Yet more potty training issues

DS turned 4 in January. He's been day trained since last summer
(3.5yo) but has continued to wear pull-ups at night. I have two
issues.

1. Lately he's been wetting his pants. No real explanation as to why.
No major changes lately. Why after so many months of no accidents does
he suddenly start wetting his pants (4-5 x per week)

2. How do you night train? Sometimes he stays dry, sometimes not. I
actually ran out of pull-ups a few days ago and so he's worn underwear
to bed. 2 nights wet, 1 night dry. I explained if he had to go that
there's a night light in his room and the bathroom and that he can come
and get me if he wants but he's such a sound sleeper though I don't
think he'd wake up if he had to go. Any suggestions.

Oh, yeah... is it any easier to trian the second child than the first?


Thanks,

Shelley

"Shelley" wrote and I snipped:
DS turned 4 in January. He's been day trained since last summer
(3.5yo) but has continued to wear pull-ups at night.

2. How do you night train? Sometimes he stays dry, sometimes not. I
actually ran out of pull-ups a few days ago and so he's worn underwear
to bed. 2 nights wet, 1 night dry. I explained if he had to go that
there's a night light in his room and the bathroom and that he can come
and get me if he wants but he's such a sound sleeper though I don't
think he'd wake up if he had to go. Any suggestions.

It sounds as though the ability to stay dry at night, without either going
to the toilet or wetting himself, is still beyond your DS. My DS has been
dry at night since he was 2; DD still isn't reliably dry at almost 8. There
is no "training" you can do, and there's no relationship to daytime dryness.
It's strictly developmental. Actually, there are devices that can be used,
but I don't think they're recommended at your DS's age. I suggest that your
DS either wear something absorbent, or that you get used to doing lots of
laundry. :-) That's where your choice lies.

-Patty, mom of 1+2

Shelley wrote:
DS turned 4 in January. He's been day trained since last summer
(3.5yo) but has continued to wear pull-ups at night. I have two
issues.


2. How do you night train? Sometimes he stays dry, sometimes not. I
actually ran out of pull-ups a few days ago and so he's worn underwear
to bed. 2 nights wet, 1 night dry. I explained if he had to go that
there's a night light in his room and the bathroom and that he can come
and get me if he wants but he's such a sound sleeper though I don't
think he'd wake up if he had to go. Any suggestions.


Can't help you on the first issue. But on this one, I don't think you
actually "night train". DD was day-time trained by 22 months. But she
slept in pull-ups until she was 4 1/2. She just didn't wake up during
the night and she also went almost immediately upon awaking. Eventually
she developed more control and sometime after she turned 4, she was
waking up and remaining fully dry until she went to the bathroom.

We didn't really stress on it. It seemed like a pretty minor issue.

Oh, yeah... is it any easier to trian the second child than the first?



No.

We're still waiting for DS (2 1/2 years old) to show some signs of
readiness - more than a year later than DD and counting. Well, maybe
it'll be as easy or easier but it's certainly not earlier.

Jeanne

"Shelley" wrote in message
oups.com...
DS turned 4 in January. He's been day trained since last summer
(3.5yo) but has continued to wear pull-ups at night. I have two
issues.

1. Lately he's been wetting his pants. No real explanation as to why.
No major changes lately. Why after so many months of no accidents does
he suddenly start wetting his pants (4-5 x per week)


My thought would be the thrill of accomplishement is over. With that gone,
just too busy maybe?

2. How do you night train? Sometimes he stays dry, sometimes not. I
actually ran out of pull-ups a few days ago and so he's worn underwear
to bed. 2 nights wet, 1 night dry. I explained if he had to go that
there's a night light in his room and the bathroom and that he can come
and get me if he wants but he's such a sound sleeper though I don't
think he'd wake up if he had to go. Any suggestions.



Personally, I did not bother. The value of night training seemed negligible
to the value of getting his sleep. But maybe that's me.

Oh, yeah... is it any easier to trian the second child than the first?



Yes and no, depends on the child.

Thanks,

Shelley

Shelley wrote:
DS turned 4 in January. He's been day trained since last summer
(3.5yo) but has continued to wear pull-ups at night. I have two
issues.

2. How do you night train? Sometimes he stays dry, sometimes not. I
actually ran out of pull-ups a few days ago and so he's worn underwear
to bed. 2 nights wet, 1 night dry. I explained if he had to go that
there's a night light in his room and the bathroom and that he can come
and get me if he wants but he's such a sound sleeper though I don't
think he'd wake up if he had to go. Any suggestions.

My suggestion here would be to get him up to go to the bathroom right
before you go to bed, just to help get him through the night. Cut down
on fluids before bedtime. Other than that, pull-ups are the good old
standby. None of these 'teach' him to wake up and go to the bathroom,
but they will help him stay dry. My 4 yo dd makes it through most
nights without having to get up to go to the bathroom.



Oh, yeah... is it any easier to trian the second child than the first?



I wish it were. My dd was potty trained both night and day by 20 months
old. My son at 25 months has yet to even start.

Stasya

On the day-time accidents, what is going on when he has the accident?
I've got a 6 year old, and work in a church nursery. I see a lot of
accidents when the child is too busy playing, interested in the video,
etc to go to the bathroom. My son still has accidents because he waits
too long to go and then can't get his pants undone in time.

On the night time training, check with his pediatrician to make sure
there isn't any physical reason. I bought a bed wetting alarm for my
boy, and he sleeps through that. He's a very heavy sleeper.

Hi --

Don't worry about the night "training". It's actually physiological,
not under your child's conscious control. When his body is ready he'll
stay dry at night. Check with your parents and DH's parents, and you
may find that staying dry at night occurs late in one family or the
other.

--Beth Kevles

http://web.mit.edu/kevles/www/nomilk.html -- a page for the milk-allergic
Disclaimer: Nothing in this message should be construed as medical
advice. Please consult with your own medical practicioner.

NOTE: No email is read at my MIT address. Use the AOL one if you would
like me to reply.

On 3/7/06 3:52 PM, in article
, "Shelley"
wrote:

DS turned 4 in January. He's been day trained since last summer
(3.5yo) but has continued to wear pull-ups at night. I have two
issues.

1. Lately he's been wetting his pants. No real explanation as to why.
No major changes lately. Why after so many months of no accidents does
he suddenly start wetting his pants (4-5 x per week)
My ds had that issue while toilet training at 3 years. The only thing I
could put it down to was that both dh and I were doing tons of overtime -
him during his shifts, me when it was his time off. We did also cut down on
sugary anything at least an hour or two before bedtime (still have to).

2. How do you night train? Sometimes he stays dry, sometimes not. I
actually ran out of pull-ups a few days ago and so he's worn underwear
to bed. 2 nights wet, 1 night dry. I explained if he had to go that
there's a night light in his room and the bathroom and that he can come
and get me if he wants but he's such a sound sleeper though I don't
think he'd wake up if he had to go. Any suggestions.
Talked a lot to ds about being a big boy (because he wanted to be one so
badly) and how they don't wear diapers. We explained that it would take time
(we ourselves didn't know just how much time it would take). We never got
angry as he felt bad enough. We put his potty in his room, beside his bed.
That worked twice. But stickers! He'd still be in pullups if it weren't for
stickers. We put a calendar in the kitchen and each night he didn't wear a
diaper he got to put a sticker on the calendar. I told him it was there for
all to see how many times he went to bed without a diaper. It gave him a
sense of pride. He's been diaper-free (and sticker dependent) for about 5
months now. He's 4.5 yrs old and still has the very occasional accident, but
it's better now because it almost always happens when he sits on the edge of
his bed as he gets up to go to the bathroom.

Oh, yeah... is it any easier to trian the second child than the first?


Thanks,

Shelley

In article .com,
"Shelley" wrote:

DS turned 4 in January. He's been day trained since last summer
(3.5yo) but has continued to wear pull-ups at night. I have two
issues.

1. Lately he's been wetting his pants. No real explanation as to why.
No major changes lately. Why after so many months of no accidents does
he suddenly start wetting his pants (4-5 x per week)

2. How do you night train? Sometimes he stays dry, sometimes not. I
actually ran out of pull-ups a few days ago and so he's worn underwear
to bed. 2 nights wet, 1 night dry. I explained if he had to go that
there's a night light in his room and the bathroom and that he can come
and get me if he wants but he's such a sound sleeper though I don't
think he'd wake up if he had to go. Any suggestions.


You don't night train: it is an ability they develop. Some develop it
younger than others. Your son is actually at a fairly young age.

I had one start wearing underware at night as soon as she was toilet
trained (just before 3). I had one who wasn't dry through the night
until she was in about 2nd grade. And I had one who wasn't dry through
the night til he was 14.

There is a genetic factor, and nocturnal enurisis (bedwetting) at late
ages runs in families: I was 8 before I stopped bedwetting, and DH was
10 or 12. However, there are no guarantees either way.

This is NOT something that is under conscious control.

--
Children won't care how much you know until they know how much you care

In article .com,
"NTM05" wrote:

On the day-time accidents, what is going on when he has the accident?
I've got a 6 year old, and work in a church nursery. I see a lot of
accidents when the child is too busy playing, interested in the video,
etc to go to the bathroom. My son still has accidents because he waits
too long to go and then can't get his pants undone in time.

On the night time training, check with his pediatrician to make sure
there isn't any physical reason. I bought a bed wetting alarm for my
boy, and he sleeps through that. He's a very heavy sleeper.


Very few doctors would run any tests on a 4 yo who is wetting at night.
It is still too common.

In fact, because our family history included folks on both sides who
were not dry through the night until into their teens, my doctor
recommended against any testing even when my son was approaching his
teens.

And, indeed, he simply stopped when he was 14.

--
Children won't care how much you know until they know how much you care