Night toilet training??

[*EJ*]

We had a couple of dry nights which was really promising but majority has been wet and he's refusing to wear a nappy. I need to try some dry night pants or cloth pants i think.

[Lana]

I read somewhere that it is not only the child being psychologically ready but there is a hormone which makes you produce less urine at night. If you don't have enough of this hormone then you still produce lots of urine and will wet the bed. It seems like it can just take some time as they grow for this hormone to increase to high enough levels. So if you find it is an uphill battle maybe look into that as it may not be all within his control.

[*EJ*]

That's an interesting one Lana. He has never really woken up with a dry nappy up until now so i wouldn't have attempted anything if it wasn't for him asking. The last two days he's barely drank any water, he's water bottle has been on the table but he hasn't drank much. Eaten plenty though and majority of it fruit. So last night i was thinking surely there's not much liquid in there... But he was still wet. It may just not be his time to be dry yet...

[Smoke Jaguar]

I didn't do EC with DS but read a book on it when DS was nearly 2.5yo, Natural Infant Hygiene by Ingrid Bauer, and in it she said that night continence is the easiest outcome to aim for. So, I took the plunge and went back to sleeping with DS. He had co-slept for more than two years and when he got his bed decided he would fall asleep in his new bed, coming into our bed later. For the night continence, I decided to stay in HIS bed with him, with a potty in the room and use the EC principles, which use knowledge of human elimination from physiology.
Within two weeks he knew what to do and I started to go back to my own bed. Initially he didn't like it, and we persisted till he was comfortable with it. He realised that I was there with him and I realised a lot of things in hindsight about windows of opportunity I had missed when he had been sleeping in our bed.
No tricks or anything, just ancient human infant knowledge and some fancy physiology intel to get night continence off the ground Highly recommend it, especially the extra snuggles
ETA:
One important thing: limiting liquids after a certain hour is NOT night continence, it's dehydration, and is not very healthy for them. True night continence is when they are properly hydrated (and DS was having a night feed to go to sleep, and then having a feed in the wee hours and staying in our bed, staying dry) and still able to manage their sphincters. What we do with nappying is train the baby out of their own awareness of their elimination. When we conventionally, then, toilet train we reteach them what they initially knew before we trained them out of their awareness. That hormone secretion for limiting urine production is always there, as are the sleep cycles. So, as with DS, I had to get him reconnected with his cycles so that he'd know what to do with the sensations. It's not easy, it's not quick, and it's so, so satisfying.
With DD I started at 2 weeks and she's been night continent for months and months - not even two. I'm not being smug, just reporting that this time round I can tell you that EC isn't 'out there', it just makes physiological sense

[*EJ*]

Sorry to take this long to get back to you Mayaness (i'm sitting in peace it's soooo nice )

I never knew that anything such a EC even exisited until stumbling upon a BB thread a year or so ago. Another thing about the human body that is so fascinating. It does sound a little intimidating to me only because we have always been tought so differenctly from the media and past generations... but what you say is very interesting. When sleeping in your sons bed and helping him to be aware of his body, where you teaching him to realise WHEN he needs to go at night which he therefore gets out of bed to go or how to control the baldder throughout the night so he doesn't wet and goes when he wakes in the morning? How did you know when he needed to go? The book you mention sounds like it could be a really intersting read, i still have two more to toilet train

We're still not 'trained' over night here.

Honestly i was really uneasy about limiting any liquid, if he asked for a drink he obviously wanted one (althought i think sometimes he used it as a diversion at bed time ). But the few times DH and I have referenced drinking and wetting the bed obviously got in his head because i could see him avoiding drinking at all and he was mentioning the drink/toilet thing so he was obviously quite concious of it. Made me feel really guilty for having anything to do with him thinking like that, it's really not what it's all about. DH and I are fully aware of that now and it won't continue.

So we've eased up on the dry nights. During the week he had a sleepover at his cousins and i bought him some of the night nappy pant things, i explained that they weren't a nappy and he was happy to wear them. I think we'll just see how we go with that for a little bit and in the mean time i might try and take a look at that book you mentioned Mayaness.

Thank you

[~me~]

Thanks for the replys ladies...

Trouble is now he's really determind to not wear the nappy.... So i might be changing the sheets every morning for a little while... It's all good we'll figure it out.

I haven't read through so someone may have already suggested this...you can get a Conni or Kerri or Brolli bed sheet that goes over the bottom sheet. It saves you having to change sheets everyday and you can wash and dry these very quickly. I have two for those days when I can't wash and dry in the same day.

[*EJ*]

Thanks Heather, i have one mat thing that i tried on top of the sheet and it moved around too much and DS ended up wetting the sheets and underlay

So we're back to it being under the sheets but i need to look into more options of having them on top and having them not move. I'll look into the ones you suggested thank you

[~me~]

The one I have tucks in like a sheet

[Mad Scientist]

Thanks Heather, i have one mat thing that i tried on top of the sheet and it moved around too much and DS ended up wetting the sheets and underlay

So we're back to it being under the sheets but i need to look into more options of having them on top and having them not move. I'll look into the ones you suggested thank you

What about a fitted mattress protector? Put it over the sheet, then if he wets, rip it off and the bed is already made underneath? That's what I used to use anyway.....I've heard really good things about the brolly sheets but they can be a bit expensive. You can get pretty decent mattress protectors for cheap from Target.....good luck!

[*EJ*]

What about a fitted mattress protector? Put it over the sheet, then if he wets, rip it off and the bed is already made underneath? That's what I used to use anyway.....

I like that idea!!!

[lilima]

You can get the conni's with tuck in sides. I used to also double sheet the bed. Mattress protector, sheet, another mattress protector then another sheet. That way just ripped one layer off and there was another underneath

[*EJ*]

Just to update ladies... DS1 has been having dry nights for about 1 week!!!!! We went with the disposable pull up option his 'special shorts' and a week ago he started having dry shorts, we ran out, i haven't bought anymore and he's doing so well. I get him up sometimes when up to DD but i'm not sure he really needs me too.

I'm so proud of him

Now for DS2.... To even being to TT that is