DD potty trained during day but getting upset about nappies at night what to do?

[kenobi]

DD is 23 mo and potty trained beautifully during the day about 3 weeks ago.

However she is starting to fuss about peeing in her nappy at night and asking for it to be changed - sometimes even when she hasn't peed. I can't night train her as she is still in a cot (and not ready for a big bed) plus she isn't capable of undressing herself.

At the moment I'm trying to explain to her that it's ok to wet herself at night as she's got a nappy on, but you know what it's like trying to explain anything to a toddler - it's all a bit and miss! I feel for her though - she's been told to tell people if she needs a wee yet at night it's ok? Very confusing. However there is a chance she's using it as an excuse for nighttime attention.

Any ideas?

What does she do when she needs a wee at night? Does she cry and bring you through? If so, why not just have a potty there so she can go, then she's getting the same message day and night. I'd guess that's why she says her nappy needs changed when it doesn't - she needs to go and doesn't understand why you're not providing the potty.

If she starts being silly and calling you through several times a night, then that's different of course, and you'll need her to understand its not an excuse for attention. But if she needs to go and can't get to the potty herself, then of course she's unhappy about it.

I really don't think that you can tell her to use a nappy at night if she doesn't want to - it seems to go against all potty training principles to tell a child to use a nappy when they don't want to!! If she wants to be dry at night then I really think that you should go for it or you might find she just gets used to weeing when lying in bed and you have a nightmare night training her later on as you have conditioned her to do that .

Why don't you try lifting her and putting her on the potty every night before you go to bed (which should dramatically cut down on night time calls to do a wee) until such time as you are ready to swap her to a bed and she can manage a potty on her own.

DS potty trained at exactly 2 and was like your DD in that he would wake and call out wanting help to do a wee in the early hours, even if wearing a nappy. He was in a bed but he couldn't cope with pulling PJs up and down etc on his own. I ditched the night nappy and started lifting him before I went to bed which worked perfectly and meant he was fine until morning. I did this for a couple of months until he was confident about using the potty in his room on his own at night if he needed to (and no longer got tangled up in his PJs!).

I tried asking her to do a wee before bed last night (thanks for the suggest), then left the nappy on. She woke once in the night but not about her nappy - she was banging her head on the cot as she'd worked her way into the corner (my clever toddler ) but didn't say anything about her nappy, but it was damp this am.

I really appreciate your advice but am going to struggle on for a few more nights as I'm pg, have terrible SPD and work full time, so the less I have to take her out of the cot at night the better. However I may be back in a few days saying, "yep you were right"...!