How to deal with a 4 &1/2 yr old whose potty trained but still needs a pullup at bed time?

My daughter has been potty trained since the age of 2 but she still needs a pullup at bed time. How do I tackle this becasue pullups are too expensive and the quantity of them goes down as the weight and age goes up. Help!

Parent Answers to "How to deal with a 4 &1/2 yr old whose potty trained but still needs a pullup at bed time?"

View 20 answers: Newest-Oldest, Oldest-Newest
Display all answers

Ok - you probably have your daughter completely potty trained but I will offer my experiences as well - worked with all 4 of my children.
First - like the other post, limit the amount of liquids 1 hour before bedtime. No sippy cups while sleeping either.
Second - Take her to the potty one hour before and then again before tucking her in to bed.
Third - if you wake up to go to the bathroom, go pick her up and put her on the potty.
fourth - if you hear her tossing and turning or mumbling/moaning in her sleep, go take her to the potty. (my oldest daugher was like this)
Fifth - we have pads on the bed - like in another post - the medical supply ones like the hospitals have - or you can get one (that is crib mattress size) from babies r us - this covers more of a twin bed than the medical ones.
LAST - use the pull ups while you are doing 1-5. When she starts waking up with a dry pull up, then try regular underwear.
Or you can ask her if she feels ready to try regular underwear (but do this after implementing 1-5).
This helps with their self esteem and enpowers them to feel like they are accomplising something. That they did it.
PS - sometimes the children stay asleep while you are taking them to the potty in the middle of the night. Once she is used to this happening and is more alert, you can wake her up to go to the potty on her own.
Hope this helps you!

Oh, yes, and my main point I wanted to make was that by keeping a daily diary of accidents, successes and dry times, you will have a better idea what your child's natural pattern is...which will make potty training easier and more successful in the long run.

I would just like to second what someone said about potty training too early. It can be devastating to a child psychologically if you push to potty train before they are ready. If your child is aware of when they are wet, discomforted by it, capable of changing or assisting with changing themselves and capable of controlling their bodily functions to a certain extent, then they are probably ready. However if any of these things are missing, you may be better off waiting.

Using mattress and sheet protectors (incontinence pads), involving your child in the glory and work of potty training and recognizing that development happens on its own schedule, not necessarily yours (and not necessarily a result of pure will power) will help you and your child to tackle this milestone in life and give you both a greater sense of accomplishment, self-respect and appreciation for the efforts you both put into life.

You can try to limit fluid intake. Such as if the child goes to bed at 8pm no liquids after like 6:30 pm. But if the child is thirsty, trust that she will find a time when you're not looking to get a drink. Another thing you can try is waking her up to use the bathroom...maybe she just sleeps to heavy to wake herself up. If you can narrow down what time she usually wets herself..you can go in before she does it and wake her up. If you're going to do this, try to stick to the same time every night. Eventually her body will get used to waking up at that time.

My two older kids were potty trained at the age of 2 amd I plan on potty training my baby at the same time. It is normal for kids to have accidents that is why it is called potty training. When my kids would have accidetns at night I would wake them up have them help me pull the sheets off the bed and by the way we had a mattress pad it worked great no leaks on the actual mattress I learned that after two kids(LOL) then I have the kids get in the tub for a quick rinse and boy they hated it because it was the middle of the night but I would tell them If i have to get up to clean you, you have to get up to be cleaned. Potty training in my hous for my older boy at age two took about a good 2 weeks, potty training for my middle child at age two took about 3 weeks. and just to let you know my third son is stubborn! I would recommend getting a mattress pad, depending on the size of the bed they shouldn't be that bad in price. no water, wake her up regularly to go tinkle. and remind her what do to do every night befor bed. My son %yr old before bed he will lay down then say ohhh I for got to go to the bathroom and he gets up goes.

1 2 3 4 Next >

Any contributed content above is the subjective opinion of that member or external author, and not of GreatSchools. GreatSchools does not check for accuracy in community posts or verify the contributor’s identity. If you are searching for health-related advice we strongly suggest you seek professional medical support. View our Community Guidelines for more details.

Local Q&A

Top cities

Los Angeles	Phoenix
Houston	San Diego
Chicago	Dallas
San Jose	San Antonio
New York	Miami

Browse questions about

Local Q&A is brand new! What do you think? Give us your feedback in our feedback forum.