No nappies at night time - should we carry on?

[TantieTowie]

DS (3.8) has dry in the day for more than a year and recently has been really keen to get out of his nappies at night. We agreed that he could once he'd been dry for seven nights. In the event, once he'd been dry for seven nights we went away for the weekend and so he was dry for 12 nights before finally giving up nappies.

Since then, however, it's all gone to pot. He was dry for the first three nights but after that has weed every night except one since then (seven nights in the last eight).

He's keen to carry on and DH thinks going back to nappies would seem like a punishment - but I'm a bit fed up, especially since he seems more likely to wake in the night now, whether or not he's done a wee, and can take a while to get back to sleep.

WWYD? (or what did you do?)

Thanks in advance.

Do you let your ds drink before bed?My ds doesn't drink after 5.30. He's in bed at 7.30.

I think you need to let your ds try. There are bound to be accidents but he'll get better. If you don't let him try then he'll never learn.

I let him have a small amount of milk before bed - and make sure all other drinks are at least an hour beforehand and that he goes to the loo before he goes to bed. But that's not changed since the 12 days dry in nappies. Hmm.

You need to get rid of the nappy. He is bound to have accidents but he'll get there. I know it's a pain getting up during night to change bedding etc but it's not forever.

My ds is 3.3. He's been out of nappies at night for 6 months. He asked to not wear a nappy. I put his potty in his room and he has a night light. He doesn't have anything to drink after half 5. He goes to toilet before bed etc. It was very hit and miss to start with but he's fantastic now.

I have a waterproof cover on mattress and I was also using some of those bed pads (think they were huggies) which makes changing the bed during the night faster. Get a pile of bedding out ready.

We're in a really similar position with ds3 who is 4 (just). He can go for a week or two without weeing at night and then wet the bed two, three or more nights in a row. I tell you, after several days of dirty sheets, I was a bit 'gloves off' and he was back in pull up pants.

We have a bit of a deal where he has to go 7 nites (in pull up pants) without weeing and then he can have a chocolate bar - and wear only big boy pants at nite, until the next accident.

OR - at the weekend, he can have a try at no pull up pants, but he won't earn a reward (other than heaps of praise, that goes with every dry nite).

I take the view that when he's ready, he's ready, and other than comforting him for the indignaty (sp?) of wearing a nappy at nite, I can't force the issue, just have to wait for him to be really ready.

My 3.5 DS had been dry at night since March and initially he was as you describe, dry for a couple of nights then accidents then dry etc.. - a bit hit and miss but then all went dry for almost 7 months... until about 2 weeks ago then it's been back to accidents every night or at least most nights. Having looked here, it seems quite normal to but the general consensus is to not go back to nappies but just keep changing those sheets and they 'crack' it soon enough.

Thanks for some good advice from you all. I think it sounds as if we would do well to try a bit longer before giving up. We now have a second waterproof sheet so I'm feeling a bit stronger about it now!

Also the sleeping has been better for the last two nights. I think of the two options I kind of prefer DS waking up wet at 7am to having to wake up at 3am to deal with it [resigned]

Ha!
We've gone for the opposite decision. DS just turned 4. Had 3 nights of trauma (well slight overplay there) before deciding to quit. Too distressing, not to mention tiring.

Funny, when we decided to quit, the following night he woke up with an almost dry nappy- they are normally drenched. Still, I'm going to do it in 6 months if he hasn't asked again. He was very happy to have the nappy back. If he hadn't been I probably would have continued.