Question-Potty Training for overnight

[inHistiming]

Okay, this question is for anyone who has children that have gone through potty training and are sleeping through the night and staying dry. I know, I've already done this with 2 older children , but potty training has been one of the most difficult aspects of child-rearing for us. My littlest is potty trained, but he does still wear pull ups at night. I ran out of pull ups a few days ago, and was not able to go out and buy any. My husband suggested, and I thought the same, that this might be the time to try to "push" training for nighttime. Do any of you have suggestions, things that helped with your kids. The older two have been trained for a while now, and our youngest is a BIG drinker, where the others weren't. I've been changing sheets every day because he still wets at night. I've put towels on the bed to help with that, but of course he shifts and misses the towel! I fo have a mattress cover on the bed, due to dust mite allergies. Any suggestions for protecting the mattress as well? If you have tips for me I would so appreciate it. Thanks!

[faith0428]

I've potty trained two girls and have a son and daughter that I will be potty training in the future. All kids are different, so it's hard to say. I presonally would occasionally wet my bed at night and had accidents in the day until I was around 6. My parents discovered I had an allergy to dairy and when they limited that in my diet, the accidents stopped.

How old is your son? With my two oldest we wouldn't let them have anything to drink but water after dinner time (we still do this a lot) and would extremely limit how much water they had the hour before bed time.

I wouldn't push too hard though because he might not be physically able to keep from having accidents while he's sleeping. Being able to sleep through the night without having an accident has some to do with muscle development. I know how frustrating it is to constantly be cleaning up accidents, but you definitely don't want him to feel bad for something he can't control - not to say you do. You might call your pediatrician for advice also.

As far as protecting your mattress, until mine were completely accident free at night, I would put those waterproof pads on the bed like you use in cribs. I still had sheets to wash, but it protected the mattress and mattress cover.

Hope this helps a little. Hang in there.

[hugsathome]

Hello...and be encouraged....this too shall pass.

I, personally, have never liked the pull-ups idea. I didn't use them for potty training during the day, because I think they are too confusing and just extend the duration of training. But, I realize that you need something at night. So, we would always put the child to bed at the regular time...then we would wake them up around 11:00ish when we went to bed. We would then help them to the potty and that always helped tremendously!! The child usually never even remembered it the next morning....they are still half asleep!!! Sometimes, we brought them in the bathroom several times during the night. it really seemed to work for us. It gives the child success and you aren't changing sheets every morning!!!!! We continued to do this ...stretching out the length of time if needed....until the child could go through the night.

[inHistiming]

He's only 4.5. I know it's normal for boys, especially, to wet their beds for quite a while. I did until I was probably 8. Is it hereditary? My pediatrician said, wih my older son, it could happen up until he's 7. The pullups are just expensive...but I know he can't help it. I just change the sheets each morning. Thanks for the encouragement; and I'll still take more tips.

[Melanie]

BTDT....potty training was by far and away the hardest parenting task ever tackled at our house. Taking away the bottle....easy as pie. Taking away the pacifier....no prob Bob. Potty training.....heaven help us!!

My kids would do ok at home, but were seriously petrified of toilets that flushed by themselves (automatic) in public restrooms!! To this day at 7, 7 and almost 6 they still jump off and put their hands over their ears and get in the farthest corner until it finishes.

We used the matress covers that were also padded so it would not be so slick that the sheet would come off easily. We also limited liquids before bedtime. Now, this next one you may or may not try....I get up a lot during the night anyway, so for awhile I would wake them up in the night and take them to the potty and then put them back to bed. It's a little bit of trouble, but I thought it was easier than changing sheets every morning.

Wishing you luck...and don't worry, they won't go to college wetting the bed!

[hugsathome]

Also, I just wanted to add one more tid-bit... we use honey!!!

There is a lot of info on the web about honey curing bed-wetting!! You might want to check it out.

Wishing you dry sheets in the morning!!!!

[Melanie]

hugsathome - we posted at the same time, but that's is exactly what I did. They really don't remember getting up, and we completely stopped using any diapers at night once we started taking them in the night. It really does work, and I think it helps to train their bodies to get up and go when they need to.

I've never heard of the honey thing....how does that work??

[hugsathome]

I think the honey aids in water retention and it soothes the child. It is suppose to be very effective!!!

We love honey and buy it raw in our own town.

[blessedmomof4]

I used pull-ups at night for my kids-they eventually just stopped wetting on their own, some sooner than others. My son was the latest, wetting at night until about age 4.5 so maybe it's a boy thing. My oldest dd was fully trained before age 2, and my other 2 girls about 2.5.

[Tansy]

I have a bed wetter she has actually told me its just easier to pee in her bed than get up. I have put the baby potty in her bed room, changed sheets every night, woken her up at night, restricted fluids after 7. 6. 5. 4. pm, rewards, bribes, used the bed wetting alarm even taken her to the doctor, ad nausum.

Nothing worked. Finally I just gave up.... pullups were added to grocery list.

Then I took her to a Ortodontist, her teeth were on top of one another think shark. He sent me to a allergist who said nope not really allergic to any thing, Yippie one less medication a day. He sent us to a ENT (ear nose ect) Who did a CT of her head. Wow her adiniods were a big as golf balls. So we did the works removed the adinoids and tonsills. and discovered that dry raspy cough the Dr.s all told me was asthma disappeared!!! Wow no more ASTHMA! You see my poor baby was having to cough to open her air way, the adinoids were blocking the air flow. Wow now she is on Zero medication a day from 3 doses of steroids and 2 doses of allergy meds a day to nothing yippie!!!

She still wets her bed but it went from every night to like 2 times a week to now its like 1 every 2 weeks. Also her teeth are straightening out on thier own not greatly but better. Since the arch of her teeth is formed at night if she sleeps with mouth open she has a narrow arch and the teeth are crowded. If she sleeps with mouth closed the arch grows wider teeth come in naturally. I love our orthodontist because he would rather not have your kid in braces. So until age 12 all visits are free!

ASK your self Does my child snore? sleep with mouth open? cough at night but not wake up? restless sleeper? Over bite? under bite? crowded teeth? all signs something could be inhibiting the air way.

Now we are down to salt water nasal rinses before bed, better than 6 more weeks of antibiotics, or doses of steroids, and just as effective.

And I never knew bed wetting was linked to air flow but it really is!

So my advice for you is buy the pull ups or have them stuff a washcloth in the underpants. And DO NOT make a big deal out of it. Treat it very nonchalantly. Pull ups give you a good night sleep, and a happy mama is better for family.

[crlacey]

We used cloth "pull-ups" at night and called them night-time undies until Katie was constantly dry through the night. That way, you could wash and reuse them instead of throwing them out.

Melanie - about the auto flush toilets. if you carry post it notes with you, you can put a post it note over the sensor and then the kids can control when it flushes.

[Melanie]

Melanie - about the auto flush toilets. if you carry post it notes with you, you can put a post it note over the sensor and then the kids can control when it flushes.

Thank you...that is a great idea! I usually just stand there with my hand over the sensor and wait until they are completely out of the stall...

[shera]

I was going to suggest the cloth pull ups. I bought 1 at first to see if it would work. I think ds wet it overnight like twice before he realized this feels disgusting and then he stopped. They are pricey but if you think your child is not ready to stay dry overnight they are cheaper than boxes of pull ups.

Another thing I have been known to do is put a waterproof cover than fitted sheet then another water proof cover and fitted sheet then the top sheet. This way in the middle of the night you can take wet fitted sheet and mattress cover off and the bed still has another sheet on it. It saves having to make the bed up in the middle of the night.

HTH
Sarah

[momof4]

Not much advice, though, I do sympathize with changing sheets alot. My 2nd one has an issue with her bladder. Still waiting for her to grow out of it completely.

We use a plastic cover over the mattress to protect it. It can get warm at night, but saves the mattress.

I like the post it idea! My ds hates loud noises so this should help him alot.

Laurie

[netpea]

I was a bedwetter until around 6.5. I remember very well what that was like, my parents didn't shame me or anything but I hated being wet every morning. It finally resolved itself somehow. Anyway, oldest wet the bed till 6.5 when I caught him peeing in his pullups BEFORE he fell asleep. Pullups went bye bye and after a week or two of wet sheets, he started getting up to go potty.

My daughter is 5 and still wets. She is dry more frequently if she wears pullups (which she hates) than if she wears underwear. I have no idea why that is so. We've been trying to eliminate drinks after dinner and I sometimes take her to the bathroom when I go to bed.

I am going to look into the honey someone mentioned. Here's hoping you find success and pass your secret on.