"diapering" the older child who isn't dry at night

[debsdancer]

I officially don't know where to post this- please redirect if necessary.

My 5yo still isn't dry at night and I'm looking for ideas. We did regular old disposable pull-ups when the cloth diapers stopped fitting, and I never was very successful at keeping him dry in cloth at night anyway. But now he doesn't want to wear any kind of diaper at night, and it's been months now of nearly daily sheet-washing... I am fully aware that this could go on for years and don't know how to approach it. I don't want to do an extra load of laundry every day for environmental as well as time reasons. I don't want to sleep in the "wet spot" (heh) that we cover with towels every night. I don't want his sleep compromised, nor mine. Don't want his pride hurt (diapers at 5). Don't have a clue.

help??
thanks.

[Crispie]

I had to post because one of my boys took 9 years to get through the night without wetting. It was frustrating. I had to be reminded that it is normal for some children to wet at night into the preteen years. I was very mainstream then, and used "GoodNights" (older kid overnighters which now come like real undies or boxers) at night.

I know you're probably looking for a more cloth alternative and I have no advice in that area....as we are past that stage (at least with that kid) Just wanted to say you're not alone. There's also the plan of setting alarms for a bladder emptying in the middle of the night, or if you can figure when it's happening perhaps catch it before it happens by an hour or so...that really helped my son, and my washer. Although getting up and waking him up sucked, it was for the most part better. There were still wet nights, but less so.

Best of luck to you mama. This will pass. *hugs*

[lifeguard]

Do you wake him at any point for a mid-night pee? That made a HUGE difference for my godson.

The goodnight's he had were really scratchy feeling & wouldn't want to wear them either. Could you try a thick pull on underpants with a pull on cover of some sort & then a towel underneath him. With my godson a lot of absorbancy wasn't really needed 'cause unlike a baby he didn't pee all night - it was generally just once.

[debsdancer]

We do wake him up, usually as we're going to bed (about an hour and a half to two hours after he's fallen asleep) and most of the time that works- he doesn't pee again that night. But there are times when we're too late already. And other times he'll pee at around 5am (about an hour before typically waking).

Has anybody used Antsy Pants? The two problems we have are 1) he won't want to wear it and 2) will it be enough absorbency? Even if he only pees once, and he JUST peed before going to bed, it's often enough to really saturate the sheet and towel I have under it... and then the one I throw on top, too.

Other suggestions for what to put on the bed would be great, too.. Currently I have a plastic (ug) shower curtain over the mattress pad, then towels, then the fitted sheet. It's a family bed and we move around so buying a wool puddle pad would be like $350.... and I'd still have to wash it and the sheet every day....

thanks!

[lifeguard]

I've heard of people felting up old wool blankets & using that as a mattress pad. You can sometimes find those blankets cheap.

Those antsy pants look nice.

Why does he not want to wear the diaper? Does he not find it cold/uncomfortable to be in the wet sheets? Do you have him help with the laundry - not as a punishment thing but as a "this is what needs to be done when this happens so we'll do it together" type of thing.

Maybe this is wrong to do but with my godson our agreement when he stayed with us was that if he was wet at night then the next night he had to wear the pull-up until he had a dry night again. It wasn't meant as a punishment by any stretch but a way for him to understand that we were working towards the same goal but in the mean time we needed to take responsibility. I hope that makes sense.

[debsdancer]

I don't know exactly with him- he was VERY VERY reluctant to stop wearing pull-ups, (but I was confident! that he'd be dry within days) and now he just cries if I suggest it. I think it's partly comfort... and maybe pride. I like the idea that he needs a dry night before we go diaperless again.... he does help with the laundry but it doesn't bother him in the slightest!

[jewelsJZ]

Just a suggestion regarding protecting the mattress. Waterproof mattress pads that feel like cloth, not plastic. We got ours from Company Store on-line. I think they were between $50 and $100.
For my 3.5 year old that wets the bed, I use the fitted mattress pad mentioned above and then waterproof pads (not fitted) that are the size of a crib mattress. I use two of those for a double bed, side by side. They are flat and smaller. Easier to launder. Sheet on top of that. The fitted pad is just to protect the mattress. The flat pads are to absorb the pee.
Sorry this sounds confusing. So it's:
waterproof fitted mattress pad
flat waterproof crib-size pads
sheet

[Mrsboyko]

How heavy of a sleeper is he? My 3 y/o has been PT'ed for a year now, but still wets at night. Some nights she will let me put a cloth diaper on her, but more and more she is refusing. So once she is asleep I put it on her. She sleps right thru it, but she does ask how she got a diaper on come morning....

As for what to use, look into ditto daddy boxer trainers. They look like fitted boxers.