Should the Nighttime Pull-ups Go Back On??

Updated on December 15, 2009
C.F. asks from Saugus, MA
23 answers

My daughter has been potty trained now for roughly 3 months now but wore her pull-ups at night only. For the past 3 weeks, I've put her to bed with just her underwear and reminded her about using the potty in the middle of the night; and also, made sure she went before bed each night. But every night is the same..... she ends up on the couch because she's wet the bed. I don't mind the occassional accidents, but to have to wash sheets every single night, not to mention, run out of clean pj's, as well as starting poor sleep habits with sleeping on the couch, I'm wondering if I should abandon this project for now and put her back in pull-ups? Any advice??????

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J.P.

answers from Boston on

My daughter is 4 1/2 and we haven't even attempted night training. She still wakes up with a full diaper.
I understand people's concerns about going "backward" since you have started, but she is still young. She might not be ready for night training.
Good luck!
J.

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C.B.

answers from Boston on

Whichever way you decide to go, this might help. When my kids were potty training I made the bed up with several layers like this: mattress pad, large incontinence pad (buy at CVS), fitted sheet, another incontinence pad, another fitted sheet. I would do up to three layers so that if there was an accident I could simply strip one layer and voila: a dry bed!

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S.G.

answers from Boston on

Hi C.

It took my 5 year old daughter about 6 months (4 and a half) after being potty trained to get rid of the pullup at night. In the beginning she would tell us if she wanted a pullup or the undies at night. So far no accidents. Stop the nighttime drink or potty her before bed. I like the idea of the double sheeting and mattress protector.

Good luck

D.B.

answers from Boston on

Just adding my thoughts to Catharina's - I used a waterproof crib pad (the size of a crib mattress but with no overhang - between layers of fitted sheets. You might have something like that left over from when your daughter was in the crib. It was great. The mattress pad and the bottom fitted sheet stayed dry. If the top sheet got wet, I just stripped it and my child slept with the blanket against his skin.

But yes, put her back in the pull up. Why not? She's not sleeping, and neither are you. The couch is going to be a bad habit, you're right. She's not ready - it has nothing to do with training - it has to do with the full bladder giving the signal to the brain to "wake up". It's neurological, not behavioral. My son was WAY older than this when he stayed dry at night.

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C.Z.

answers from Boston on

Hi C.,

My thirteen year old had to wear pull-ups at night-time only until she was 5 years old. We would cut off her liquid intake at 8pm, wake her up at 10pm for a potty run...nothing stopped her from wetting the bed.

She was a heavy sleeper and just did not wake up in the night to go to the bathroom. The problem eventually worked itself out. I would say to use the pull-ups and not make a big deal of it. Talk to your pediatrician. Usually they are not concerned until the problem is persisting after 5-8 years of age.

Good luck and hang in there!

C.

M.L.

answers from Hartford on

I put my 3 year old in pull-ups at night, to much laundry! The beeper works great too but doctors say they should use that at 7 plus. I used it with my 5 year old and LOVED it! I bought an awesome one on Ebay (not used)
Good luck convincing yours of number 3. I am working on #4 with my hubby, he doesn't want any more either. Baby stage kills him. Plus the economy is tough, so I started to work from home. I love it!
Good luck!
M. - SAHM and WAHM and love it!
http://www.WorkingGreenMoms.com

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E.M.

answers from Boston on

PLEASE don't concern yourself with artificial bench-marks and all of this nonsense about going "backwards"!!!

If a night-time pull-up gives your daughter (and you)an uninterrupted night of sleep, and a pleasant morning then why wouldn't you use them?

http://www.webmd.com/parenting/guide/bed-wetting-myths-de...

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L.B.

answers from Boston on

I'd save your mattress and put her back in the pull ups for night sleeping. Some children just cannot wake during deep sleep when they have to go.
You say you have her go right before bed but are you limiting liquids after dinner time?
She should not have anything to drink a good 2 hrs before bedtime.

I know of many families where their children are wearing those good nites sleep 'undies' up until 12... its a rather common thing.

good luck

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A.G.

answers from Boston on

I have three kids and by now they are all mostly potty-trained. My youngest just turned three and I just finished with my last package of diapers. With each one of them the potty-training was different - both day and night. My first child did well hen I got her up out of bed before I went to bed (around 11-ish) and went to the toilet without much ado and without accidents till morning. Though every now and then something would happen till she was about 3 1/2. My second was very difficult throughout the whole process. And my third is much better. I saw he was clean for about three months even with a diaper at night so I got rid of the diapers altogether.

So, just have patience, everything will work out in the end.

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L.S.

answers from Hartford on

I think that while i have to give you a lot of credit for tring, it's a little to early to expect your daughter to wake at night and use the bathroom. I have heard of kids that are 6 and 7 who still don't wake in the night.

Your daughter has only been potty trained for 3 months. Put the pull ups on at night and in a year or so revisit the issue. It will come. My daughtersis a bit over 4 and she still uses pull ups at night -- even though we can take a 6 hr car trip without an accident

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D.S.

answers from Boston on

Hi C.,
I would put the pull-ups back on. Some kid's bladders don't mature until they are quite older...so much easier to wear a pull-up than wash sheets every night! A friend of mine has a 6 year old little boy who still wets the bed almost everynight, but wears a pull-up so it's not a problem.
Good luck!

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W.D.

answers from Boston on

she's not ready yet.. my daughter did the same thing.. was fine for months, then every night. go out and get a rubber sheet for the bed and double sheet her bed. get pull ups, but have her start the night in undies. if she pees, then have her get into a pullup, pull the wet sheets off her bed, put her back to bed asap, throw the stuff in the washer and go back to bed. it took my daughter years to grow out of this.. basically, her bladder isn't mature enough to handle going the whole night. she's young, but if she gets to be 10 yrs old, there's meds to help.. but it's too early for that. stay patient and calm.. stop drinks after 6pm and keep doing what you are doing. as long as there's no life changing situations happening for her, she's just not ready to go thru the night yet

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K.R.

answers from Boston on

Hi C..... Never ever ever go backwards.....ever

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M.C.

answers from Boston on

Hi C.,

When we were potty training our oldest we used pull ups at night and tracked until she had 7 mornings in a row of being dry. Then we said to her that we were going to try no pull up for a night. The first severaltimes she was wet at night and we went back to pull ups. Then one night I remember hearing her go downstairs in the middle of the night to go pee. (That is when we put the gate on the stairs because she could just use to the one we have upstairs!) Good luck and have patience :)

M.

S.K.

answers from Boston on

keep the pull ups on until she's dry for about a week. it took my daughter about 6 mos. she just started to do it on her own - she went 7 nights dry all night (2 nights she woke up in the middle of the night to pee). so we've now completed 3 nights in a row in underwear. last night she woke up about 2 to pee.

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T.G.

answers from Providence on

Hi C.,

To abandon the project would be a very bad idea. I have 3 children ranging from 10-18 and when potting training the only way to successfully do it is consistency. I know it can be a difficult process but going back to pull-ups will more then likely set her back.

My son was the hardest I stopped letting him drink after 7pm because his bedtime was at 8pm. In the middle of the night I would get up and physically escort him to the bathroom once a night.

I did this for about a year but there were little to no accidents. He is now ten and accident-free...there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Good Luck!!!

T. G.

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M.T.

answers from Providence on

I can tell you my son wore pullups at night only until after his 4th birthday - it just wasn't worth the mess. Once he went a significant period of time without having an accident we removed them. My only concern is she would see it as a "punishment" since she had already been out of them (my son never was). Why don't you ask her if she wants to go back in them - this has to be disrupting her sleep.

Good luck!

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E.C.

answers from Boston on

I would put her back n the pullups and wait until she can keep them dry. It wont hurt her to wear them and save you all that laundry.

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M.B.

answers from Boston on

Oh potty training -- such a project. If it were me, I would not go back to pullups. I would make sure not to give drinks after dinner. And I would get the disposable bed pads for incontinence and layer her bed with pads and fitted sheets so that in the middle of the night if she has an accident, you just stip off sheets and wet pads and theres another layer or 2 of pads and fittet sheets. Toss wet stuff in the tub, change jammies - return her to bed. Have changes on top sheets/jammies at the ready to minimize sleep disruption to both of you. Also, do you have a potty chair in close proximity to her room with a night light so she can easily get up and go when she needs to? That's all I can think of, good luck and I'm sure your daughter will move past this phase quickly.

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J.M.

answers from Boston on

Back in pull-ups at night. Nighttime training is totally different, as it's not conscious. When she's waking up dry often, you can try undies at night again. When you go that route, here's a tip: make her bed (mattress protector, fitted sheet) and then make it again on top (mattress protector, fitted sheet). Then when she has an accident, all you have to do is whip off the first layer, change her pjs and put her back to bed with a new blanket. The wet laundry can stay in the basket til morning. Good luck!

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M.B.

answers from Hartford on

Is it happening about the same time every night? Have you tried waking her up to use the bathroom before YOU go to bed. Maybe that will cut down on those accidents. It's possible she's just not ready to hold it through the night though. No shame in keeping her in diapers or pull ups just at night. Then when you notice that she keeps the pull up dry consistently you can try again.

M.

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A.G.

answers from Boston on

if i were you i'd wait until you had a month or dry pull ups before expecting her to stay dry at night- my 3.5 year old still wears them at night and she has been potty trained for a good year now- but is a heavy sleeper and won't wake on her own to go- i taught preschool and thier were may 4 and 5 year old that still wore pull ups at night

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S.J.

answers from Boston on

There is no shame in a 3-year-old wearing pull-ups at night. As our doctor told us, some kids wet the bed until they're 7, and you have better things to do than wash sheets every night. It's unnecessarily frustrating for you and for her. We waited until our daughter kept her pull-up dry for a whole week straight before letting her go without one. She still has accidents every once in a while, like maybe once a month, but that we can handle. If your daughter is wetting the bed every night, she's not ready.

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