Tired of Losing Sleep !!!!

I put a potty in my son's room at night and he gets up and uses it without saying a word to me. Do you have a nightlight in the bathroom? If you ignore their request for assistance in he bathroom are they just going to pee their bed, or will they get dessperate enough to go on their own?

I have 2 boys and they tried to do the same thing. You have to be firm with them and say no to the drinking before bed time and to getting up in the middle of the night for a drink. It will be hard at first and you will want to give in, but don't because after a few weeks of this they will know you are serious. I would make them all use the restroom right before bed and if they need to use the restroom in the middle of the night you let them know that they can do it on their own. I leave the hallway light on for my boys, maybe that would help!

I am a full-time student with two children at home. I have studied plenty of topics throughout my school career. Research has shown that if children drink past a certain time they will NOT pee their bed. In fact, they have such a small bladder a child will not be completely potty trained all night until they are around 1st grade. Having said this, your 6 year old should be potty trained and stay completey dry during the night. Accidents are going to happen. Out of curuiosity, do they 4 & 6 year share the same room? If they do, it is more likely the other is getting up because you have entered the room to get your 4 year old up to use the bathroom. To be quite honest, there is nothing wrong with using diapers at night for another year for the 4 year old. Using a nightlight will help and also the reward system like another parent suggested. You need your rest just as much as your children need a good night sleep.

Does your son complain of insatiable thirst during the daytime too? Does he go to the bathroom frequently and then say he's really thirsty again? If he does, you might want to have him checked for juvenile diabetes...type one that is. My niece was recently diagnosed and those are classic symptoms. If not, probably just restrict the fluids an hour before bedtime, make sure that they both use the restroom before they go to bed, and if they do wake up, make sure that there is a small flashlight, or a nightlight on so that they won't be scared going by themselves. You might want to ask your daughter about why she is scared of the potty so that you can come up with something that will help her to not be afraid. Until you know what frightens her it is hard to say what will work for her. Just some friendly advice!!

Hi M.,
Your kids are not dying of thirst, first of all.At 6 you child should be going to the bathroom by themself. If you do give them fluids be prepared to stay up until they go potty, that way your not getting up in the middle of the night. If your 6 year old wakes up thirsty maybe you should take him to the doctors to make sure there is nothing medically wrong and if he is healthy then just say No.I promise they will be alive in the morning . Kids will take us as far as they can and the sooner we teach them independance the better off they will be. I can understand the 4 year old being scared to go potty at night but the 6 year old should not be , what does he do at school?

when I was little I had the problem of wetting the bed at night. So, my parents took away my drinks at night after about 6:30-7 pm. It did work, I didn't wet the bed any more after that. I was 8 when they finally figured out what it was.So I would tell him nothing to dtink an hour before bed time. As for the 4 year old, some children are afraid of the bathrrom and other rooms at night. Maybe you can give her something like a flashlight or something like that to keep her from being scared. Make it fun for her. Maybe she's afraid of a monster in there or something. Try giving her something and telling her that it will scare all of the bad things away so it will be safe for her to go by herself. Just a suggestion. I hope that was easy to understand. I kind of muffled it out. Good luck!

it sounds as if this became a habit for them.they will be fine without the water at night and cut off fluids at a certain time and make sure everyone goes to the bathroom before bed as well-don't give it to them -they are just pulling your leg and want the attention.maybe make up a chart that shows who went all night without getting up and gets a star and then if they make a star all week, they get to do something special.talk to them about it so they know how it's all supposed to work.maybe to start off go every 2 days to get them excited-a week may be too long at first.then slowly add another day.kids can really work that guilt out of us moms but they dont need the water-good luck...

I too am losing sleep trying to get my 6 & (2) 4's to the bathroom in the middle of the night.

My son was on the news yesterday about bedwetting!! http://www.kvbc.com/Global/category.asp?C=7883&nav=me...
He is the 6 year old talking!!

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I thankfully have not had to experience this with my first 3 kids, the fourth - who knows....here's my .02

no drinks after 7

leave the bathroom light on

put a cup on the bathroom sink - with or without water

If they are thirsty, they need to get up and go the bathroom to get their own drink (have a stool ready under the sink)

Encourage them that once they get up (on their own) to get a drink - they might as well go potty

It might work?
Good luck

This is the only thing that worked for me - - - You cannot give them anything to drink after 7pm. What finally worked for me - was closing the kitchen for the night. I make an announcement at 6:45pm that the kitchen is closing for the night in 15 minutes - then I turn off all the lights - close the door or hang up a sign - - - that's it (the older kids dealt with it - cause they were sick of the middle of the night potty runs too....

Make sure you take the 4yo to the bathroom one more time - in her sleep just before you go to bed (around 11pm or whenever you hit the hay) - - - then make sure you repeat that process first thing in the morning - Don't worry they go back to sleep much easier than we do.

my 3 year old has the problem of bed wetting at night. i don't give her liquid past 7, and if she insists she is thirsty, i put enough in her cup for one or two swallows. as for the one that is afraid, make sure she has the attachment for the smaller children to sit on, that makes the hole smaller, that way she won't be afraid to fall in, and put a sensor night lite in there, the ones that automatically come on when its dark. it helped for my daughter.

I really have no experience in this, but a couple ideas I have been trying with my daughter to make it through the night. REWARDS!!! If she goes potty before she goes to bed she gets a sticker, if she has a dry night she gets a sticker, if she gets up and goes potty in the morning she gets a sticker (she LOVES stickers). Then when she gets a certian number of stcikers she gets something. It started with 3, but now its 9 going on 12 cause I was having to buy her something ervery day it seemed. Usually predetermined, she usually picks Jamba Juice, or a candy treat from the store, or a new toy. She's 3 so shes easily satisfied. I think it really works for her. Some mornings she wakes up and comes to me and says I don't want a sticker today, and I know that she didn't get up and go potty. Even tonight, I put her pull up on and went to get her toothbrush, when I came back she said she didn't want a sticker. Oie Vey! I really emphasise the before bed and first thing in the morning potties because sometimes they just can't make it all night. Its the fact that she tried.
As afar as them wating drinks in the middle of the night, I know its hard to not give in because you just want them to go back to sleep so you can go back to sleep. Have you tried just giving them a few sips? Leave a small glass of water by their bed and tell them that is all they get for the night. So if they drink it now, then when they wake up they don't get any more, or they can save it next to the bed for when they wake up in the middle of the night.

Good Luck!