Help/advice to get a 4yo dry at night, please

[JaamyButty]

Hi

DD1 was 4 in Jan. It took ages to get her toilet trained. It seems that she would poo/wee her pants without even noticing. She still has a couple of accidents a week but mostly when she is very tired or busy and it's more a case of not getting to the loo in time.

We've been trying to get her dry at night. Up until now she's been in pyjama pants which we have done away with a couple of weeks ago mainly because I'd been told a few times that, "They only wet the nappies because they know they can". Since then DD1 has only been dry 4 times at night, despite being lifted for the loo at least twice each night.

Getting fed up of washing bedding and pyjamas. DD1 is shattered because she is waking up wet and being lifted in the night to go to the loo. Don't want to go back to pyjama pants because that's just going backwards but am very tempted for her sake and ours.

BTW - I wet the bed until I was about 7 yo so can't be hard on her.

Any advice gratefully received.

TIA

It's not true in most cases that they only wet the nappies because they can.

You can't train her or make her dry at night - it will only happen when she is ready.

There's a hormone which kicks in to suppress urination overnight, and that can happen any time up until the age of 7. Until it does happens there is nothing she or you can do to force the issue. And the fact that you were late being dry may also mean she will be late too.

It's not considered a problem until a child is 7. So let her have PJ pants - you could be washing sheets for a long time yet.

Thanks Wigwambam.

I think I'd thought that PJ pants were for the best. Didn't know about the hormone, though. Won't stress about it and hopefully DD1 can go back to having a good (and not soggy) night's sleep.

Cheers

If it helps my DD is coming up to 4 and we are in same position. She is in Easy-Ups at nights as we tried pyjama pants and she hated them. She has a hugely full nappy but she wants changing at least twice a night because she is so uncomfortable with her happy on. She cannopt control herself weeing tho as she is a very deep sleeper and before she knows it she's wet the bed. Will just wait until she is ready I think

DS will be 4 in July & is wet most nights. His father & uncles were all very late to be dry at night so I'm assuming he will be too....I just wish he would wear nappies so I didn't have to keep washing the pillow, duvet & sheets every day ...but he likes sleeping in his pjs or nude so I am stuck being the washerwoman until he is dry

oh poor you terramum!my dd is 4 and has asked if she can stop wearing nappies/pullups, but she cant control herself yet, so shes got them on again"until she has a dry nappy in the morning".....so far never!even when she suddenly woken up and rushed to the loo for a wee.
I think wait, until shes really ready.makes for an easier life for all of us.

DD has just started going without nappies at night and she's 4.10.

I too was told that it wasn't considered a problem until she was 7, and that because I was a late bedwetter that she was more likely to be one too. I did try her around the age of 4 without them, but after 3 nights of a wet bed, I decided just to leave it. She was having her sleep disturbed and was getting upset by it.

I did read on here that having a sodden nappy each morning didn't necessarily mean that she wasn't ready to at least try, and I must admit I'd been thinking until then "well, when she has dry nappies in the morning I'll think about it again".

So I broached the subject with her and planted the seed that we would try again without nappies and if it didn't work - no problem. Just 10 days ago she had one more nappy left in the pack and I suggested she tried again when we'd used that one. But she decided on the spot that she was going to go without - and has been dry ever since.

I haven't done lifting or restricted drinks in the early evening, or anything like that, it's just happened. So I think (at the moment) I go with the theory that it will happen when it happens. And it seems that in dd's case a sodden nappy in the morning didn't mean she wasn't ready.