Dry at night but still in cot- what would you do?

[floozie]

Hi
I am not a regular poster on here but would appreciate your input on this little dilema.
DS, who is 2 next month, has done really well with potty training, exceeding all my expectations and seems to be dry not only during the day but at night too. I am considering putting him in pants at night, he currently wears a motherease nappy, which is how I can tell he is dry. When I get him up he has an ENORMOUS wee on the potty! He is still in a cot as small for age and there is no rush to put him in a big bed (despite trying for 11 months there is no baby brother or sister yet ) He loves his cot and often tells me when I get him up!. he shows no sign of wanting to get out- even waiting for me to get him up in the mornings (he is always lying down when I go in!) so hadn't contemplated even moving him into a big bed. However, my sister (older with baby number 4 on way!) thinks that if I put him in pants at night I should move him into a bed as he will feel trapped if he needs to wee at night. She compared it to a dog being shut in the house and needing to wee! I get her point but I can't imagine DS being able to get himself up, pull down his PJ's and wee on a potty and then get back into bed anyway. He isn't very physical- was prem and only walked at 18 1/2 months and still needs help up and down steps. I imagine he would call for me if he needed a wee- as he does now at a very respectable 7.30am! I know it is a strange dilema as most children are in a bed before they are dry at night- my DS just does everything back to front! What would you do and do you think it would be cruel (my sisters words) to put him in pants in a cot?!

I think if he is happy in his cot then if you would prefer to i would let him stay in it. If he calls you for a wee then theres no problem. My ds age 2.4 is in a bed and he still calls me to get him up in the mornings as he likes me to pick him up anyway. To compare it to a dog is a bit ridiculous and anyway if a dog was shut in the house and needed to go pee it would bark to tell you the same as your ds can call you.

my dd3 is 3.7 and still in a cotbed..she has been dry at night since she was 2 and has NEVER wet the bed. She almost never wakes up needing to go either - the only time she has she has called us to take her to the toilet (about 11pm).
I don't put her in any pants..just pyjama bottoms. Of course it's not cruel.

I imagine your DS will just shout if he needs you for help with a wee, but I'd be surprised if he needs to get up in the night to wee anyway.

My DS is a bit older (2.8) and in a bed, but has just potty trained and seems dry at night. I put him in just pjs this week, after a week of dry nights. I don't expect him to sort himself out at night - he calls me, or at least he did, the ONE time he has needed a wee at night. And he was awake anyway then.

He sounds very similar to my DD1 late walker (18 1/2months too) needed a lot of help even when she did start walking etc. She was in pants in a cot without any issues. She never woke up for a wee and I'm sure she felt safe in her cot - not trapped . I think you know better than your sister on this one - certainly does not sound cruel to me at all.

If he is still in a cot past his 2nd birthday prepare yourself for the raised eyebrows and strange comments. DD1 stayed in her cotbed until she was 3 - she liked it there and I didn't have to worry about her falling out of bed (she's very clumsy ). Listening to some of the comments I got about it you'd think I'd had her in shackles chained to the wall

Good luck with the TTC

If it ain't broke, don't try to fix it for your sister's benefit. You and your wee man are happy with how things are and that's all that counts!

Thanks for all your help and input, really helpful and makes me feel much better

BigBadmouse ? didn?t realise I would be judged for keeping him in a cot beyond two- so thanks for heads up on that! I think my mum had us all in cots, quite happily, for about 4 years! I know quite a few of my friends have put their children in beds, but just assumed it was to make room for number two!

Thanks again, and as Ches says- if it aint broke, don't fix it!

As long as he can't climb out of the cot and get hurt, then I'd leave him in it. I just put my DS (2) in bed with pjs, no pants. Sounds like he'll be fine in the cot with just pjs - he'll call or cry if he wants you. I took my DS out of the cot because he could climb out and it was dangerous.

I think he should be moved to a bed once he can get up in the night if he needs the loo, then if he needs to he can,

Your sister makes a good point, but in this case you say he does a large wee every morning, so if he wakes in his cot at night he will probably need to go pretty urgently, and is pretty likely you won't get there intime. Whether he's in pant's or a nappy this makes no difference, so at the moment I don't think it's cruel.

I'd just check that he doesn't find sleeping in the cot babyish, if he does move him to a bed.

Don't worry about what others think, our 5yo girl is incontinent and up until recently was still sleeping with a nappy on in her cot, she only moved because she was physically getting too big. Do be prepared from frowns from others in you keep him in the cot past 2 1/2 though.

SunshinePine it's not necessarily true that he'll need to go so urgently he wets himself. DS can hold it like a trooper, has done since oh 16 months, if he's motivated (e.g. by boobies). He won't go and wee until he's had his fill at the buffet.

In which case leave the nappy off. Don't see the need for pants, why not just pyjamas?