I know quite a few bloggy friends who are all dealing with potty training issues with their young ones right now. Even though Aaron has been potty trained for several years, he is still waking up every morning soaked to the skin through his pull up and pajamas every morning.We limit his drink intake for an hour before bed and also have him go before he goes to bed. He still wakes up soaked. I think he's such a sound sleeper that he just doesn't wake up. While we were at my brother's house over the break, I found out that my nephew (very close in age) still does the same thing and their pediatrician suggested getting him up to use the bathroom around midnight right before my brother and SIL go to bed. It is working for them and makes perfect sense.
So Steve and I decided to try it. But when I went to try it last night, several issues arose.
A. We go to bed fairly early so Aaron had only been asleep for about three hours. Would that really make that much of a difference when most of the night still lied ahead of him?
B. Unlike my brother's house, where the bathroom is right near my nephew's room, we would have to bring Aaron all the way down the stairs to the bathroom, coming much closer to fully waking him up rather than just letting him stay half asleep
C. Steve is concerned (and rightfully so) that with Aaron's personality, he may just decided to not go to sleep at bedtime if he knows we're going to be getting him up to use the bathroom in a few hours anyway
D. The kid is just way too heavy to carry when he is in a deep sleep that we can't wake him from
So because of these issues, I chickened out. And Aaron was so soaked this morning that he was changing his clothes at 6:00 before the rest of us had even gotten up.
I think it is a great idea to try but the logistics of it just don't seem to fit. So many out there are just saying, "Just wait until he's ready." But at the moment, he is almost 5 and a half, waking up SOAKING WET and cold every morning by 5:30 AM and even his brand new pajamas are becoming threadbare since we have to wash them after every single wearing. PLUS...I am really ready to not spend money on pull ups anymore.
So, my bloggy friends, what's worked for you?
11 comments:
The waking them up is how I night trained all of my kids. Though #1 I didn't really have to she was night trained at 2 1/2 years old on her own basicly because she woke up on her own every night.. I just sat the potty chair in her room and she went.. #2 was night trained by 3 1/2 years old but that was because he would wake up everynight in the middle of the night and climb into bed with me so before He could get in bed with me I would make him go potty.. and that did the trick. #3 was a heavy sleeper and she never slept in her own room she would just start out in my bed since DH was working nights and she liked sleeping with me. She didn't night train till the month before she turned 5 years old. and I had to work at it like you BIL is doing.. I had to wake her up and carry her to the bathroom before I went to bed each night and make her go.. that was keeping her dry.. but then on the nights I didn't carry her to the bathroom she wouldn't wake up and go and would end up wet. I figured she was staying too much asleep by me carrying her.. So I started making her get up and walk to the bathroom and that pretty much trained her.. She got in a habit of getting up at that time and going to the bathroom without me waking her and making her do it. like I said by age 5 i didn't have to have the pullups anymore.
NOW with #4 he will be 5 in May and we are working at this now.. its harder because I got to bed earlier now(with the rest I went to bed around 1 or 2am) now I go to bed around 11pm or 12am since I have to get up earlier now. I have found taking him potty at 11pm when he just went to bed at 9pm didn't really help anything.. but if I set an alarm for myself around 1 or 2am.. Then I get up and wake him up and make him walk to the bathroom he goes and will stay dry till he wakes up at 8am. He isn't too the point of waking up on his own yet but then I just started this over christmas break. Every night he has been dry in the morning.. Lastnight I forgot to set that alarm to wake him up and he woke up soaked. I know it's a major pain in the butt to have to get up and wake them up and take them potty. but it does work. Good Luck to ya.
You already know that Hannah's not staying dry at night yet, at 7 years old now. Although her pull-ups rarely leak, so other than the cost issue, it's really not too much of a concern. I know other kids her age who aren't staying dry at night consistently either. She is a very heavy sleeper like Aaron.
My biggest issue with doing the night waking and taking potty thing is that she sleeps SO deeply that it's too hard to get her moving on her own, and she's too heavy to carry. For us anyway, it's just not worth it. She'll get there on her own, eventually. Or so I hear. :)
Good luck - it does sound like you really need to find a good option that will help him stay drier at night!
I have absolutely no idea...my Crew has been potty trained a year and a half and still sleeps in a diaper that is SOAKED each morning. This was the first morning he woke up dry....pray girl, pray.
humm... I think you are on the right path with waking him up, so that he can learn to go in the middle of the night, but having the bathroom so far away is an issue-- could he start out sleeping downstairs and then use the bathroom when you go to bed, and then go up to his room? That way you wouldn't have to carry him?
Our house is such that the kids do not have to walk hardly at all to use the bathroom.
Would it work to keep a potty chair or something of that sort in his room/hallway for him to pee in at the night wakeup? Then at least you wouldn't have the carry down stairs/full waking up issue.
Ah, Kristi, I totally feel your pain! Gavin is now 7 1/2 and finally started staying dry through the night around 6 years old. It got to where the poor kid would cry at night when I put the pull up on him because they were for babies. I hated spending the money on pull ups, but what else can u do? He would wake up soaked every morning! I stopped his liquid intake for the night at 7PM and made him pee right before bed. He is a heavy sleeper also. I believe he finally grew out of it, he hasnt had an accident in about 10 months. ON THE OTHER HAND, Katelyn was potty trained at 3 years and has NEVER wet the bed. Its funny how kids are so different. So, it might just be a waiting game for him to grow out of it. I agree with another comment, maybe a potty chair in the hallway would be good idea. Good luck!
Alex was nearly 8 before he was dry all night on a regular basis. I asked the doc about waking him to go at night and he siad not to that when Alex was ready he would wake on his own. And he did. Although I think part of the reason he suddenly could stay dry was that Dylan was not wearing pullups at night and big brother still was. Good luck!
Walker is now 6.5 and still not waking up dry. We tried the waking him up, but like, Deb, he is just too heavy to carry and wouldn't fully wake up! We used pull-ups until we found 'Goodnights'. They work sooo much better. I have just decided to leave it to God. He will eventually outgrow it. Deb was spot on. My husband, and many people I know and respect as adults, were all bed wetters until 12, and they survived as did their parents. You rock as a mom, Kristi. Maybe, just changing the brand would help. We will pray for Aaron, Honey.
xoxo,
Veronica
I can really identify with this one.
Having them go potty at midnight CAN result in them waking up dry. I was worried about interrupting their sleep, but often they didn't even remember getting up during the night. They also had to go downstairs to go to the bathroom.
Some kids just have small and immature bladders. I know a 12 yr old boy who still needs a pull-up on overnight--he simply doesn't feel when he has to go, and doesn't wake up even when he soaks himself. Many boys are age 7 or older before they are dry all night. They really can't control it since they are basically unconscious. I don't know of any cures other than waking them up during the night. Sometimes they get used to that and then can stay dry otherwise.
I think you are going to have to wake him up to go. We say no more drinks after supper and still have issues.
Could you get a small prota-potty or a bucket? It might not be pretty, but it would help him not fully wake up??? I still have the same issue with my 4 1/2 year old. I go to bed late so I just wake him up between 11:30 and midnight. He is rarely wet and I don't have to buy pull-ups or Good Nights (the bigger kid version of pull ups). I feel for you!!
Keep buying the pullups and don't look back. My oldest still wears one and he's six. He will not go to junior high wetting the bed. You are doing the right thing...don't stress out about it. As everyone else said, all kids are different. My middle son has never even worn a pull-up (even during the day). Enjoy him where he is!
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