Nearly 5/ pull-ups at night?

[Miriam101]

DD nearly 5 and still in pull-ups at night. Has just started saying she'd like to not have them on, and I had already been thinking we should do something. (I had been hoping it might just resolve itself on its own but no sign of that happening - the pull-ups are wet every morning.)

BUT so much of what I've read indicates that this is a hormonal thing that you just can't rush. So would it be a waste of time to try to get her out of them- will we just be looking at nights of wet beds and broken sleep? Or would it be worth trying to take her for a "dream wee" when we go to bed and see what happens?

Any experiences gratefully received. I recently read that Eric have dropped the age at which to be start worrying from 7 to 5.
Thanks!

We never did the 'dream wee' but at about 5 1/2 started waking him at 6am to wee cos we worked out it was the last hour which caused the wet pull-ups. Lots of lovely cuddles in with us after the 6am start! Pull ups were always dry with this method & we stopped them after a month. Don't remember any accidents after that - but it is 10 years ago now & I would not be popular waking my teen at 6am!!

Both of my DC stopped needing pull ups overnight at the same time - one was 6, the other around 3

In all honesty I don’t think there is anything we could have done to rush the older one along - anytime we tried different things it ended up in 1-2 dry nights then accidents again

I definitely didn't lift mine either not wake early. Didn't want to create a situation I'd have to sustain (am lazy 😆) pull ups removed when ready til then like a pp a saved my washing machine an extra load. When it did happen it was over night and has only had a couple of accidents ever since. Once when unwell and 1 or 2 when we'd had a late night and I'd forgotten to send her before bed. I was still bed time pee reminding for a good while as with her being a deep sleeper, if it didn't happen she'd never have woken up when needed.

We kept going with the nappies until DD was reliably dry, a bit past 5. I knew I'd be a much worse parent changing a bed repeatedly through the night (they were full, sometimes leaking), so I held firm. Over the course of a month she went from almost always wet to almost always dry. I was told a GP wouldn't be interested until 7, and in the end we didn't need extra help.

My oldest was the same. One day I said oh no we haven't got any and the shops are closed. I will get you some in the morning. He said oh ok and went to bed and then he didn't want them on again

We take our 4 year old for a dream wee at around midnight which helps

Concerned about people restricting fluids after a certain time. This can cause more harm than good as the bladder is not learning to cope.

The stuff to restrict is dark berries like blackcurrant squash for example. And fruit shoots (and their own brand equivalents) should be banned totally. They play havoc with the bladder.

If you decide to give it a try, get some good (plastic) undersheets and layer plastic sheet and normal sheets on the bed. 2 or 3 sets layered up if you can. And have a spare duvet in a cover and a spare pillow again in a cover and new pj's next to the bed. That will make things so much easier on you in the middle of the night if need be. Use cheap thin duvets which you can get in the washer - layer with (washable) blankets if need be - likelihood is they will stay dry on top. Chuck wet stuff in the bath - deal with in the morning.
One of the big problems with a night wetter is the resentment of sleep disturbance in the parent who deals with it. Can easily lead to frustration. Which the kid picks up on which makes things worse. So make it as easy as you can to solve quickly.

@LittleOwl153 Can I ask, what is the specific problem with fruit shoots? Is it a certain ingredient I should look out for?
Mine tend to have a 'special drink' on the weekend (milkshake/fruit juice/fruit shoot/Capri sun etc)

My son is 8 & under the care of the Enuresis clinic though so not the same situation as the OP (sorry for the derail OP & good luck!)

But I've been told no fluids for an hour & a half before bed & had a warning about Blackcurrant squash but nothing about fruit shoots specifically.

@TestZen I don't know for certain. I assume it is a specific ingredient. Fruit Shoot was specifially identified to me by the school nurse as well as the blackcurrant squash.

Because mine is now older, and does, thankfully, wet much less it is easier to pinpoint what triggers her. We have found Fruit shoots - no matter what the brand - are triggers. It almost feels like it is the little top on the bottle (which I know is rubbish!) And this is no matter when in the day they have them. We did appear to have a problem with J2O as well - but not noticed that recently.

Milk, Milkshake, real fruit juice, lighter coloured squash (orange,mango,apple, etc) and fizzy pop (!) seem to have no impact.

We have avoided box drinks and Capri-sun style drinks for a while so I am not sure where we are with those. Mine are allowed Blackcurrant squash in limited quantities and not for dinner or afterwards.

After dinner it is milk or water only. They will both take water to bed with them.

I'm not going to say that it is foolproof - as overtiredness and the resultant heavy and/or oversleeping definately play a big part too. But it seems to help!

Good luck @Miriam101 and @TestZen and anyone else struggling with this - its hard!

@TestZen Oh and Hot chocolate - also is fine and a good treat drink at this time of year!

We just went with:-

“When your pull-up is dry every day for two weeks then you don’t need it any more”.

Dd was nearly 6 I think. Ds was younger although I can’t remember how young. Nearly 4 / just 4 I think.

Strangely Dd potty trained much early than ds.

It wasn’t something I worried about - figured it would come in the end. (Or if it didn’t then it was something that would need genuine medical intervention.)

Which is strange as I am a worrier normally.

Let her try, and let her know it's really normal if it doesn't click straightaway. Get a waterproof terry mattress protector for the bed and a cheap duvet that can be machine washed and dried easily, I put into pads down too. If mine wet in the night, quickly put down a folded tower the damp patch, bung the duvet in the bath if it's wet, throw on a couple of blankets and we're both back to sleep in 10 minutes. Quick wash in the morning, no fuss.

I'd leave them on for now but obviously take her to use the toilet straight before bed etc.
DC1 stopped wearing pull ups just before she was 5 compared to DC2 who stopped before she was 3. They were were both dry in the day at the same time, 2yr4 month. I know DC1 wasn't the only child in her class in pull ups at night. She'll get there in her own time and if she's still wet every night it's not worth the disturbed sleep!
We also put puppy pads/incontinance pads under the sheet for a while after going without the pull ups.

My DD is 7 and has been under the continence nurse for a few years.
The nurse said that they need to have a sufficient sized bladder, and to be able to hold it for a sufficient length of time, I'm pretty sure she is not of the school of thought that says "you just have to have the hormones".

She's suggested we up her fluid intake (except at bedtime), remove dark squash drinks (no blackcurrant etc.) and fizzy/artificial sweeteners (so DD now demands posh elderflower in glass bottles!).

She doesn't have the capacity yet so we have not yet removed pull ups.

Thanks LittleOwl That's really helpful

It's always nice to hear from people who have come out the other side so to speak, as it does sometimes seem like it will last forever!

I was told by the school nurse to stand him up at night while he's still asleep (because he's in such a deep sleep he doesn't wake up) & hold a potty there then put him straight back to down... I pointed out that I have a bad back & don't think I'd be physically able to hold him up with one arm while holding the potty with the other, & also, I just don't see how that's going to work, that's just teaching him to wee in his sleep isn't it?! Seems like madness to me!

I was told by the school nurse to stand him up at night while he's still asleep (because he's in such a deep sleep he doesn't wake up) & hold a potty there then put him straight back to down... What?!?!

@TestZen but yeah... I've heard alot of 'rubbish' over the years... my eldest is 12. My youngest has similar issues... but we are getting there!

LittleOwl rubbish it is!
I hope it's not too long a road for your younger one.

My eldest also reached the point of wanting to stop wearing the nappies before she had dry ones. They were very wet every morning. But we decided to give it a go and I was really surprised because she got it straight away. So although I think for the majority of people waiting for a dry nappy is the right sign that your child is ready, for some kids they’ll just keep having a wet nappy until you get rid of it find out whether they can manage or not. We had tried it once with her a bit earlier and she was sleeping right through wetting the bed. But then when we tried with her when she was around 5 1/2, six, we did a dream wee for about two weeks and then I thought I’d try it for a couple of nights without and she’s never had an accident. So if I’d been waiting for a dry nappy I don’t know how long I would’ve kept waiting, when in fact she was obviously very ready. So I would definitely give it a go in your case.