Nappies at night (or not) - advice please

[clary]

Sorry if this has been covered elsewhere but I've had a look and cannot see anything...My ds (3.5) has been out of nappies in the day for more than a year and after a difficult start has completely got the hang of it. Accidents now very rare, poo accidents never. Brilliant! Now for night-time. We tried a few weeks ago but he was wet every night for a week or more so I gave up and decided to try after Christmas. He goes before bed, has small drink of milk, then down to sleep. Have tried "lifting" him during evening (tho don't really want him to do a wee in his sleep - anyway, when do you stop doing this??) but never any wee until last night. Get up in night to check him and he's dry; get up early in morning (eg 5am) to see if he will go but he's either wet already or refuses. Did have one dry night (the first one!) but since then three wet sheets. Was quite excited when he did do a wee at 10.30pm last night, but he still got up 6am today with very wet jamas! Not letting him get stressed about it (he says Never mind, Mummy) but would appreciate some advice. I think he's ready (seems very keen on no nappies at all) and at least he's not gone back to daytime accidents which he did when we tried no night nappies before Christmas. Anyone got any tips?

The only thing I can suggest is to cut down on that drink at bedtime. Its obviously taking a while to work its way through his system. Maybe he just isnt ready to be dry at night yet.. I wouldnt start taking nappies away until he has several nights of dry ones.

persever for a few nights longer but if he is continually wet, put him back into nappies. It is not unusual for children still to be wet at night. It is only once they are about 7 years old and still not dry that medical advice is given such as medication or bed alarms. Your health visitor should be able to give advice. The exception is when a child has been dry for a long period and then starts being wet again. I remember being told that restricting drinks was not a good idea. By drinking well, a child's body is then able to recognise the sensation of a full bladder.
I have also had a friend whose son was prescribed homeopathic medicine homeopath which helped, but he was 8 years old.
Try not to get too anxious just now. Although it seems that everyone else's child is dry at night at this age, that probably is not true. Some take longer.

No helpful ideas but don't get stressed about it, my dd is 6 and still wears a nappy at night! They all get there in the end. Maybe wait for the warmer weather, that's what I'm going to do. My ambition is for dd and ds (4) to give up night time nappies together!

My ds is four and has been out of nappies ? completely ? since about 21/2. I decided on the recommendation of a friend to go completely cold turkey with the nights at the same time, but he does sleep very deeply and sometimes doesn't wake up to pee. Rather than go back to nappies at night, I was lucky enough to come across a product called bedmatz. Basically, it's a waterproof sheet that doesn't feel at all horrid and crinkly like most waterproof sheets you come across ? it feels like a thick wincyette sheet (if you know what that is). You just put it on top of his sheet and it's machine-washable, so in the morning, if he's peed, it's so easy just to whip it off the bed and into the machine ? easy for you and doesn't make an issue of bedwetting for him, which I think going back into nappies can do, specially if he's keen not to. (Bedmatz 01635 291262/www.bedmatz.com) Sorry to sound like an ad, but I really think it's fab!
I do 'lift' him, too, just before I go to bed, and we try not to have drinks after about 6.30. We now have about one wed bed a fortnight, which I think is liveable with. My friend's dd is six and still has the odd wed bed ? some children just sleep very deeply.

Clary - OK opposite point of view to RosieT - sorry, no offence, but just to put the other side of the coin

I don't think one wet bed a fortnight is that great, and in winter it's such a pain to get linen dry, I would hate that. My ds always managed to wet the sheet, pillow case, pillow, duvet cover, AND duvet!

He was a deep sleeper, and was in bed 12 - 13 hrs, also very big, and in a top bunk, and with a weak back, I couldn't consider lifting him. Every morning his nappy was sodden. (He was dry in the day from when he was just 2).

Occasionally we would try him with no nappy for a few days, but it was just a flood. So we waited, and waited, and waited ...

Suddenly one day his nappy was dry in the morning, (he was just a couple of months off 5), and it was dry the next day too. So we left the nappies off, and that was that. Since then (almost a year), I can only remember one accident, though I've a feeling there might have been a second one too, but I can't recall it at present.

So there you go, my vote is for waiting, and that's what I'll do with ds2.

No offence taken KMG I'm sure if I was waking up to wet pillows and duvets I'd feel the same. BTW, we did have one 'accident' involving our lovely goose-down duvet, which I scrubbed and scrubbed with dettox afterwards, but to be honest, it's never been the same since.

Sorry to hijack the thread - but I've got a similar but different problem ! Just wondering if anyone has any words of wisdom for me ?

My DD is dry and clean by day (she's 27 mths) and has not wet her bedtime nappy for about 6 weeks - problem is - and I hate to moan about such a good thing - she calls us to take her for a wee in the night and very early in the morning ! She absolutely refuses to go in the nappy now - but as she also absolutely refuses to sleep in her bed - this means getting us up at about midnight and about 5.30am most nights for a wee. I don't want to stop her bedtime milk as she isn't a big drinker anyway - and I don't want to revert her brilliant progress - BUT - getting up to take her to the loo is knackering me out !!!

Any ideas ?

To avoid the midnight callout, take her out to the loo before you go to bed. The morning one will probably continue for some time but sooner or later she will get out and go to the bathroom herself. This is what happened with my dd anyway. I think I suggested at some stage that she get out in the morning herself, but remember to leave some lights on if you want them to do this!

A potty in the bedroom? Mind you, you still have to empty it, but somehow that might seem like less hassle.

I'd go with the potty by the bed (or 2?) and a night light. Maybe once she knows you won't be joining in the routine it might ease up. You could put the potty on an old towel/care mat to catch any rogue drips? Maybe leave the nappy off now too and reinforce how well she's doing/what a big girl etc. Good Luck.