How do you stop night time nappies

[sunnymum77]

My 4.5 year old has been toilet trained for ages, but I really don't know how to stop night time
Pull -ups. She is always very wet in the morning, and sometimes she does some poo in it (although not sure if she does this when awake because it's easier than going to the toilet, or in her sleep).Her nursery teacher has told me when she has had the very rare poo accident that it's because she still wears pull-ups! I don't agree with that but still think it's time to stop them, and also her bottom is getting sore! Should I just go cold turkey with those bed mats?? Can't really face being woken up lots in the night but really want to sort this out! Any advice appreciated, thanks.

Limit her liquid intake before bed - no drinks after 6 if going to bed at 7. Encourage a visit to the toilet just before bed. .... And yes go cold turkey. Buy plenty of bed mats. Have spare bedding ready for swift change.- good luck

I'd also recommend taking her to the toilet just before you go to bed. We do this with DS and he doesn't wake in the slightest. We're three weeks in and so far no accidents (famous last words!)

We just use Dri-nights on ds 2 who is nearly 4.

I think it is quite natural and normal to be wet/in nappies at night up until 7 or 8 years of age. You can't train children over what happens when they are asleep, they aren't even aware of what they are doing.

Ds 1 was dry at night from about the age of three, but hey, they are two different children, DS 2, and your daughter will be fine.

I disagree with what the nursery teacher is saying.

Thanks, I do stop drinks from 5.30, she goes to sleep around 7 and goes to the toilet before bed. Have also tried taking her in her sleep at about 10.30/11pm but she never needs to go then...her nappy is already wet! Hard to catch the right time. Will try again maybe at the weekend but not looking forward to it! If it doesn't work I'm resigned
to pull ups indefinitely...

Try 10pm. We realised that 10.30 was too late. Even with the 10pm wee, she sometime wet again, so we went back to pull ups, but she's still 3. Also make sure she wees as soon as she gets up and removes the pull up. No chance for any poo then.

Just to add, if/when you are ready to try no pull ups, we use the disposable changing mats you can buy in packs of 12 (get ours in Sainsburys). They don't 'crunch' like some mats!

Then make up the bed twice - put on the mat then a sheet then another mat and then a top sheet. That way, if your DD wakes up wet in the night you just strip off the top sheet and mat and tuck her back in.

That said, we have only had one accident with DD2 and never had any with DD1 when she was younger. They were both dry day and night aged 3 but with both of them we left it later than they needed to and they asked to stop wearing pull-ups and night. Is much easier if the child is ready and is perfectly normal to still be wetting up to the age of 7 due to hormones that kick in when the child is physically ready i.e. they are able to control their bladder when asleep as hormones do something to stop production of wee (or something!)

My dd 4.4 was just like yours, always wet, even if we woke her before we went to bed. Then just a few weeks ago she decided for herself that she didn't want to wear nappies any more and overnight she stopped! Very odd, I was thinking she was never going to do it. Perhaps just wait til she decides she's ready?

Someone told me that wheteher you're dry or wet as a young child when asleep is largely genetic. It is only considered a medical problem if they are still wet by age 7 / 8. It depends on how many deep sleep / dreaming / almost waking cycles you have in the night. Those who have more deep sleep cycles are less likely to wake / be wet overnight. Sorry to not be much help but it means it's not something to worry about as serious problem - children grow out of it - it just depends on whether their sleep patterns change or their bladders get bigger.

DS, nearly 4, still wears, and very much needs to wear a nappy at night. It is very reassuring reading this thread. He doesn't care that he wears a nappy and is not interested at all in being dry at night. I shall leave it another year or so now. I have no desire to be up in the night to change sheets and pjs because I think he should be dry. Good to know I am not the only 1 and medically this is OK.