My 4-year-old still needs a pull up at night...help!

Moms, I need some help. My 4 almost 5 year old HAS to wear a pull-up at night still. We stop anything to drink after 7:30pm and he uses the bathroom before he lays down. What should I do? He hates wearing them… He says “but my brother don’t have to wear them.” His little brother is 2 and is FULLY potty trained… HELP

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It’s pretty normal at that age, especially for boys. Their bodies just aren’t mature enough to wake them up for potty yet and they don’t get the signal. I’d focus on letting him know everyone is different and it’s okay. He will outgrow it.

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I think you should look at what your child is drinking and eating.

Sodas or flavored drinks with fake sugars. Juices/fruits. Can make you produce more urine.
If you don’t go #2 as often as you should it can also cause you to urinate more. Bc it puts pressure on your bladder. (Introduce more fiber to childs diet)

Just a few things to look over and try by limiting and watching for more dry nights.

Good luck!

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Wake them up in the middle of the night and make them go pee. We used to have to wake our son up and do this, did it for about 2 weeks and when we were about to go wake him up to use the bathroom, he got up on his own. Gotta do it everynight, until they do it on their own.

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Some kids just take longer than others. Some kids are just heavy sleepers and some have small bladders that haven’t caught up to the rest of their bodies.
Maybe try waking him up in the night to pee? Cutting off fluids earlier than 7:30?
Either way, let him know that he’s not the only kid that happens to and it doesn’t make him less of a big boy!

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I was 12! My parents did all the right things, and went to many doctors…I eventually grew out of it!

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My son was almost 8 before we could really trust him overnight.
We would have to take him before we went to bed and got a pea pod mat to protect his bed
He just slept so soundly

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My almost 10 year old son still wears them at night, obviously he wears the goodnites not pull ups. He is such a deep sleeper that NOTHING wakes him up. We stop drinks at like 7:30pm and his bedtime is between 8:30pm-9pm. We have him go to the bathroom multiple times before he goes to bed. My son will eventually outgrow it, just like your daughter will

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All kids are different. I wouldn’t stress about it. He’ll eventually get it
Maybe do last drinks a little earlier?

Have you talked to his pediatrician?

I just got my almost 5 year old out of pull-ups at bedtime. It’s been 2 weeks and only one accident. I just remind her every night when I tuck her in that she’s in undies, I feel like it helps her brain remember!

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My daughter’s pediatrician said until about 6 or 7 they don’t make that hormone or chemical in their brains that tells you to wake up out of a sound sleep to go to the bathroom. At 4 It’s truly not yours or her fault no matter how hard you try to prevent it

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My 4 year old rarely if ever pees on himself. My 7 year old will if it’s too cold in his room. It was happening pretty constant with my 7 year old for a bit until I told him he was gonna have to go back to pull ups if he wasn’t going to get up at night. It’s way less frequent now. Last night was the first time this year he had an accident and it was cold in the bedroom yesterday

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Visit ear, nose and throat dr. He could have sleep apnea cause his tonsils are too big.

No issue at all. Kids develop on their own time. My 7 yr old still needs them. We’ve been to all the docs. It is what it is.

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Yes, im with you on this one. Potty training was so hard for my four year old. When he was finally completely potty trained with no accidents… his dad got parenting time with overnights back, he decided to put our boy in a pullup at night. We’re back to accidents almost nightly now… definitely following this post. I need some help as well.

Some kids don’t even develop the nerves telling them they need to pee until aged 5, and some kids wet the bed until aged 10. I think you can get meds to help these days but otherwise be kind and supportive and just explain that different people develop differently and that his body doesn’t wake him for a pee yet.

Some kiddos are just slow to learn fully. Mine was 5 and started school before she fully got it. Just explain that you don’t want to have to change the bed in the middle of the night in case of an accident Anne he could use the uninterrupted sleep

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My daughter is 5 & still does at night. I think it can be quite normal until about age 11 if all medical concerns are ruled out.

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my pediatrician had us give our child half a peanut butter sandwich before bed. Sounds odd but it worked! no more bed wetting.

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My pediatrician had my son tested for sleep apnea because of this issue (he was almost 5). He had sleep apnea, so they recommended removing his tonsils. He has never wet the bed since the day they were removed. Apparently in kids that’s a sign of sleep apnea.

It’s literally a hormone imbalance in the brain. None of these tricks will help you other than time.

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It’s really normal. And if your child doesn’t like the pull ups they now make underwear that has the same purpose as a pull up. It may make them more confident wearing those. I found them before at Walmart but I am guessing you can order them online as well.

My youngest son is 4. He hates pull ups at bedtime too. So, I put down a cloth pee pad for him to sleep on. It doesn’t make him feel like a baby and honestly, we have less accidents this way than with pull ups for whatever reason.
Just know, it’s normal! My oldest is almost 20 and he eventually grew out of it. Just know he won’t be wearing pull ups in college. Lol. It eventually goes away completely. :woman_shrugging:

My 4 year old will be 5 in September and she is still in a pull up. My eldest was 6 when she was able to go all night without an accident. Nothing physically or mentally wrong with either of my kids, and I never really worried about it. Each child grows at their own pace.

My youngest was not potty trained at night until 6 because of small bladder

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My cousin had to wear them (obviously not pull-ups after a certain age lol) until he was 8 or 9 as he would wet the bed. Just keep reassuring him that everyone is different and we all do things at our own pace. He is probably embarrassed so try not to make it worse for him :white_heart:

It is something that happens to some kids. One of mine was in the teens before not having this problem. They just have to out grow it.

Create a potty chart with a cheap white board from the dollar store. Put a sticker for each time they go and create a bin with goodies. For my daughter we said if you go 5 times she gets a prize helped wonders.
Also pee pads really help for nighttime accidents layer the sheets so it makes clean up easier.

I have a friend who’s 4 year old started to go on himself randomly at night (he didn’t before), and nothing would work and I guess there were other signs as well- but she tested him and found out he has diabetes.

Just because he still needs a pull up at night doesn’t mean he’s NOT fully potty trained. Some kids just can’t stay dry at night and there is not a thing wrong with that.

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My son was like this too. Wore pull ups until almost 5. One thing I did was wake up every 3-4 hours and took him potty and over time we stretched the time a bit longer until he finally got it and would wake up and go pee himself. He is now almost 7 and hasn’t had an accident in almost a year

My 4 almost 5 year old just got out of this habit about 4 months ago. We stop drinks at 6:30 the latest. He eventually got the hang of things and does not sleep with a pull up anymore

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All kids are different, but try limiting the amount of water at bedtime. Potty (of course) at bedtime and wake them again for a quick Potty when YOU go to bed (say 10 or 11 pm).

Some kids take longer. That’s all. Tell your son we’re all different and turn your cheek to it. Buy the pull ups. it won’t be like this forever

Defo normal boys can wet upto age 7/8 before doctors will even concidered anything to help them stop wetting at night, we where told with specialist that anything with berries in it, juice or food/fruit aggravates the bladder at night so nothing like that few hours before bed also x

5 and 3.5 and mine still wear night time pants.

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Following. I have the same issue with my 4 year old. His older brother was completely trained by 3.

Stop drinks at 6 and sometimes they need woken up for a bathroom trip

Explain to him that each person is different and their body responds to the position in bed and as he grows he will find that his body will let him know when it is ready.

Back 30 years ago, we had an alarm that would go off at the first sign of moisture. That was torture. Wish we had pull ups then. Would have saved buying a new mattress every 6 mos.

You yourself wake up periodically and take them yourself, buy bed matts incase of accident save you on laundry. Every time they wake at night make them go pee

Some of my family members found the bed wetting stopped when they determined their allergies… one was corn, one tomatoes, but it could be anything. :confused:

Wake him up around 1 or 2 am to use the bathroom every night. My son doesn’t need the pull up when I do this.

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My daughter is almost 7 and wears pull ups at night. Its normal to have occasional accidents until about 10.

My son wet bed till 8yrs you can buy pull ups up till 14yrs old done worry he will be ready when w
Ready you can buy sheets that go under the sheets so the mattress doesn’t ruin

It’s Normal , some kids are ,7 to 8 before they don’t need pull up at night, heavy sleepers , small bladders , each child is different

I’m in the same boat. My daughter is 5 and wears a pull up at night time

Get him up before you go to bed and have him go to the bathroom. That’s what I had to do for my oldest.

My daughter wore her nappies at night but was fully potty trained during the day from age 2 - 2.5
One day she told me she didn’t want to wear a nappy for bed and would not wet the bed ‘trust me mommy’. Despite wet nappies every night I gave her a chance without the nappy - well that was the last of nappies for her. Hasn’t wet the bed since. She’s now almost 5. :slight_smile:
Maybe try a night and see how it goes - if he wets the bed then he wets the bed and you know he may not be ready yet? (That was my thought regarding my choice - it’s just wet sheets and can be washed so why not give it a try)
Hope you find what works for you :slight_smile:

No worries mama. My son is 7 and still can’t wipe his ass properly. It is what it is.

Following,
I also have same age girl who is almost 5 and she is in pull ups to. Would love to read the advicr

That’s still pretty normal at his age

730? My kids dont have anything to drink past dinner and in bed by 715 there 6 and 8 and go to the bathroom after dinner and befor bed

Try waking them up once in the middle of the night to go pee.

My almost 5 year old sti has accidents, kinda thought it was normal!? I remember having accidents until I was like 7 or so? The potty dream?? Tell me I’m not alone :rofl::rofl:

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Have u had him checked by Dr? I know a boy who’s now 14 n he has a kidney problem.

Have you been to a doctor? He might have an infection.

About to be 9 year old still wets the bed 13 year old just stopped.

Stop liquids at 5, it will help. Have an early dinner , nothing after that

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It’s a hormone thing. They grow out of it when their body is ready

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It’s hormonal. It’s normal.

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We stuck a potty chair in my daughter’s room and she uses it at night because she’s autistic and she will not use the bathroom if the house is dark even with a night light in there. She has been fully potty trained now since 3

wake him up during nite to go pee n if u do that for bout 1 or 2 weeks he will learn to go on his own it working for my 7yr old non verbal autism son n now he fully potty trained

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We had the same issue with my daughter. She knew it was okay to pee in her pull up. Once I stopped putting it on her at nighttime and switched to underwear she started waking up in the middle of the night to go potty. She had a few accidents but now shes fully potty trained. My son was 3 fully potty trained bc I didnt want 2 in diapers I did the same with him no diaper went straight to underwear .

Don’t you have a washer machine? If you do, get rid of the pull ups…let him pee the bed. It will become uncomfortable for him and he will learn

Every kiddo is different. My youngest was fully potty trained by 4 and my oldest still had accidents at night until about 7. He was so good through out the day but he slept so hard he wouldn’t wake up. He’s out grown it but it was on his timing regardless of how incredibly frustrating it was.

My son wet the bed until he was 10. He was diagnosed with ADHD and bed wetting is common for ADHD. Once he was put on medication he stopped wetting the bed.

My oldest son was almost 10. Drove me nuts. Finally I got a mattress w thick plastic wrapping and told him the plastic would come off when he stopped peeing. He hated it sooo much it was over a week later. N off came that plastic

I feel like this is normal? My 4 year old wears a pull up at night. She doesn’t always wet it, but I’d rather her have it on in case she does.

I would get him up before you go to bed and take to the bathroom. I did this for my granddaughter

We did/do all the things … My son is almost 7 and still needs one.

Put a mattress cover on the bed and put him in some underwear from now on. Accidents will happen but he will eventually get the idea.

This is normal. He will grow out of it.