Dry nites for a 4.5 year old? Should we try or is it a step backwards?

[libbyssister]

Has anyone got experience/advice to share on putting a child in DryNites when they've been without since potty training?

My son is 4.5. He was potty-trained at 2.9 and within a couple of months stopped wearing a nappy at night because they were always dry when he woke up. We had the odd accident but they weren't frequent enough to worry about.

But in the last 6 months he's started bedwetting at night. Sometimes he wakes up when he does it and comes downstairs, sometimes he doesn't wake. He doesn't seem to be worried about it, doesn't seem anxious or tearful. We don't make a fuss, just wash the bedding AGAIN and say nothing.

If we lift him before we go to bed then it doesn't happen, but we don't always do that and he's sometimes fine. There seems to be no pattern to it. He doesn't have a drink before bed. It happens enough to be a pain, I haven't got a tumble drier and whilst I can get all the bedding dry on a sunny day before bedtime it's tricky if it's rainy. And I wonder why the regression when he was dry most nights when he was younger?

I mentioned DryNites to him and he doesn't seem against the idea of nappy pants. But I wonder if we start down that route that he'll just relax into a "doesn't matter if I have a wee" routine.

Anyone had a similar experience? How did it work out?

Take him to the doctor. Something is wrong. Nappies again at 4 is a backward step, potentially harmful from an emotional pov, especially when he starts school. It will also teach him nothing about bladder control, just be more convenient for you -- definitely a consideration, to be sure, just not the number one factor here. Actually, if lifting him before you go to bed works, why not keep at it religiously? Seems less trouble than the constant washing. But see what the dr says.

Has he changed any other drinking habits?

DS was not dry at night until 7 but we DID notice that the occassional times we had a few dry nights were when he had been at home in the hols (used to go to nursery) and drank loads more.

At the clinic we were told thst he needed to increase his bladder size by drinking LOADS all day, until about 4pm, then a drink with tea, then nothing. It worked.

Just wondered if yours had started nursery or something and so had changed habits.

Also agree to mention to your GP - ONLY as this is a change. They would not woory at all if he had never been dry at night yet at that age.

Oh, and Dry-nights were a life saver for me, but clinic told us to stop as they just know they are wearing them and become lazy (at age 7 this was - we used them until then).

Good luck

Have you tried the pampers bed mats. Saves on the washing a bit but not cheap and may not work if your child is a wriggler.

We tried several times to achieve dry night-times but eventually resorted to "pyjama pants" (sounds better than "nappy pants") until ds1 grew out of wetting at night presumably because his body started producing the hormone to concentrate his urine instead of needing to eliminate it at night.

I explained to him about needing to just wait until his body made the right chemicals etc and he was happy to wear the pants.

I do agree about discussing it with GP or perhaps health visitor though as it does seem like there has been a regression of some sort.

I've got a visit to the health visitor on Weds anyway so might mention it then. As long as I can talk to her without him ear-wigging...

Thanks Milliways, I'll try the drinking more thing. It struck me that he doesn't drink much at home unless it's a meal time but when he's a pre-school there's milk and water available and it's been the holidays... Also when he was at nursery there was always drink available.

Thanks for your advice!

My DS still bed wets occasionally when he is overtired or when he is coming down with something. I try and remember to lift him before I go to bed, if he has seemed particularly tired that day.