Night Time Training - how long do you keep at it if soaking the bed???

[looneytune]

Ds1 is 5 and has been dry in the day since around the time he turned 3. His pull ups have always been soaking wet in the morning and we ended up changing to Huggies Night Time Pants a while ago due to the pull ups leaking as too full.

I started lifting about a year ago to see if they were dry or not so wet but it didn't make a huge amount of difference. I then stopped this as I was pregnant with number 2 and also ds1 went into a mid-sleeper and I couldn't lift him.

Now I've had the baby and it's summer hols, it's the perfect time to try again imo. We put waterproof protection on the bed, duvet and pillowcase and last night was the first night. Twice ds1 woke up soaked and had to be changed. I've explained to dh that this will happen for a bit but he seems to think after last night, ds isn't ready.

Is he right? Or am I right to say that we need to give it a set amount of time before we know for sure as it's so new to him? Ds1 is a heavy sleeper so not sure if this means he'll just keep wetting?

Any views or experience you can pass on?

TIA

ah you have a 6 week old, I didn;t spot that - probably not the best time to try anything new

I know, that's what we've decided. It's only that ds did want to be a BIG BOY and try it out, bless him. Also, I'm a childminder and have a hectic time when I'm working and I'll be back to it in 3 and half weeks time so it would have been good to get it out of the way whilst not working but never mind. The main thing is that ds is not upset about it not happening yet, I'd hate for him to be upset with himself.

regarding the drinking thats why alot of children wet because they dont drink enough.

the bladder needs to stretch and when they only drink a small amount it never gets to reach its full capacity so when you expect the bladder to hold more overnight its never been stretched enough to do so if that makes sense.

1.5 litres is not alot.

250ml breakfast at 7am

9.30/10am- 250ml

12 (lunchtime) - 250ml

3ish - 250ml

5ish (teatime) 250ml

7ish (1/2hr before bed) - 250ml

plus sipping throughout day if allowed water bottle during class

Here's my experience with my two boys. DS1 had better verbal skills and could tell me that he didn't want to wear nightime nappies just after he turned 3. There was still the odd accident but I soon figured out that it only happened 24-48 hours before he became ill with a virus. He was also very confident and tall enough to reach various door handles and so could take himself to the toilet in the middle of the night from the age of 3.

DS2 is still in nappies at night and also seems not to notice the wet sensation. We've had some success with stopping all drink and food (which contains a surprising amount of water) for up to 2 hours before bed. Obviously it helps then if he doesn't run round like a nutter and become dehydrated. Now we're in holiday mode this has all gone to pot a bit but it was beginning to work fine before school ended.

An elderly friend with problematic 'waterworks' also gave me this invaluable tip. I take DS2 for a wee before bed and then again around 10-15 minutes later (just enough time for a snuggle and a story). This apparently really empties the bladder and, as I said, it was working well before the holidays.

This is all very encouraging. DS1 is nearly 6 and showing absolutely NO signs of getting dry at night. Current plan is to put him to bed (after a pee) with no nappy, then lift and put on nappy at about 9.30. If we do it any later, we might be too late. And if we put the nappy on any earlier, the sheer volume of liquid explodes the nappy, so you end up with wet everything.

Any advice? And, any ideas on getting over-size nappies - he is currently in size 6 but they are too small really. I tried to look on the internet but ended up on various sexual fetish sites!

dont use the nappies just encourages to wee in bed. just go for it it the summer so easy to wash sheets.

dont lift either

Hi - had ds out at 7, dd1 5, just out in last week and wet/dry alternate nights (will try the regimented bladder stretch as sounds good) DD2 came out at 2 1/2 - dry day and night at same time and I did nothing different with any of them.......don't stress - not worth it!

CEDP - have you found the Huggies Pyjama pants/Drynites. they come in size 4-7years and 8-15 years - made me realise that if they are making and selling nappies for older children, DD can't be alone out there at not being dry yet!

here

Thanks. Couple of questions, though:

• Drynites (hope I can get them here in Germany) - are they as absorbent as nappies, as our main problem is volume?

• to lindseyfox - when we don't lift him and don't put him in a nappy he just pees 2-3 times in the night, and only sometimes wakes up. I just don't think he's ready and therefore don't quite understand the logic of letting him wet the bed and get upset.

Glad to see I'm not alone though!

CEDP you should find Drynites ok. I can get them here in France and we got them in the USA when we were on holiday.

I have the same problem as you. In size 6 nappies DS would still need his bed changing in the morning. He's just such a heavy sleeper. He used to carry on sleeping in a soaked nappy and soaked bed.

He had a routine health check up at school a couple of months ago and the doctor said not to worry about it until he is 7.

perhaps he isnt ready to be dry yet esp if wetting that much at night time.

maybe he needs to try the medication desmopressin?

I don't mean to hijack this thread at all, so apologies!!

Lindseyfox - lots of very good tips thank you. But I have to admit I am slightly freaking about the 'lifting' advice. I have been lifting my DD for about three months and didn't realise it might be teaching her to wee while asleep...yikes, not what I was intending to do at all. The strange thing is for the first three months of being dry at night I didn't lift, she got up by herself a couple of times a night, horray life was good. Then it all went backwards so I started lifting in an effort to cut down on the washing and not having to go back to pull ups (oooh, I'm all about the environment, me) and it does work, hardly ever does she wet at night when I lift her at 10pm. So do I understand correctly that I can lift her as long as she is fully awake, should I let her walk to the loo herself instead of propping her up under her arms etc? Like all of you we want to do the best by the DC but the constant wet sheets can BREAK you esp with this crep weather!

I'd be lost without my tumble dryer!
I have to wash wet sheet & pjs every day.
Not very environmentally friendly though.

annas bananas yes would be a good idea to let her walk to toilet herself have you asked her why she doesnt get up to the loo on her own anymore maybe she wakes up and is too scared to go on her own - maybe buy her a torch so she can use that.

hey as an adult i have every light on in the house when i get up to loo in the night.

Hey everybody another hijacker here - sorry! My child was dry most nights for a few of months but now wets the bed everyother night. (She is only 3.5) I have done the lifting thing but that isnt making any difference at all, but again she is asleep when I do it. Although she does usually manage one but has still wee-d by the time she awakes in the morning. Am thinking of putting back into nappy pants at night as am washing all sheets and quilt nearly everyday. Am also using the pampers bed mats which are brilliant I must say!!!

Ovenbunny - I'm the same as you. DD is 3ys9months and was dry initially for about 6-8 weeks getting up on her own accord but no longer, wetting say 1/3 of the time. DH is way in Afgan (army) so perhaps she is unsettled, although she initiated the no-nappy thing herself after he had left. Re-thinking the lifting now seeing the experienced advice above. I can cope with the sheets but she always seems to wee over the duvet too, SOOOO frustrating!! I can't understand how they can go backwards when they have been dry for a period of time. I will try the bed mats.

Hi AnnasBananas. My DD is about the same age. She had been dry for quite a few months and is now wetting again 5 out of 7 nights for about a month I think. My duvets are also soaking wet too. I put her in pull ups last night for first time, and bless her she was chuffed to bits when she woke up and proudly proclaimed she hadnt we the bed last night! I said you have a pull up on, she said oh, and looked a bit said then laughed as she said it was all wet!!! I am going to stick with the pull ups for now until they are dry for a few nights in a row, it was only when they were dry before that i stopped using them. If she doesnt want them on then i will wait till she is asleep before i put them on her. She has had no issues to affect her so shall just wait till she is ready again. I remember her day time accidents came back at one stage but only lasted a few weeks so this may be the same. Time will tell.

Hi Loonytunes

I was just about to post a similar message. DS is 4.5 and dry in day for 2 years. Not dry at night but doesn't like nappies so took him out of them 3 months ago. Has has just a handful of dry nights in that time. Is a very heavy sleeper too.

I was just about to go back to nappies but have just seen Lindsay Fox's advice and am going to follow it - more to drink in the day, no more lifting, and persevere with no nappies for a while longer. Mt health visitor also gave me the drinking lots during the day tip - helps with bladder control - so here goes. I'm glad my washing machine has an economy button! Good luck, they'll get there in their own time...

Thanks Lindsay.

hope my advice helps

do seem a little mean saying dont do this and do this but summer months are suppose to be drier weather wise (looking out window now would think it was dec) so easier for drying sheets etc.

regarding wet duvets buy some cheap blankets and use those much easier to wash.

if you know roughly what time they wet try setting an alarm clock for 15mins before that time so they can get up and wee. (sometimes they wet not long after going to bed so ensure they have double voided -2 wees and some children wet about 20mins before they get up so set alarm for before this)

good luck- some children are just more immature than others and take longer.

I wet the bed til i was 15yrs and totally sympathise.

desmopressin didn't work for dd1 - even double the dose.
we used an enuresis alarm - BUT - she was a disconnector (did it in her sleep as far as we could work out), so we had to rig it where she couldn't reach, and use a baby monitor to wake US up when the alarm went off (the noise didn't wake her). We would then go in, lights on, lots of noise, shaking her shoulders, wake her up thoroughly and get her up and wee/ change etc. This was the only thing that worked. it took about a month before we had the stat 14 days dry and stopped using the alarm, and she now happily takes herself for a wee in the night if she needs to and is dry at long last. neither dd1 nor ds1 would wake if the bed was wet - such heavy sleepers.

DS1's turn now. I'm still slightly miffed that weren't all like dd2, who's been dry day and night since 2. It was a real saga having to exlain to a 3 year old that her big brother and sister were still in pull ups at night and she wasn't...

So please tell me amongst all the conflicting advise, what does work and what doesnt?

different things work for different kids

that doesn't help, really, does it? it's like everything else, you just have to work down the list and see what works for the child in question - no guarantee it'll work for their sibling or any other child though. some will just do it on their own at 2, and others you will try everything in the book for the next ten years. it does generally happen eventually though, even if you have to go the meds/ alarm route, but the laundry and expense is soul destroying.