Nighttime Wetting

Updated on July 27, 2010
H.D. asks from Keller, TX
8 answers

I have a 4 yr old son. He has been potty trained for over a yr and takes naps without a pull up. My problem is bed time. He has only gone one or two nights without wetting. I was going with the approach "he will stop when his body matures" but all my friends kids are making it through the night. Any advice?

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P.O.

answers from Harrisburg on

I just did this last night with my 4yr old son. He also is potty trained but the nights I worry about too...I bought one of those changing pads at Walmart for older people (or the ones they put under you for the bleeding when you are delivering a child). I let him sleep without pullups and then sleep on that, then wake him up around 2am to go pee). He did albeit in sleep mode and then went back to bed. He woke up dry this morning. I am going to keep trying that and see if I am successful getting him into a routine to get up by himself later. Maybe other moms have other success stories I would be willing to hear too.

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C.S.

answers from Houston on

Don't worry about what your friends kids are doing- I know that is easier said than done. My daughter is 4 and has been day trained since 2.5 and also naps with no problem. We recently started going without the pull-up at night and put a waterproof pad under her and she is probably dry 3-4 out of 7 nights but we've just begun about 3 weeks ago. My pedi dr. also said it was perfectly normal for a child of 4 not to be able to go all night. I'm not too worried about it. My friends dr told her that they wouldn't even do medical tests on a child for night wetting until they are around 7 because anything under that is still within normal range for night wetting.

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J.W.

answers from Chicago on

First off, I would consider yourself fortunate to have a child who day trained at three years old. Many parents (myself included) aren't so lucky.

Secondly, four years old is really not that late to not be night trained. My standard response to braggy parents is "Your child trained at 2 1/2 years? Well, good for her." There are plenty of things other children can do that my daughter can or will not do. I just have to suck it up and not compare, or I'm sunk.

If you and your son are really willing to try, there are methods (no liquids after a certain hour, waking him after he goes to sleep but before you go to bed to pee, et cetera) that can help you with that. I'm not sure which is the right one - check with your pediatrician, for starters. Good luck

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B.

answers from Augusta on

Talk to your pediatrician, night training isn't training at all , it has to do with biological maturity.
When his body is ready he will stop wetting the bed.
Boys also take longer to stay dry at night consitantly.
My 5.5 yr old boy isn't dry at night yet and he's been day trained for 2 yrs.

http://www.pottytrainingconcepts.com/A-Potty-Accidents-Ni...

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S.T.

answers from Dallas on

Unfortunately, some kids are just bedwetters. Your son may be one of them. If you are cutting off liquids after a certain point and making him to go the bathroom before he goes to bed, he may need more help than you can give him. I was a bedwetter, and I hated it, but I could not help it. I had a combination of a small bladder and a very, very deep sleep pattern. (I even threw up in my sleep several times when I was young and slept through the whole thing. I only woke up when my mom or sister got me out of bed to plop me in the bathtub in the middle of the night while someone else changed the sheets.)

Maybe a pediatrician can give you some good advice. It sounds like you have done a great job with the potty training for daytime, and there are some things you just can't help at night. If it makes you feel better, my child is nearly 6, and I notice that some of her friends wear overnight pullups still. Every child has his or her own quirks, and this may be one of your son's.

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C.S.

answers from Miami on

My son turned 4 in April. He also has been potty trained for almost 1.5 years and stays dry during his naps (2 hours in the afternoon). Our problem is also bedtime. He goes down between 8 and 8:30 and can't seem to make it until 6:30 most nights. Neither can I - 10+ hours is a long time for a little bladder. My husband takes my son to the potty as he is going to bed at 11pm. This way my son is dry every morning and just goes first thing - usually by himself - and before coming to wake us!

This morning he woke me after going potty, wiping, flushing and washing his hands. His underwear were on, but the PJs were all tangled and he couldn't get them back on himself. At my son's 4 yr appt the pediatrician said that many children aren't night time trained at this age and we can discuss again at the 5 year appt if it is still a problem.

Good luck!

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S.K.

answers from Los Angeles on

Nice response J. Yes. The doc can rule-out medical issues. Food and drink are certainly important too. Could also be anxiety which comes up a lot for little ones. Any recent changes, family stressors, upcoming events (school) that may be in play here? S. A. K., MFT

http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/pages/Chino-CA/S.-A-K...

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A.D.

answers from Dallas on

We're in the same boat, just keep going with your original approach. I asked the pediatrician about this at his 4 year check up back in December and he said it's common with boys and especially if they're hard sleepers (mine is). He also said it's a biological maturity thing and it can last till 8 or 9 years old. We just take it day by day and use a waterproof mattress pad with a crib pad on top of it so it's not a full bed change if there's an accident in the middle of the night. We also have been using the Goodnites because they seem to be better fitting and we have fewer leak issues over night plus they're a little lower cut.

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