A bedwetter goes back to diapers

Yesterday I purchased a package of size 4 diapers for my daughter, who has been potty-trained for a year. She's been wetting the bed pretty consistently and refuses to put on a Pull-Up. Not even a name brand Pull-Up emblazoned with the Disney Princesses. She told me they were too uncomfortable. I told her they're surely more comfortable than wet pajamas and sheets.

Waking her up for a midnight pee was unsuccessful. Limiting fluids didn't seem to make a difference. And while layering sheets and waterproof mattress pads made changing the sheets easier, peeling piss-soaked pajamas, underpants and socks off a sleepy 3 year old at 3am just plain sucks.

So when Z agreed that she'd wear a "big diaper," I bought her some. I thought she might feel a teeny bit humiliated to be back in baby diapers at night, but quite the opposite is true. She's loving the novelty. She's borderline gleeful knowing there's one less thing that her baby sister has that she doesn't.

Which irritates me a bit...but not as much as the midnight strip.

An original post to Chicago Moms Blog. Alma works full-time at an advertising agency and is mother to two daughters, 3 1/2 year old Z and 9 month old Baby A. Her personal blog is Marketing Mommy.

Comments

[kristen]

We just had to do the same thing with one of our 3.5 year old twin boys, though our son is happy to be in pull-ups. Both my husband and I feel terrible because we feel like we pushed the nighttime training too quickly with this son (his twin has been in underwear for a year at night and NEVER had an accident), and because the twin who wears underwear at night says things like "only babies wear pull-ups". With our son who had to go back in pull-ups, I am sure it is just a case of sleeping too hard -- he usually doesn't even wake up when he wets the bed. In the morning when he wakes up, that's when he realizes his bed is wet. Poor little guy.

Hopefully this will be a short lived phase and my son will get the hang of the nighttime training permanently. And your daughter, too.

[Paige]

Good luck with this!!!

[the farmers wife]

I'd also check with the pediatrician because there are physical causes for this also.

- Suzanne, the Farmer's Wife

[Daisy]

Waking up in a wet pullup has to be better than waking up in soaked pajamas and sheets. The time will come when that morning diaper will be dry again, and hopefully all will be well with the world.

[Simone]

I feel your pain. My 5-yr old son is STILL in Pull-Ups. He has accidents every night, and sometimes at nap time, if he doesn't have them on. We've tried everything. Nothing seems to work. Not sure if it is physical, stubborness, lazyness, hard sleeping, or something else.

[Sarah]

I'm pretty sure bedwetting up to 6 or so is considered purely a case of physiological development, which obviously can't be rushed. I don't think the doctor needs to be consulted on a 3 year old who is in diapers at night.

[tracey]

Thank goodness she doesn't care, because I KNOW the frustration of washing piles of stinky sheets every morning. My son wore a pull-up at night till he was about 6 and then we were able to do the training, with waking him every hour, then every 2 hours, etc. He was and is still a VERY deep sleeper. We still have occasional wet mornings, but they are few and far between now, at 9.

[pickel]

My five year old has never gotten out of diapers at night although he is completely potty trained during the day. He can't even wear pull-ups or good nights at night because he leaks through those every night, even if we wake him to go (and we do every night).

I would not worry about a three year old yet, as long as the regression and problem don't carry over into the day.

[Marketing Mommy]

Thanks everyone for all the support and advice. Since I wrote this Z's kept her nighttime diaper dry (go figure), so tonight I relented and put her back in underpants. She complains that diapers--while novel--are itchy and uncomfortable.

[Meagan Francis]

I know 8- and 9-year old kids who still have occasional, sometimes even frequent accidents at night. It happens--but I know how frustrating it can be!

[Christine]

My son is just turned 6 and still needs pull ups at night. We have tried many different strategies but nothing seems to work on a consistent basis. Looking for some advice!