Getting Out of Overnight Pull-ups

Updated on June 29, 2011
K.R. asks from Gilbert, AZ
20 answers

Hi, Moms -
My 4 year old twin girls are still needing to wear an overnight Pull-Up, and there seems to be no sign that we are getting any closer to their having the ability to wake up on their own and go to the bathroom during the night. Most of what I've read says it's just a waiting game, that their bladders will mature and it will just resolve itself. Technically, they are 4-1/2, and I think the time should perhaps have come by now. A friend recently advised that if I simply put them in regular underpants overnight, it will prompt them and the transition will occur. Any advice appreciated, please. If I simply need to wait it out, I will, but if there's something I'm failing to do, I'd sure like to hear it!

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D.P.

answers from Pittsburgh on

Nope. Putting them in underwear before their bladders are fully physiologically developed will only mean wet sheets, undies and p.j.'s!
You've got it right. You'll know when they have dry mornings for about a week straight.

6 moms found this helpful
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L.S.

answers from Spokane on

My oldest will be 5 in August and I can count on one hand the number of times she's woken up with a dry pull-up. My 3 year old has been sleeping in panties for about 8 months and has had only 1 accident. Every kid is different and you just need to wait it out.

When my oldest asks why she has to wear a 'diaper' and her sister doesn't, we just tell her that her body isn't ready to wake her up at night when she has to pee and she doesn't want to pee in her bed, right? She's usually satisfied with that answer.

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More Answers

S.J.

answers from St. Louis on

We have tried no liquid after 6 or 7, we have tried lots of liquid to get their bladder "used to it". We have tried wearing regular underwear instead of pull ups. We have tried regular undies with a pull up over them. We have watched them pee seconds before they laid their little head down. We tried waking them in the middle of the night to pee. Guess what? They still woke up wet.

You simply need to wait it out. They won't wet their bed forever. The only time you should be concerned is if they (or one) go an extended period of time WITHOUT wetting, then start wetting again. That can be an indication of a potential problem. Or, you might worry if their husband comes over for Thanksgiving dinner and complains of waking up wet each morning. =)

Good luck!

2 moms found this helpful

B.C.

answers from Norfolk on

My son was day trained at 3 1/2 but he wore pull ups at night till he was 7.
Some kids wear pulls up till they are 11 or 12.
He slept very deeply and couldn't help wetting the bed.
I simply did not want to deal with pee all over everything over a lack of physical bladder maturity that could not be forced into maturing earlier.
When they wake up dry for 2 weeks straight, they will be ready to leave pull ups behind.

2 moms found this helpful
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J.K.

answers from Phoenix on

I was a bedwetter until I was almost 11. It looks like I passed that along to my kids who wet the bed until ages 12, 8, 6 and my 8 year old son still wets. I wish I had pull-ups as a kid. It was horrible waking up wet all the time. I don't have an answer. I have my kids take care of changing their sheets and cleaning up once they're old enough. I figured that would help but it really didn't. I've tried EVERYTHING!! It's just a waiting game. They'll stop in time.

1 mom found this helpful
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M.C.

answers from Washington DC on

Try changing from pull ups to Underjams. The look and feel more like real underwear.

Another trick that helped us was to have them wear real panties inside the pull up. It helps them feel the wetness and discomfort.

Other than that its just a wait it out.
Good luck
M.

1 mom found this helpful

S.R.

answers from Kansas City on

You just need to keep on waiting Mama. Their time will come.
It may be another year or two, but they won't wet overnight forever!

1 mom found this helpful

C.S.

answers from Medford on

I am in the minority opinion here (don't be suprised if you get very passionate/rude opinions about the harm you will put on your girls by putting them in panties at night).

My kids both wet their pullups consistantly. My daughter at 4 would do it because she could. She understood that a pullup was meant to pea in and would tell us thats why she did it. Sometimes she would after she woke up and was lying in bed.

We just had to get rid of them all together. We would put her to bed at 8, take her at 10:30 on our way to bed. Set the alarm for 1am, take her again...we did this for about a week, setting the alarm for later and later and eventually cutting out the 10pm trip, When we got past 4am (on the alarm)we stopped. This took only a week or so and she was dry since then.

Our son was only 3 at the time and he kept asking to wear underwears to bed (I think cause sister did) and we did the same routine, but it only took a couple days with him. He slept through easier and didn't go as much.

I would recommend this approach. You can't take the pullups away and expect them to sleep perfectly from day one. They need to adjust to not having the "safety net". If you are religeous abou the routine and after a couple weeks they are having accidents (in the middle of the night) then they aren't physically ready. If they are having accidents at wakeup time, they need encouragement to get up right away and go, reminding them that they aren't wearing pullups anymore.

Also, for bedding. You need to ge a couple (2 for each) crib pads (the ones that are quilted on both sides, walmart $8 for 2). put them on top of their sheet (they hold in place really well) and when/if they have an accident just pull it off and put another one down. You can put them under the sheet also, but then you have to change the sheet in the middle of the night too. :)

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J.K.

answers from Atlanta on

My son's still in pullups, but if they are dry, I will reuse them a night or two before tossing them.

For your girls, could also put a pantyliner inside if they're dry but you don't want them "rubbing around" again in them.

But yes, waiting game here too !:)

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K.W.

answers from Youngstown on

It really is more of a physical thing than a training thing. You could try to get them to wake up at night but you will probably have many accidents and wet sheets to changes. My daughter is almost 6 and still wears pull ups at night she is wet every morning. My son is almost 4 and starting to be dry 3-4 nights a week. He might actually get it before she does. I would talk to their doctor and see what he/she suggests. Good luck.

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C.A.

answers from Tucson on

My son is 13 and still has bedwetting problems. I dont let him use anything at night and just have him doing his laundry everymorning. Every child is different so it might take a week, or might take 10 years. I wet the bed until i was 15. i just had to outgrow it.

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G.B.

answers from Oklahoma City on

I think you'll be lucky of they do this by 2nd grade. There is nothing you can do to speed it up. I don't care how long the kids needed them. I choose to not add work to my day by adding loads and loads of extra laundry soaking wet day after day after day.

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B.S.

answers from Phoenix on

I did not see a response that discussed the night time bed wetting alarm. We used a Melem (they are on Ebay). That is what finally helped my daughter get out of her pullups at age 13. She just was such a sound sleeper that she was not recognizing those signals. At 4, they might be a bit young for the alarms, but it is something that you could think about for later. Good Luck!

J.S.

answers from Chicago on

Every child is different. My first was 3 1/2 when she was completely potty-trained. She can hold it longer than I can! She never used pull ups at night.

My second was day trained and in pull-ups at night until she was 5. My youngest is 8 and just gave up her night time pull ups 3 months ago. Both my middle and younger daughters gave up the pull ups on their own - no pressure from me or their dad. Hell, we didn't want to get up in the middle of the night to change sheets!

So, don't be discouraged if it takes longer than you think. There is no normal.

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R.A.

answers from Phoenix on

What we did is........nothing to drink for about an hour before bedtime to bedtime, we sat her on the potty before getting into bed. She wears underwear. On her bed is a mattress protector, two towels, then the sheet. Now, she usually does not wet the bed, but when she does, she comes to wake me up and tells me she had a accident.

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R.P.

answers from Cleveland on

are you stopping liquids by 7pm if they go to bed between 8 n 9? are they using the bathroom (you for sure know that they are USING IT n not just sitting on the toilet) before bed? could you wake them up before you go to bed to use the bathroom? if you have not done any of these try them my nephew had a hard time with bedwetting after he was day trained and my sister tried all of these and it worked for the most part he wasnt waking up as wet and then it went to not wet. I would try these and put them in regular panties and put a bed protector on the beds

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P.:.

answers from Phoenix on

The time will come when they're ready. My son was 6 and almost ready to start 1st grade when he finally began to stay dry at night and we stopped using pull-ups. I too was researching the alarms and talked to his dr. but it just happened. He is a VERY sound sleeper. Boys generally take longer than girls to become potty trained at night.

On the other hand my other son is 3 1/2 and he's been potty trained for a year now and has stayed dry at night almost from the start. We still put him in a pull-up at night though. Partly because we have a huge box of them and partly because...well I'm not sure, we just do. He doesn't complain so we're using them up.

I say be patient and give them more time. Don't make a big deal about it with them. It could stress them out and set them back. One day you'll realize they've been dry at night and you'll wonder when it happened. Good luck.

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J.T.

answers from Dallas on

i'm right there with you, but i truly do not believe that there is any "training" a child while they are sleeping. i'm not waking my kid up at 1am to potty, nor am i changing sheets every morning. my now 8yo was fully day/night potty trained on the same day when he was 3, my now 5yo was day trained easily at 3, but at 5.5yo still has a very wet pull-up every morning. my 2yo has dry morning diapers pretty frequently, so i think she will be overnight "trained" before him. for us, it's not a battle i am picking b/c i truly don't think there's anything any of us can do about it. hope your girls outgrow it soon!

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A.M.

answers from Fort Wayne on

With our son who is a sound sleeper we stopped drinks at 7:00 pm, made him potty before bed, and then got him up about 11:30 p.m. to midnight to go potty (even though it seemed kind of cruel). It has made a HUGE difference! It's more of a pain on us, but it definitely yielded results. We still have an accident every once in a while, but it usually after a LONG day or lots of drinking. GOOD LUCK! Hope it works!

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A.

answers from Albuquerque on

I wouldn't be too worried and I wouldn't make an issue out of it to them. If you are tired of the waste and cost of pull-ups you can either:
1. invest in reusable training pants. They cost a bit but you'll recoup the loss quickly. And I've kept mine around for cases of diarrhea, as well.
2. double sheet your beds with a waterproof layer in between and have them in underwear. Be prepared to clean sheets.

With both of these cases they'll feel wet and hopefully start waking up a bit sooner. Right now pullups don't give them much incentive to get up when they wet. Please have them help clean up when they wet! Don't shame them, don't get angry, just ask them to help and show them how - patiently.

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