extra washing when you'll have a new born around IMO.

fettle · 01/03/2009 21:41

Mumsee - I just noticed that you posted on this thread a few years after it started!

Just wanted to reassure you that our DD only came out of night time pull ups last October half-term. She's nearly 5. She was still having wet pull ups nearly every morning, but we just decided to see what happened if we took her out of them. We spoke about it with her and asked if she wanted to have a go. I listened to advice on here and encouraged her to increase her fluids during the day.

It took a few weeks - some dry nights, some 3 wettings a night, but we're on the whole there now. We still lift her before we go to bed though - planning on stopping that during the EAster holidays.

I think as some people have said some children just don't produce the right hormone to stop producing urine over night and therefore with all the will in the world they will continue to wet. Therefore, 2 liftings a night may be normal, but with our DD these night-time trips to the loo have got less (I've just jinxed myself for a bad night haven't I!!)

I just kept reassuring myself that you don't hear of many 16 year olds still in pull ups at night!
HTH

ClairieJo · 08/10/2009 21:37

Hi we are at that stage with our girl Eliane. We have mostly dry nights but we have found the wet ones seem to come when we dont make her use the toilet before bed or she has had a late drink. She tends to wake up more upset at the interuption and doesnt click straight away she needs the loo so doesnt get out of bed in time. If we get in there quick she is ok.
We have got a load of bed protectors, they are plastic backed fleeced fitted sheets and were only £3.50 each. Really easy, bed changed as quick as changing a pair of pull ups anyway.
The main thing is to make out "all done no problems nevermind." as yelling at them causes stress so prolongs the training.
We will all get there in the end....when THEY are ready lol
Children only ever do when THEY want to lol

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