Dry nights?

[growingthings]

Okay, my nearly four year old is dry during the day but not at night.

I think shes ready, as her night time nappies are not soaked anymore, (apart from when she tells me that she did her morning wee in them instead of going to the toilet cheeky monkey that she is )

What steps did you take on the road to dry at night, have you any invaluable tips?

I want to give it a try, but I'm not too worried if she can't manage it as she has rather alot on her plate right now, as both she and I are undergoing tests for a genetic disorder, and she has had a load of physical tests and is due for heart scan, ECG and opthamic-something or other soon, as well as physiotherapy and having ankle supports made and fitted. Wow that does sound like a lot now that I have written it down!

So I think that what that ramble was trying to explain is that I am fully prepared if it doesn't go according to plan!

Lorna x

[citizentwiglet]

We're not at that stage just yet, though he is dry for afternoon naps (mostly), I just wanted to wish you lots of luck, and to say that I shall be watching this thread with great interest!

[Rosendula]

Katie was 3 last April, and hasn't worn a nappy to bed for a few months now. Unfortunately, she doesn't wake up if she needs her potty, BUT she doesn't usually need her potty! She can go all night without a wee! Wish I could With the older two, I used to pick them up and sit them on their potty as I was going to bed, and they would do a wee while they were still half asleep, then I'd just pop them back in bed and they nodded off again. However, when I tried this with Katie she screamed blue murder for about 4 hours after that. And wouldn't do a wee. I ended up taking her downstairs where we eventually fell asleep on the settee - where she had an accident! So I daren't try that again with her. I do put a bed mat under her sheet 'just in case', and I have a clean bed mat, clean sheet, clean blanket and clean pyjamas in the corner of the room so that if she does have an accident, I can deal with it pretty quickly without the hassle of trying to find the right size of everything in the the cupboards. On those occasions, I whip off her wet pyjamas and get her in dry ones first, then I put her in my bed (which also has a bed mat under the sheet 'just in case' she has another accident!) while I sort her bed out. There have been times when by the time I've done that she's been asleep again, in my bed, so I slept in hers! More often, I just get in her bed anyway and she comes to join me for a cuddle. If I wake up again later, I can go back to my own bed.

Sometimes I think I'm a bit too relaxed about the whole bedtime thing.

[clare]

Hi Lorna,My little one is at the same stage only dry some nights and not others.I always try not to give drinks at least an hour before sleep time,make sure she goes to the loo before bed and I am about to start lifting her for a wee about 10 ish and I hope she doesn't scream as my eldest didn't and it really worked with her,also I was told children only wee in wakeful moments and usually as they wake so I used to get up before my eldest(she always woke about the same time) and get her straight in the loo this was hit and miss to begin with but seemed to work.Given all the future tests etc it might be better to wait as worries can set them back anyway.

All the best what ever you decide.

Clare

[witchstorm]

We're just thinking about doing this with my almost 4 year old, not brave enough yet though, will watch thread for good tips!

[John Headstrong]

the main thing is, don't worry. seriously they do get it, eventually.

for a few weeks we got up at 11o'clock and woke her up to let her have a wee as someone already suggested, that helped.

but final push was then we bought 2 packs of night nappies and after one night she said she didn't need them any more !

so maybe running low on the nappies helped, it made it her responsibility to go to the loo at night.

[lilypotter]

I agree with Clare and John. I used to wake my Sunny around 11 at night to have his wee and now he is habituated to it and wakes up by himself completes his work and go to bed.

[Ron and Jean]

We also lift our 4 year old when we go to bed. Luckily he is a heavy sleeper and has no idea we do this. We also avoid drinks an hour before bed, trying to remember to give them a big drink late afternoon.

My advice would be to wait till they are ready (often they ask to stop using nappies as they are for 'babies'). Give them 3 nights and if it is all too much don't worry and try again in a few months. Each child is different. Our eldest was dry at night before he was 3.

Another top tip is to double make the bed - waterproof sheet, sheet, waterproof sheet, sheet, and possibly have a second duvet to hand too. This way it is really easy to remake the bed in the middle of the night.

Good luck

[thesunflowergal]

With Orin we did just the same as everyone else. Other than we stopped the drinks at tea time, this is because she is a massive guzzler and she drinks so much during the day. The only time that we have an accident is when she has drunk more than a few sips before bed.

Good Luck.

[growingthings]

Cheers for the advice, I think that we will give it a while though as we have had many trips to the hospital of late and her fairly loose routine has been disturbed.

She's back at nursery now and its her birthday soon so I think that I will suggest it afterwards once she is a 'big girl'

Oh we've had a diagnosis too both she and myself have Marfan Syndrome which explains the odd problems we have but it does mean that we have matching heart problems too!

The cardiologist said that because I carried my two girls over term and delivered them naturally she was amazed that I had a, survived and b, it hadn't been caught earlier due to BP probs towards the end of my second pregnancy! Its certainly made me think that's for sure.

I think that what I was meaning to say before I sidetracked myself was that even though it wasn't what we wanted to hear and it has taken a while to get our heads around it isn't it good to finally have a name to put to the problem, makes it more real and easier to deal with.

Sorry ramble over.

LOVE the double making of the bed, what an absolutely TOP idea

Lorna x

(why do I ALWAYS get sidetracked?)