Nighttime Potty Training--How and When?

I have a boy who has been potty trained for a year now during days. We still have pull ups on at night b/c he won't wake up to go for anything. I have tried to wake him up and he cant wake up enough to go. The doctor told me their brains have to figure it out, it could take up to the age of 12 and not to stress about it. I have tried limiting liquids, waking him up through the night, letting him sleep without a pull up to see if that had any effect. None. She (the doctor) did say boys tend to take longer than girls though, and nothing will really help them figure it out. Just have to wait it out. He will go 3-7 days without any pee in the pullup and then go 2 weeks soaking through it every night. If it is a sudden thing though, where she was able to stay completely dry for a long long time, such as a month or more, then started doing it again, I would be more concerned. She could have a UTI. My mom said that's how she knew I had one when I was little. I would hold my pee in until I was asleep and let loose. I would go during the day, but it hurt so much to go that I wouldn't go all the way. So it didn't always appear like I was holding my pee in. Just a thought.

My youngest was about 4 before he consistently went throught the night without an accident. He was the same way- sometimes it was wet sometimes he'd have a dry night. I found that what made the most difference though was limiting his liquids like 2 hours before bedtime and making sure he peed right before he went to bed (even if he said he didn't have to). I think that kids are just such sound sleepers it really doesn't bother them or not enough to fully wake them up. I would try limiting her liquids and giving her a little more time- she's still young. Hope this helps

My daughter potty trained right around her third birthday, but I still had her in diapers at night for a long time after that waiting for her to wake up dry. Well, she never did wake up dry. We finally decided not to buy any more diapers and I was convinced that she would wet the bed repeatedly. Well, she shocked me. She only had a couple of accidents after that, and we had a plastic mattress cover so it was no big deal. She gets herself up to use the bathroom during the night and goes right back to bed. My advice is just try her without diapers and see what happens. Good luck!

With our two children who are potty trained, a girl 6 and a boy 4, we first of all bought a plastic sheet for the mattress and put that on. Then we put them to bed without any diaper or pull up. We let them know that they needed to use the bathroom at night time as well as during the day. I think that each child maybe wet the bed once before they realized what they needed to do. And it was not a big deal to us as the mattress was protected. I remember it as being a smooth transition from daytime dryness to nighttime. I think that with the pullup there might be no incentive to get up and go. I hope this helps a little. Each child is obviously different but this is what I did.

My boy who turned 3 at the end of June was potty trained in early July. H started out with a pull up at night. He was dry for several weeks so started wearing underwear at night too. After months of being dry at night he started wetting the bed every night. Well, needless to say I am not into washing all of his bedding every day. We went back to pull-ups at night and went to the doctor. We rulled out an infection. The doctor and I had the same opinion then. He is 3. Some kids wet at night until 8 or older. If they are asleep, they have no control over it. You can't really train for night, it is not a consious behavior. While it may seem like your girl has been trained for a long time, it is only months, not years. I praise for dry mornings, say 'uh-oh, a wet pullup' for wet mornings and leave it at that.

If you are really hung up on it, you can limit liquids at night. Also, she may be over tired and sleeping to hard at night. Try moving her bed time up or reintroduce naps if she had been done with them.

I have five year old twin boys ~~ and one was an easy one to train (he trained himself mostly within one month by the time he was 3 and a half ~~ both night and day-time). The other one was still wearing pull ups to bed at night up till a few weeks ago when he decided to sleep in his underwear. I tried every single thing with him and nothing worked (he took till he was four and half to be potty-trained in the daytime ~~ I kid you not. Turns out it is rather common among twins and boys ...). Once he got trained, he rarely has any accidents. Same thing with his brother.

So I suggest, you do as my husband did ~~ wake up your child in the middle of the night (he got up at 4 a.m., anyways for work) and take her to the bathroom. That way she'll wake up dry (hopefully). If she resists, just let it go for another couple of months and try again. (That's our motto for anything with our twins!). Also, limit your bedtime drinks. That has helped. I like that response of how the brain has to be wired ... =0) I found that to be true with my boys ~~ sometimes, they're just not ready and once they are, they're like little pros. I also would not make it an issue ~~ she will be trained completely (if she has no underlying issue) by the time she's in kindergarten. =0)

I hope this helps. Once she's trained and your baby is done ~~ you're going to love having not to worry about road trips and diapers! =0)

R.
Mom to two wonderful twin boys! (And one spoiled lab mix!)