Night-time potty learning question for 3.5yo...

[CaliforniaMommy]

My DD just turned 3.5 recently and decided she no longer wanted to wear diapers at night (she stopped wearing diapers around 2yo during the day time). We had talked about it for a little while, without pressure, but she knows that some of her friends no longer wear diapers at night, while others still do. I had told her to let me know when she would feel ready to try going without... Well, she decided that a week ago was the night to start... Fine with us, except that she just doesn't wake up when she has to pee, and just pees in bed in her sleep... She won't even wake up (well, she did, but only the first night)...

She only recently moved to her own twin bed, after co-sleeping with me, when our new DS was born 2.5 months ago. She is now in her own room, but my partner sleeps in her room also, on the trundle.

He has woken her up a couple times this week to take her to pee in the middle in the night, but if he doesn't wake her up, she just pees in bed, and sleeps through it...

I don't really want to force her to put diapers back on at night, as I'm happy she wants to go without, but what can we do to encourage her to wake up on her own when she has the urge to pee? I don't really want her to rely on us to wake her up in the middle of the night, as I'm afraid of creating a bad habit.

Thanks!

[lifeguard]

Unfortunately imo you are either going to need to wake her up each night or put her back in dipes or change sheets every day. Really being dry kind of needs to predate losing the diaper 'cause they simply cannot change how they respond while sleeping.

[JudiAU]

No longer peeing while you sleep is a developmental milestone and one you and she probably can't control. You can limit liquids somewhat after dinner. You can help her always go potty before she goes to sleep, help her pee once during the night (usually right when the parent goes to sleep for the night) when she is half-asleep, have a potty in her room if that helps, and make sure she goes potty the moment she wakes up. But if that isn't working, there is really nothing you can do. Diaper or something that acts like a diaper is required before your bed linens and matress are ruined.

(Choosing to pee in your bed when you wake up and want to snuggle with daddy or because it is cold or you still feel sleepy is different. Some kids hold their bladder all night and then have a nice diaper pee because they don't want to get out of bed. You can work on that.)

You might consider training pants with a plastic cover or a looks like underpants but is really a cloth diaper in disguise option. But really, none of these options is as effective as a diaper and if she is peeing most days a real diaper is in order.

[CaliforniaMommy]

Thanks for the replies! So, I guess we'll just have to wait it out. We've protected the mattress with a cover, so we are safe with that, and it's only extra laundry at this point. I hate to encourate my DD to go back to diapers though, as she feels so proud not to wear any, anymore... But I guess she isn't quite ready for that step yet.

It's probably all over the place, but is there any age when they are more likely to master that develpmental stage?

Thanks again.

[JudiAU]

I don't think there is a specific developmental age, at least not one that I've heard of... My kids were both dry at night before 2 but I know many children who wear pull ups much later like 5, well after daytime training. We potty learn traditionally (I refuse to say "early") but I have no idea if that has anything to do with it.

Super Undies has a good reuputation as a "night time underwear" i.e. with absorbancy if you want a cloth route.