Toddler Toilet Training help! (merged)

Brashka_Che

Would like to offer reassurance is not a piece of advice. My princess is nearly four and despite being dry during the day since early age (I can't remember exactly, potty training has been a bit sporatic, which is not good, of course), she still wets her Huggies pull-ups with Disney princesses. I wished they made them ugly and unpleasant to wear but even Pampers "learning" pants don't seem to help her learn. I was worried at first when bed-wetting started, after a good period of dryness all round. However, I put it down to new school / baby brother, etc. I guess it's probably not normal, in terms of, worse than average performance from DD but all children are different and so on. I am hoping she will be dry by the age of seven, since this is a benchmark that doctors would use. My understanding is they will not class it as a problem before then. In the meantime, plenty of patience to you and me!

SambaRamba

Hi, I wouldn't worry too much about your little ones as they're doing very well during the day. My only advice would be to reduce drinks after 6pm if possible and then putting her on the toilet around 10pm and 3am (I know its tiring). I did this with my daughter who just recently turned 3 and was using pull-ups at night, and now she automatically wakes up at those times and takes herself to the toilet, luckily she goes straight back to sleep afterwards. All kids do things at their own pace but good luck to the both of you.

finc

My daughter wasn't dry at night until she was 5!

At about age 3 1/2 we stopped putting nappies on her at night and left a potty in her room.

We put her on it when we went to bed and again if we were up in the night. She was barely awake when she went on the potty and in hindsight I'm not sure it was the right thing to do. She did use the potty but still wet the bed most nights, sometimes more than once :eek:

This continued (although not wetting the bed every night but still about 5 times a week) until she started Reception class. About 3 months after starting schooll she just stopped wetting the bed and has never done it since.

I believe doctors aren't concerned about bed wetters until age 7 so I wouldn't be worried about it just yet.

The point I'm trying to get at with this huge essay (if you're still with me!) is don't worry and don't rush. They will do it in their own sweet time no matter what you do!

Phew.

Nikki

I also used the restricted drinks/ bedlifting method, although I only bedlifted mine when I went to bed and they were usually fine 'til morning. My oldest was dry in the day at 20 mths but he was nearly 4 before he was dry at night. DD was dry day and night before she was 2 and ds2 was probably about 3 but had the odd 'accident' until he was about 4(usually when he'd snuck a drink in past 6:30pm) hes now 5 and gets himself up if he needs to go so I no longer restrict his drinks. Agree with finc they'll do it when they're ready, so don't worry too much.

CharleneUK

We had a similar situation, when Tianna was potty trained at 2.5years, she was also dry for about a month then began wetting again.

She is 4 in August and for the last week her pull ups have been dry in the morning, so we are removing them to see how we go.

purplepatch

Thanks for all the replies

Have to say it is not something I'm overly worried about - just after saving some money really

Her half brother, my stepson, is almost 8 and he is wet almost every night, so a little part of me hopes there isn't some genetic thing, but he never ever had a dry night before about the age of 7 so the fact that she went so long being dry at night when she first trained, makes me think she won't be the same as him.

Really my main question is whether anyone has found that nappies have actually delayed dryness at night because of them knowing that they've got a safety net? We could all be waiting ages for that elusive run of dry nappies, and spending a fortune in the meantime! Like I say she's dry 60% of the time, so I know she can do it. I just thought that maybe the discomfort of them wetting themselves could be enough to make them dry sooner.

I certainly don't fancy the idea of lifting her as she is one of those kids that once she wakes up, that's it, she's wide awake and wants to play! Can do without that at 11pm :rolleyes::D

finc

Sorry I realise I went off the point a bit!

I stopped the nappies anyway at about 3 1/2 but it did mean more washing.

I think with some children it doesn't matter if they're wearing a nappy or not, they will just refuse to 'go' in it. Others, like my daughter couldn't care less and will go for the lazy option every time...if there's a nappy there she'll use it .

That's why we took it off her as she would still be wearing nappies now (she's 7) if we hadn't and just put up with the extra laundry.

Is your child very wet in the morning or could you get away with using some terry towelling trainer pants? This might be a cheaper option as you can wash them. You can then sell them on ebay when you've finished with them.

purplepatch

Not at all finc, all advice very gratefully received

No, if it's wet in the morning it's just a little tiddle. So the trainer pants would probably cope. Would certainly save me some money.

Like you say, my DD will be lazy. She's been known to get up in the morning, have nappy checked and found to be dry, then go off to play. A bit later the nappy had been wet because she couldn't be bothered to go to the loo!! :rolleyes:

mancitychick

I think she will do it when she is ready. My son told me at 3 years and 2 months that he didn't want to wear nappies in bed anymore so we tried and whey hey he never wet the bed! However for awhile we used to put him on the toilet when we went to bed.

We were on holiday at the time with friends who had a daughter 1 year older and not sure if her not wearing nappies encourage our little un though.

dora37

Our DD kept wetting the bed purely because she was in such a deep sleep - she didn't even wake up when the bed was wet!

When we went to bed at about 11pm - we used to 'sleep walk' her to the toilet, she'd sit on it,go and we would 'walk' her back to bed without her realising - it worked immediately.

Now if she needs the toilet in the night she gets up and goes by herself.

A couple of months ago when OH was away she went to the loo at about 4am and there was no toilet roll left so she stayed on the loo and just shouted (at 4am) 'THERE'S NO TOILET PAPER LEFT' - I was that tired I just got up, got the toilet roll out of the cupboard gave it to her and went back to bed. It was only in the morning that I remembered that I hadn't even spoke to her or checked that she had gone back to bed!! Excellent mothering!!