Night time toilet training

[M0reGinPlease]

DD was 4 in November and has been reliably dry in the day for over a year.

We've been building up to night time toilet training, encouraging her to wake up for a wee and taking her nappy off first thing. She was doing really well and often woke in the morning with a dry nappy.

We've done three nights now without a nappy.

First night she wet the bed about half way through her sleep. She woke me up straight away and was a bit upset- she had only just done it so had either done a wee in her sleep and the feeling of being wet had woken her, or she'd woken needing a wee and had forgotten she had no nappy. She was dry in the morning.

Second night she was dry all night but DH woke her up as we had to go out, so she didn't really have the opportunity to wake up herself and remember not to wee in bed.

Third night, last night, she slept all night but when she woke this morning, asking for a wee, her sheets were damp and her pj's a bit crispy- she'd obviously done a small wee in the night and not noticed.

I hated potty training and in my mind this whole thing has been a total failure already! Can anyone see any progress here? Obviously I've been nothing but positive and encouraging with DD. Do I just need to give it time?

You cant train for night time. I didnt take nappies off until my 2 had dry nappies in the morning for a few weeks. They need to be producing a hormone that suppresses urine at night plus they need to be able to wake up due to the sensation of a full bladder. Was she having dry nappies already?

Yes, plenty of dry nappies. Dry more often than wet.

Another wet bed... I think she's waking up, just forgetting she has no nappy on. How long do I give her to get it? Is it worth waking her fully for a week when I go to bed?

For a wee not a week!

hopeful bump

Can’t be very helpful here, but as a PP said, overnight dryness is more hormonal than training, it happens when it happens. My DD was very early to be dry at night. When I spoke to my mum she said I was too, but my DSis she had to pop on the potty at 11pm until she was nearly 6. Just the luck of the draw. My advice is, if she’s setting that often, she’s not ready yet. Wait 6 months and try again.

@crazychemist is it really hormonal though? She's FOUR. It's ridiculous to keep her in nappies.

Yes it is hormonal add they need to produce a hormone to limit urine production overnight. It's not unusual to wet the bed until a much later age.

@dementedpixie can you point me in the direction of some evidence / info on the hormone production please? Nowhere seems to mention it. Thanks.

Google vasopressin then. You can refer to the GP if bed wetting continues after age 5 as its considered normal to still wet up till then. Some children wet even later than that.

Desmopressin (artificial form of vasopressin) is sometimes prescribed to help with bed wetting in older children. Bed wetting alarms may also be used

I'm aware I can google it. I wasn't being rude- sorry if I came across that way- it was a genuine question because nowhere I've read about night time toilet training mentions it. They just talk about signs of readiness which she has. She was very stubborn to train in the day and I'm concerned it's her deciding she doesn't want to and it's how I differentiate between that and something she's not physically capable of. Thanks for your advice.

www.eric.org.uk/how-to-stop-or-manage-bedwetting this is a helpful website

But that says it's a problem after 5? So surely she should be dry around now?

She's not 5 though so it's not a problem right now. In the not too distant past it wasn't considered an issue until age 7/8. Give it a bit more time.

Ds3 was 7 before he was dry at night. We just used pull-ups so no stress. It really is very common not to be dry overnight at 4.

The last two nights she's asked to get up to go for a wee so much, much better.

I'm not having her in nappies at 7, I don't care what anyone on mumsnet says (Notwithstanding medical needs of course).

@M0reGinPlease, nobody is saying you HAVE to keep your child in nappies until age 7! Just that there are a small minority of children who are late to be dry at night, and there isn’t really anything they can do about it. They don’t choose to wet the bed. Just that it isn’t worth stressing over - it’ll happen when she’s ready for it to happen, which will likely be quite soon.