Nighttime PT readiness

[twowhat?]

So, DD2 insisted (REALLY insisted) that tonight she wanted to sleep without a pull-up. I don't feel that she's ready yet - she always wakes with a soaked pull-up. But she was adamant that she wanted to try and I don't want to deny her trying.

My issue is that I do NOT want to have to be getting up to help her pee in the middle of the night. Being able to get a quiet, full night of sleep is my sanity saver. She has to be able to do it herself and she is capable of managing the actual trip to the bathroom. She came up with her own solution to keep a portable nightlight next to her bed. When she needs to pee, she will turn it on, carry it to the bathroom, set it down, pee, wash hands, and carry it back to the bedroom, and then turn it off (the nightlight is a toy and she's very familiar with it and sleeps with it already anyway). I had her practice in the dark and she's totally capable of doing it herself.

I don't really know why I'm posting. I guess I just wanted to put it out there. I don't know that her body is able to wake her when she needs to go...I guess I will find out tonight. Hahaha...I just heard her go to the bathroom. I guess that's a good sign. Poor thing - I really think she wants this to work and I will feel really bad if I have to tell her that her body just isn't ready yet, esp since her twin sister has been sleeping in underwear at night with no accidents since she daytime potty-trained more than a year ago.

[MSWR0319]

How did it go? DS told me the other night he really wants to wear underwear to bed, but he also wakes up with a soaked pullup. He did wake up dry for 2 night right before that but I just didn't think he was ready. I let him wear underwear under his pull up and sure enough he was wet. I felt bad because he really wanted underwear but then he said he wanted a pullup after that.

[mmommy]

How did she do? DD1 has been asking to ditch the pullup too, but i don't have time to wash her bedding daily right now. Maybe I'll let her try it next weekend...

[twowhat?]

I'm so sad for DD2! I had to change her sheets TWICE last night (1am and 5am) and they were SOAKED. She didn't drink much last night either. Coincidentally, I also had to pee a lot at 1am and 5am. I never make it through the night without having to get up at least once and poor DD2 has probably inherited my tiny bladder (and my body's predisposition to active kidneys at night?)

She woke up this morning, and as soon as she woke, she rushed to the bathroom by herself. When I went upstairs, she gave the the PROUDEST grin and said "I kept my underwear all dry!" My heart dropped as I pointed to the soiled sheets and told her that she did a great job making sure she peed in the potty in the morning but that her body wasn't ready yet to hold the pee all night. The smile dropped off her face and I just felt awful:( I explained that when she grows, her bladder will get bigger too, and her body needs time to learn to wake her up when she needs to pee at night. I told her we would wear pull-ups at night and then try again when she's bigger:( I felt awful for her - she really wants this to work.

I'm considering a potty alarm...anyone have experience with that? At least for now she seems to understand that she still needs a pull-up at night.

[hillview]

Is she dry overnight on her diaper? I was willing to try night time PTing after DS was dry 10 nights in a row. Neither boy gets up to pee in the middle of the night -- maybe once a month or less?


ETA just read your update. There is no reason why she cannot try to stay dry at night and pee in the potty AND wear a pull up right?

[twowhat?]

Is she dry overnight on her diaper? I was willing to try night time PTing after DS was dry 10 nights in a row. Neither boy gets up to pee in the middle of the night -- maybe once a month or less?


ETA just read your update. There is no reason why she cannot try to stay dry at night and pee in the potty AND wear a pull up right?

Correct - she can try to stay dry in her pull-up. And that was my original plan for her - that was a funny conversation:

DD2: I really want to wear underwear to bed.
Me: You can wear underwear to bed when you can keep your pull-up dry at night for 7 nights.
DD2: Five nights.
Me: OK, five nights.
DD2: 2 nights.
Me: No, it has to be at least 5 nights.
DD2: But I REALLY want to wear underwear! I can go pee by myself! I don't want to wear a pull-up - it's hot.

And then this is when I decided that I'd just let her try (I didn't have high hopes). She came up with her own plan on how to use her nightlight to go pee by herself at night, and she went to pee in the potty (by herself) obsessively - like 5 times - before she fell asleep. This morning after the realization that she didn't make it all night, I told her we'd have to wear pull-ups again and just keep practicing. She was OK with it at that point. The times I changed her sheets in the middle of the night, she was very upset.

DD1 kept her pull-up dry immediately after daytime PT and she wore a pull-up at night anyway for weeks until I was convinced it was for real! She has a bladder of steel - she'll hold it all night and get up and play, eat, or sometimes even make it to school before she decides she has to pee. DD2 on the other hand - I can count on one hand the times she's woken up with a dry pull-up. She wants it to work. She's just not ready yet:(

[pastrygirl]

My son soaked his sheets for the first time last night, too. He's been wearing cloth trainers (Flip) and kept them dry for several days. Not last night! He was very upset and wanted a diaper after that.