When should I give night dryness a go?

[PrincessOfWails]

DS is 3yrs 4 months. He's great on daytime and can hold it in good and proper especially when playing. He still has pullups at night, and they're usually wet in the morning, but we sometimes get dry ones too (we did get dry ones a lot when he was newly trained during the day).
Should we be trying to get him dry at night or is it too early? And are there any signs we should be looking for? (Have just read a few threads on here about some hormone.)
We had a chat about it this evening and he said he still wanted a nappy. But he is a bit lazy...

My DS is nearly 4 and dry during the day, but still sometimes wets during the night, so we still put him in pullups at bedtime.
Sometimes he wakes in the night, calling for me to take him to the toilet, and he'll do a massive wee; but sometimes he still wees in his sleep.
I'm not worried about it. When his pullup is dry for 2 weeks running then I'll try leaving the pullup off. He'll be dry at night when he's good and ready.

Oh, ok, thanks. I guess he's not ready - in which case we'll not put ourselves through laundry hell just for fun!

Actually I don't think that it is necessarily right that you need to wait until you have a couple of weeks of dry nappies - particularly as your DS had dry nappies initially when you day time trained him which definitely indicates that he is capable and whatever that hormonal thing is it has probably clicked in for him. His initial dryness would indicate to me that he has the control absolutely fine to go through the night but when he realised he was still allowed to use nappies as an alternative loo at night he does so (why not - it's easier). I potty trained both my DDs around the age of 2, but as I was advised I kept them in night nappies, which were always soaking wet and weighed a ton in the morning. Each time, after a few months I gave it a go without a nappy at night and they were both absolutely fine without the nappy despite neither of them ever once having had a dry nappy in the morning. DS was slightly different in that although like the girls he potty trained at just turned 2, unlike them he immediately had dry nappies in the morning so I just stopped using the night nappies almost immediately and he was fine.

It is very true that lots of children aren't able to go through the night until much older (that hormonal thing), but also lots and lots are, but they get into the habit of using the nappy because it is there and convenient. Give it a go for a couple of nights - if after a few nights it's still a disaster then go back to night nappies and try again in two months (etc...). A few nights of laundry hell and then you could be free of the stinking nappy nightmare for good (I can't tell you the relief when I chucked out the last bloody one after 6 and a half years of non stop nappies!! We are now a nappy free zone!)

I have five children (older) and found that at about this stage, you can probably just go for it. Often, if you just remove a night-time nappy, they will remain dry, just like that. If a nappy is on, they'll use it.

If you have a few days of a wet nappy, say nothing, get them to 'help' change the sheets, and try again a month later.

I had a friend whose 4 yr old was not dry at night, and I mentioned this. She tried it, and it worked, and he stopped the occasional accident in the day, too. Perhaps they find it easier to use one system (ie no nappy) than two, as it is less to remember!

Hello all Sorry to hijack your thread Princess of Wails but this subject is of interest to me too. DS is 3 years 8 months. He was potty trained at around 2.5 years (so about 18 months ago). Potty trained him within a week but kept nappies on for nap-time and night-time. Wouldn't say he was the most reliable. Lots accidents due to forgetting or stubbornness but now he is great during the day.

Problem is at night: he is weeing so much that have to change his nappy once in the night otherwise he has leaked out everywhere by the morning. And even with one wee he sometimes leaks out (we're on pampers size 6). He doesn't always wake when he is all wet. The odd times he takes an afternoon nap, have to put a nappy on as he will wee in his sleep (and still carry on napping!!).

Have tried things like reducing fluids etc. Rewards and lots of praise if he does wake me to go to toilet. Always try to get him to go to the toilet before bed but sometimes he flatly refuses. Last night, for example, he wouldn't go at bathtime and refused to go after reading time 30 mins or so later. We were standing at the toilet, pyjamas down etc and DS kept saying he didn't need to go. Then two hours later when I went into his room, he had a HUGE wet nappy (luckily not leaked out). By morning, the new nappy was also wet.

We did have a period over the summer where he improved and didn't have to change nappies at night. Think he was also completely dry one night too

A lot of you have suggested just taking nighttime nappy off ad seeing how it goes for a couple of nights. What do you reckon for DS? thinking I might try it (and have sheets and clean pyjamas etc on standby!!)

purplebucket - it sounds like an excessive amount of liquid so he is unlikely to become dry at night. With DS1 (3.2), I couldn't work out why he was so wet when he had a) last liquid at 5.30pm with tea b) had a wee before his bath and before bed and c) we would sometimes lift him. Then I realised that in the bath, he was drinking the bath water whilst playing!

He is now NOT allowed to drink bath water (have explained why i.e. it is dirty and he will have a wet nappy). If he does drink it, bath time is over!

I now bribe him with a chocolate egg (left over from Easter!) if he wakes with a dry nappy. He was instantly motivated and has been dry for two weeks.

I now need to find the courage to take the nappy off (pregnant with DC3 so can't face being woken in the night!!)...

i would maybe try him now. when dd was dry through the day, i was still putting her in pull ups on a night. they were dry in morning, most mornings, but the odd one wasnt. i was advised to stop putting the pull ups on her. she stopped weeing on a night. i agree with the poster who said 1 system is better for 2 (in my experience anyway :) )

chocolate biscuit face at drinking the bath water!

Same as you- not sure where all this liquid is coming from. Last cup of milk is about 5:30pm and maybe a sip of water as he goes to bed. Definitely not drinking bath water though as I shower DCs now.

Last poster- thank you but your daughter sounded in mug better position than DS as she was at least waking up with dry nappies quite often.

DD is 3 and a half. She never has dry nappies in the morning, but like the OP's ds she did used to when first day time trained. I know she does sometimes wee in her nappy at bed time because it is there. Hmm - I might just go for it tonight and see what happens.