Not Potty Trained at Night- What Do Your Kids Wear?

Updated on September 21, 2013
S.L. asks from Moab, UT
14 answers

My husband has passed an awesome trait onto my kids- the need to drink water all night long!! We have talked with the kids doctor and she isn't worry about it for now, but my kids need to have a cup of water with them all night and drink all night long. My son (4) and daughter (2) are both potty trained during the day and have no problems but at night the size 5 diapers aren't big enough. They physically fit them, but often times, especially for my son, the diaper fills up in front and leaks!! Ugh! The leaking!! doing too much laundry!!

What kind of night-time pants do your kids wear?

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M.H.

answers from Chicago on

We did night time diapers or Pull ups..

If they are getting up to drink, then they need to pee at the same time. If you put the cup of water in the bathroom, they can drink it at that time.

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J.C.

answers from Anchorage on

First I would address the water issue, there is no reason they NEED to drink water all night long. It may be a habit they have gotten into, but it is also one that can be unlearned. Just take away the glass, and in a few nights they will no longer miss it.

I would try pants meant for overnight, but even then they are not really meant to hold more then one urine event. My question is, if they are waking up to drink water, then why are they not using the potty at that time? I understand night dryness is a physiological thing where you have to wait for your body to mature to the point of either holding the urine all night or waking up the child, but if the child is drinking water all night long then why is the child not getting up to use the potty during one of those wake ups?

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S.H.

answers from Honolulu on

Huggies overnight diapers.

But, at night at that age, I would change my kid's diaper, once a night.
Because, technically, no diaper will hold... THAT much liquid (pee) ALL DARN night. So of course, by the next morning, it is full as a bucket and bloated as a balloon. All diapers, do not have infinite capacity to hold endless amounts of fluid.
But I found the Huggies overnights diapers, to be great.
BUT also, you need to get several waterproof bed pads, to put DIRECTLY under your kids at night. To prevent, soiled sheets.
I bought like 4 of them from Amazon. It is fabric, soft, and waterproof. And because I had like 4 of them, if one got wet then I just put another one under my kid at night. And I never had, soiled sheets/bedding.

The Huggies Overnights diapers, goes until size 6.
And it fit my kids just fine and they were older than your kids.
But I would recommend, that realistically, change their diaper once a night. To prevent the overloaded diapers at night. From leaking.
No diaper, will hold, endless amounts of pee.

If your kids are having to, drink water all.night.long.... are they getting enough sleep? Each time they drink, are they not then awake to do so or partially awake?
Are they are literally thirsty?????
Maybe teach them, to know their body's cues. ie: are they really thirsty or it is just a habit?
Because they don't actually have to, keep drinking water all night. TELL them that.
Does your Husband, keep a water bottle near him at night too, just like the kids and have to drink water all night long???
Does he have any medical problems?

Both your kids use size 5 diapers???

Nighttime dryness, is not something that occurs even until 7 years old. Because it is not the same as daytime pottying.

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M.J.

answers from Sacramento on

Try a combo of the GoodNights and the GoodNight bed pad. The GoodNights pull ups hold a lot more than traditional diapers or pull ups. Also, the disposable bed pads are a godsend. Peel the backing off, put on the bed and you just peel it off and dispose if the pull ups leak for any reason. We use the pads when our daughter was night training and wanted to try panties at night.

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C.N.

answers from Baton Rouge on

My daughter wore underwear to bed once we started toilet training, with a waterproof pad like the ones they use in hospitals under her and a waterproof cover on her mattress. I never used pullups because she wore cloth diapers, and I saw no sense in taking her from cloth diapers to disposable diapers (and pullups are nothing but glorified disposable diapers).

They don't NEED to drink water all night long. They WANT to drink water all night long.
If they're going to wake up and get a drink, they need to go to the bathroom at the same time.
Don't let them keep water by their bedside. Make them get up and go to the kitchen for it. And make the rule that if you get a drink of water, you MUST go to the bathroom.

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J.C.

answers from Roanoke on

We've been using Goodnights because they come in big sizes. I'm thinking of switching to some sort of cloth/rubber pants, though, because my daughter has been having rashes and I'm wondering if she's allergic to the Goodnights. We also put a pad under her over her sheets for leaks, so we can just pull it off the bed in the middle of the night if we need to instead of re-doing the whole bed. (Thanks to a mom on this site who suggested that one to me!!)

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F.B.

answers from New York on

We use huggies overnight pullups, they work fine. No leaks. If you must, you can try double diapering. put a smal slit on the outside of the first diaper, then put a second diaper on overtop. that way when the first one gets saturated, the second one can catch the overflow.

Its two diapers a night, but easier than dealing with laundry.

Good luck to you and yours,
F. B.

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C.B.

answers from Orlando on

Pull ups. My kids drink water all night long too, and I let them. We have always lived in the South and they actually do NEED it. We play hard around here, even when it is 100. :) They both were able to stay dry close to 4, one a little before and one a little after. If your kids outgrow pull ups they also make Good Nights.

S.K.

answers from Denver on

I also agree with AKmom if they are up drinking water they should be able to go to the bathroom at this time and eliminate all bed wetting issues. If it were a true bed wetting issue then they have bigger overnight ones meant for bigger kids. But if they are just being lazy and dont want to get out of bed and leave you doing laundry because the pullup didn't hold then I would cut off all water until they did so.

B.C.

answers from Norfolk on

Our son wore pullups at night till he woke up dry for 2 solid weeks in a row.
He was 7 1/2 when we finally got there.
He over flowed once in awhile but it wasn't often.
Some of his friends were 11 or 12 before they were done with night time pullups.
Keep a water proof pad on the bed.
I'd fill them up with water as much as you could during the day and gradually reduce the water they get to keep with them at night till they don't need it anymore.
Since this is Hubby's awesome trait, he can help with the laundry.

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A.V.

answers from Washington DC on

I use pull ups for my 5 yr old. She still fits in the 4t ones and they are less $$ than Goodnites or anything like that. We use Target Up and Up because they fit more trim and you can adjust the sides.

You should also consider giving them a small sippy cup and not fill it all the way. What they get is what they get. Make sure they pee before bed and as soon as they get up in the AM and get the pull ups/diapers OFF.

ETA: if they wake to drink, they can wake to pee. I like the idea of keeping the cups in the bathroom.

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F.C.

answers from Tampa on

We did Night time pullups and had both a mattress cover from IKEA and then a Pad from the medical supply store (washable).

Just remember Night Time "Training" is due to biology/physiology and nothing else.

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G.♣.

answers from Springfield on

Huggies worked best for my kids overall, so when they went through phases like that I used the overnight Huggies (but just at night, because they are more expensive than the regular ones).

I'm a little confused about your "size 5" diapers comment. We used the same size, day and night. I don't think a bigger size is going to necessarily hold more (well, maybe a little more). Rather, you need a more absorbent diaper. The overnights are much thicker and much more absorbent. Give it a try!

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G.B.

answers from Oklahoma City on

Diapers are not made to "hold" urine. They are only to keep the pee and pooh from single eliminations. They are meant to be changed after each use.

A night time pull up is made to absorb and hold much urine.

Your kids are very very very young to stay dry during the night time too. I would never expect a 2 year old to stay dry during the day every day and would never expect them to stay dry during the night for several more years. She's way too young.

Your son is nearly old enough if his is read to stay dry while sleeping.

I suggest you use the search option on this page and look for other questions regarding night time dryness. There are thousands of answers for this question regarding biological issues and that some kids just don't have the biological or physical ability until their brain turns on that chemical that stops the kidneys from producing urine during the night.

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