Nighttime Potty Training - Chattanooga,TN

Updated on June 28, 2013
M.C. asks from Louisville, KY
11 answers

My dd is 3 years old (as of April) and has been fully daytime potty trained for nearly a year now.

She has hits and misses at night though... She sleeps in thick cotton training underwear, with plastic pants to keep her from making too big of a mess when she has a "miss" night.

When do kids usually stop having accidents at night? I understand that the child's body's needs is the main factor, and that it is pointless to try to night-train before she is ready... But does anyone have any suggestions to help the process along?

I already limit the amount that she gets to drink a couple hours before bed, but I am not willing to cut out drinks altogether. I also have her try to potty as the very last thing before tucking her in, and very first thing in the morning when she wakes up.

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So What Happened?

Thanks momas! My main issue was that I wasn't sure what age night dryness happens. Looks like I still have a few years, so I won't try to change anything. :)

P.s. the cotton training underwear were never an attempt at potty training her... Just a replacement for the too expensive pull-ups! I haven't tried to train her at all yet (besides going before bed and in the morning... The limited water is to keep her from telling me she has to potty every 5 minutes after I tuck her in. Lol.) because I have always thought that it was more of a physical thing than a mental one; I just got curious if it was something she should be doing by now.

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R.R.

answers from Los Angeles on

Nighttime potty training is a misnomer, there's truly no such thing. When her bladder is strong enough to hold it all night until morning she will. Limiting fluids doesn't help, or waking her and taking her in the middle of the night. My granddaughter's pediatrician said they don't consider it a problem at all until at least 8 years, but even longer can be "normal." She was about 7 when she started staying dry through the night.
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ETA - Lol, if she's waking you up every 5 minutes, have you told her she doesn't need you to go and can go on her own? Provide nightlights to light her way there, practice in the evening before bed, first with lights on, then just the nightlights. My guy has been doing this since before 2.5 so I'm thinking she should be fine.

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G.B.

answers from Oklahoma City on

There's nothing you can do but shatter her self image by focusing on her accidents and not being successful. Let it go and she'll stay dry when she get older and is her body is ready. 3 years old is very very very young to be dry during the nighttime.

The old wives tales about waking them up doesn't work, it only makes every one tired. As soon as she starts to wake up she clenches those muscles and pee won't come out. As soon as she's a sleep those muscles will relax and she'll flood everything.

Some kids are 10 years old when they have their first dry night. So let it go and she'll be fine.

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K.A.

answers from San Diego on

There is nothing at all that you can do to speed along nighttime dryness.
All you can do is make things easier for you to clean up.
All kids mature at different times.
My boys were between 4-5, closer to 5, before they could stay dry at night. My daughter just turned 4 and can not stay dry at night yet.
Limiting drinks, waking to pee in the middle of the night etc are not going to do anything at all but disrupt everyone's sleep and just be a hassle.
Just do whatever makes it easier for you to clean up and wait until her body matures enough so the signal is sent from her brain to her bladder to not make urine at night and to be able to hold it until morning.

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J.T.

answers from Dallas on

2 of my kids day and night trained the same day... my middle child is almost 8 and has a soaked goodnight EVERY night. I don't think hes even close. We don't discuss or make a big deal, I don't limit drinks or any of that - I figure it'll happen when it happens!

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P.G.

answers from Dallas on

Everything I've read says it depends on your bladder and a chemical in your body. If her body isn't producing it, she's not ready. Keep the pull ups on till you notice they are dry for at least 2 weeks in a row. They make mattress pads you can use when she's ready to transition.

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P.K.

answers from New York on

Time is what she needs. Can't rush this.

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L.O.

answers from Detroit on

you cannot teach her this . you have to wait for her brain to mature and wake up her body.. just keep doing the cotton training pants or pullups..

my daughter is 7 and still wet most nights... she wears pull ups.. I don't say anything about wet pull ups.. she is not doing this on purpose.

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P.M.

answers from Portland on

There's a hormone called vasopressin that naturally reduces the amount of urine produced while asleep, reducing the need to either wake up to pee or urinate while asleep. This kicks in for a majority of kids by the time they are between 2 and 5, but a fair number of kids don't produce enough vasopressin until as late as puberty. They can't help it (poor kids – imagine the dread of sleepovers).

Other fairly common problems that can make bedwetting more likely are urinary tract infections, which stimulate nerves that make peeing a stronger need, or constipation, which can cause the bowel to press against the bladder (I've experienced this myself during the daytime, too!). But these problems tend to show up sometime after a child has been waking dry for awhile.

Here's a great website that gives all kinds of less-known causes of nighttime peeing: http://www.parentingscience.com/bed-wetting.html. Incidentally, this site has excellent tips for all kinds of parenting concerns.

B.C.

answers from Norfolk on

Some kids are 10 or 12 yrs old before they can stay dry through the night.
Our son was 7 before he could manage it and he was day trained at 3 1/2.
I just didn't want to deal with a wet bed and all the extra laundry all the time so we used pullups till he woke up dry for a sold 2 weeks in a row.
There is nothing anyone can do to mature their bladders any faster.
Be patient and don't stress her about it.

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B.P.

answers from Cleveland on

Honestly she needs pull ups or something at night not training under wear.

M.M.

answers from Chicago on

My son is 5, and still wakes up with a full pull up every morning.

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