still wetting the bed at night

My girls are about to turn 5 after xmas. They were day potty trained at ONE. Why on EARTH can I not get them night trained?!?!?!

We've tried limiting their fluids, making them go pee before bed, tried waking them up before WE go to bed to get them to use the potty (worked 1 night, any other night they were to knocked out and I literally lifted a sleeping kid to the toilet..) We have a training toilet sitting right next to the bed, as well we leave the bathroom light on in case they want to use that instead.... We just want them to USE the toilet in the middle of the night, so we don't have to do so much laundry! Lol

The major problem is my kids like to SUCK the bathtub DRY when they are in it. And I've tried giving them a shower, they stick their heads down at the drain and suck water out that way. I know, disgusting and I haven't figured out how to make them stop. And no, they aren't dehydrated. LOL


Any ideas how we can get these girls night trained?? I don't want to have to put them back in pull-ups, but I'm beginning to think that's the solution cuz washing 2 sets of sheets EVERY day is getting OLD....

 

They will be night trained when their bodies are physically capable of holding it all night. My almost 4 year olds have been dry all night since they potty trained at 3.5, my 7.5 year old still wakes up wet 3-4 nights a week, we do nothing different with him than we do with them regarding liquids. We buy pull ups and don't make a big deal about it at all. No sense stressing him or us out over something we can't control.

Your kids will be ready eventually. I know that isn't the answer you are hoping for, but based on my research and my conversations with our pediatrician, it is the truth.

 

If they drink so much tub water, what about morning baths?

 

Morning baths, make them change the bed, and also, you may need to go pull ups at night because they just aren't ready. You may cut off all water and still have accidents. I know its frustrating but hopefully you can find the right combination to keep everyone happy.

 

I'm right there with you. My girls have been day trained since they were just barely two, and one night trained at just barely three. My other daughter is no where near night trained at 4.5. They drink the same amount of water, both pee before bed, and one stays dry all night while the other has never woken up dry. Ever. I wish there was a magic button I could push - I, too, am sick of buying pull-ups!

 

Same here - Ian is still in pull ups at night and will be for the foreseeable future...according to his ped if he's not dry at night by the time he's 8 then we'll worry...

he'll be good for 3 or 4 nights straight and then will wake up one morning with a pull up that weighs what he does...we just don't make a big deal out of it

 

My oldest just turned 9, and I think she's only been dry at night for about a year. The little girls were dry at night long before she was. It just took time. She was/is a very deep sleeper and just never woke up. Limiting her fluids at night didn't help. We just make sure she uses the bathroom before she goes to bed. In fact, I just work her up to go because she fell asleep. It took her time. We were patient, though it seemed like she'd wet the bed forever!

 

Jessy was night trained at around 2. we did nothing special she just stopped peeing at night. Jazz however was over 5. As pp has said night train is a body thing not a training thing. If their body isn't ready you can't force it. Plus at this age they get really upset since its something they aren't doing on purpose.

 

Hi:

We had one that night trained early and one that took years longer. The pedi told us that it is a "brain" thing. That at some point, the brain will "wake" up the body to go to the bathroom, or the "brain" will tell the body not to go during the night. The pedi told us that this cannot be taught (or rushed). She also said that she would not advise trying this until age 7, but that there is a bedwetting alarm system (Malem?) that can be used to try to help the brain along. I've seen posts about this system on my local moms group listserve and it has seemed to work for some.

I would pack your patience and just put them in pull ups or good nights.

Good luck to you!

Meg

 

Aaron is still wet most mornings too. The ped here also said 8 is the earliest to even think about being worried about it. We just continue to use pullups/goodnights and wait.

 

My pedi just told me that approximately 1% of 18 yr olds still wet the bed occasionally. My girls just turned 6 and one is only dry a couple mornings a month. The other wakes up wet a couple mornings a week. It drives me a little nuts but I'm a lot better lately about staying unemotional about it. Sabrina sleeps in pullups. Sydney is a lot bigger and would need the goodnights that cost quite a bit more. And since she's dry more she just gets her bedding changed when she does wet the bed. Luckily they're still in toddler beds with mattresses that are easily wiped down.

 

I have one still in pullups at night. My choice, I'd rather not have to change the sheets every night. She is almost 11. Her twin sister trained daytime in a day, and just started being dry at night suddenly, at 2 1/2. This one didn't train for daytime until days before preschool started. I did nothing different with them up to the point where the first one trained by herself. I guess she was just ready, and her sister wasn't.


Nighttime has been a difficult time for all involved. However we have seen a pediatric urologist at Boston Children's Hospital and he told us she could be 11-15 before her body is ready to stay dry at night. I have a niece who is 15 who still has wet nights. Part of it is problems they both have with their urinary systems, but the doctor told me that it wasn't unusual for many kids, girls especially to have difficulty with training at night until their bodies are ready, and that sometimes doesn't happen until after 12 or 13.

I have tried limiting her liquid intake, not letting her have anything to drink after a certain time, changing what she drinks....nothing has helped. Apparently she has a large bladder and until she is completely asleep and her body takes over from her brain, she doesn't realize she needs to go.

 

There are some 'devices' that sense wetness and will wake child up. It is a total brain thing. It is not like they are doing it on purpose. My daughter was night trained pretty quick but my son was still in pull-ups at night until last Spring, so about 9 months ago. They are 6 right now. It sounds as if you are doing all you can... potty before bed, limiting liquids etc... just needs some patience.

Not so funny, funny story. My mom will come with us when we go up to the cabin on the lake. The kids LOVE to sleep with her. She grew up KNOWING that kids need something to drink right before bed (even though I have advised against it frequently). One night Clayton was going to sleep with her in bed and was no exception. She gave him liquids right up until the time they went to bed. Fast forward to 1am when she had to change her clothes, his cloths and the bed because his pull-up was soaked! She listens to me now.

It takes time and the child really cannot do any better.

 

Wow. I didn't realize it could take SOOOO long for some kids to night train.. I wasn't really concerned until recently, but now that they are almost 5 I was thinking they should be waking up dry in the morning.

I've looked at the devices that wake them up at night, my cousin used that when she was a kid.. But they are $80 for ONE set! No thanks, I can do without it.. Lol

 

My DDs turned 6 in November. One of them started being dry at night (nothing we did, she just started waking up with a dry pull-up) at four and a half. The other one still soaks her pull-up every night.

We've recently started paying her 10 cents if she goes potty right before getting into bed. This is just to try to get her in the habit, but it doesn't seem to make any difference.

She also doesn't mind wearing a pull-up at all. She is terrified of accidents. My biggest concern is that she will still be wearing a pull-up when she's old enough to get invited for sleepovers (other than with her cousins), but I guess we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. At least I'm not changing sheets all the time.

FWIW, our next-door neighbors have daughters age 4 and 6. The younger one is dry at night, the older one is not!

 

My niece has a playhouse bed. It is a loft and is very challenging to change the sheets. She is a very smart/bright girl. She will be 7 in March. She was potty trained at 2 years old exactly. When little sister came 7 months later, she regressed. I talked to my brother on his birthday (30th) of last month and he told me that both their girls (ages 4 & almost 7) wet their beds the prior night. It doesn't matter how smart they are, it is their brain that controls that aspect of potty during the middle of the night. I heard of a mom who started punishing her child (after turning 2) for wetting the bed at night. Umm... not cool.

 

I wet the bed until I was 11. /shrug It was a thing of sleeping too heavily and not being aware of wetness or feeling the urge to go in the middle of the night. It was very embarrassing and I didn't feel like I could go spend the night at anyone's house.

I'm very thankful that Alice night trained when she was day trained, Royce day trained six months later and night trained about 4 months after that.