My daughter "won't" wear pull-ups either. It isn't like she folds her arms and says, "No mother, I refuse", and then I say, "Well, you're the boss dear"! LOL! She just gets so upset about it, I don't want to traumatize her either. She has always had a rash from disposables, and if left in a pull-up too long, (all night, wet) it makes her uncomfortable. I have tried putting it on her even though she was upset, and then later find it on the floor next to her bed. She hates them, and I have given up. I am not the type to say, "do it or else" anyway. It's so tough. Then again, I suppose I am a whimp. I don't enforce a bedtime either, or make them fall asleep alone in their rooms. I don't let them speak disrespectfully, or hurt others, but well, I just don't have the heart to let them cry themselves to sleep, and that sort of thing. I guess what I am trying to say is that you have to find a gentle way of handling this, because you seem like a kind hearted Mama. Unfortunately, some people aren't understanding of this.
"pullups" dont' have to be the disposable kind. Yes - sometimes they will leak too - but you have to find a solution that works for your family - many different things have been listed on this thread. For my kids sleeping on a towel wouldn't work because they are really active sleepers and move around too much. Plus wrap themselves in blankets sometimes too - so it works for us to use cloth. I always do leave an extra cloth "pullup" nearby so that if they do wet it and wake up they can change it (though as I said -before - that doesn't always happen so we do have the waterproof mattress cover on the sheets).
editing to add -
i think it also helps to have not played up the "big girl/big boy" aspects of regular underwear up to a big level (I don't push potty training) and to talk from the beginning of potty learning about how we wear what my oldest called "night time panties" at night so the sheets don't get wet if there's an accident at night. They also have 1 set of special character sheets and if those get wet they get the plain "spare" sheets until the sheets get washed, line dried and then they re-make their own bed. So there's been motivation to actually WEAR the cloth pullups. So it doesn't have to be "wear this or else" - but you can actually explain why and make it more advantages for them TO wear it.
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Last edited by Mama2miracles : 08-23-2005 at 09:54 PM.
Reason: adding something
I have 2 regular mattress pads - pad, sheet, pad, then sheet
so at least in middle of night you only have to pull off top layers
luckily, i've only done this about 3 times
as for "refusing" my 4 yr old refuses to wear anything with buttons, snaps, zippers, etc. & there's is nothing I can do about it. She'd leave the house naked if I didn't give her something else to wear. So I understand refusing.
But that doesn't have to mean that doing the sheets is your job.
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Natalie
mom to
DD #1: tiny terror (6/01) who's becoming a nice little girl
DD #2: peanut 3/04 who's becoming a toddler terror
Wife to Mick -13 yrs
sorry but they 'refuse' to wear pull-ups?
if they are wetting the bed, they need to wear pull-ups.
give me a break.
Sorry, but this comment was uncalled for. You have your children and I have mine ~ if mine refuses something, they're stating their opinions. I am not going to force them on the ground and make them wear pullups if they don't want to. But then, I'm not letting them sleep on dirty beds either. Mine are pretty good kids but like the other mama posted ~ her child doesn't like snaps/zippers/etc. If my children is like that, I'll just let them wear whatever they want as long as they are comfortable.
The reason why they don't like wearing pullups is because they don't LIKE it. I think it has to do with the feeling (since they've been cloth diapered) ~
Thanks for all of your opinions! I guess I'll have to "double" their beds (mattress pad, sheet, mattress pad, then sheet) and just pull out and wash...
Another mama recommended in a PM to put a Gerber training undies on and sneak on a rubber pant afterwards ~ I might try that too!
PS My kids are only 3 years old ~ so it's expected for them to have accidents overnight, yk?
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For my 7 year old, we don't do pull-ups or nighttime diapers or anything like that because it would be embarrassing to him. If you have a younger child, or if it isn't embarrassing for them, then I think that if it works for you, then go for it However, Si's going into 2nd grade, and he knows his younger sisters wear diapers and I know it would hurt his feelings if I insisted he wear them. Could I make him? Absolutely. I'm the mama and what I say goes. But, why would I do that? There are a few things I'll go to the mat on. He doesn't get to eat dessert if he hasn't eaten enough of his regular meal. He speaks respectfully, etc... But I guess for me, if it comes between him feeling good about himself and me having a bit of extra work, well, I bet you can guess which one I'm going to pick. Wetting the bed, for Si at least, is not INTENTIONAL. It is not something he's doing to disobey me... that's why it's called an accident JMO though... everyone's entitled, lol.
I do like the idea of the towels though. That might just work. That I don't think would bother him. Maybe towels on top of a pee pad (I found the material by the yard at JoAnn fabrics )
Nelle
Nelle
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NELLE
21 week baby belly
*if you notice that I am not using apostrophes, it is because that key has mysteriously stopped working
Last edited by nellebelle : 08-23-2005 at 11:03 PM.
I only have one child who is dry at night. I have a 9 yr old in Goodnights, and 6 and 3 in pull-ups (or whatever brand we feel like getting at the time). My 9 yr old (dd2) wanted to try without goodnights recently so I let her. She knows she has a cover on her mattress and was told to make sure she had a spare set of sheets and clothes handy just in case. She's old enough to take care of it herself. My dd4 (3 yrs) on the other hand is too young, IMHO. She will wear pull-ups (she gets to pick which design she wants) but if she didn't, we'd do something similar as dd2 with a spare set of clothes but maybe instead of the sheets I'd have her sleeping bag on the floor in case she needed it. Obviously it's genetic since 3 of my kids are considered "bed wetters" (dd1 is dry and dd5 is 10 mos).
As a former bed wetter I can tell you what doesn't work:
avoiding evening drinks - this only makes for a thirsty, cranky kid
waking up in the middle of the night - the child becomes dependent on you, not their body cues
blaming the child - hmm, don't need to go into that I don't think
What works:
giving the child time to let his/her body mature
assuring the child that it is normal, because, well, IT IS
Did you know...
10% of kids entering school wet the bed?
1% of high school graduates still wet the bed?
My dr isn't concerned about my kids at this point, even the 9 yr old. For most school age bed wetters, puberty is the turning point. Good luck, mama, and follow your heart!
ETA: My 9 yr old is more embarrassed about a wet bed than wearing a goodnight. They give her the freedom to go to camp and sleep over with friends. She just changes discretely in the bathroom and no one knows!
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Quote:
ETA: My 9 yr old is more embarrassed about a wet bed than wearing a goodnight. They give her the freedom to go to camp and sleep over with friends. She just changes discretely in the bathroom and no one knows!
And I'm glad that works for her It just isn't what works for my guy. I'd love it if he'd feel comfortable with it... but he's not so that's that.
we put a polar fleece blanket on the bed over the sheet. It is comfortable to sleep on, repels water, pee wipe off of it with a rag, washes and dries in a flash...
I don't like the plastic thing. Fleece is not expensive or hot or noisy...........
and, yeah..they are big kids, which has nothing to do with the fact that they still have 'accidents'
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"If you only believe what you see, then you are limited to what's on the surface. If you only believe what you see, then why do you pay your electric bill?" Dr. Wayne Dyer
And I'm glad that works for her It just isn't what works for my guy. I'd love it if he'd feel comfortable with it... but he's not so that's that.
I hope you didn't take it wrong, mama. Just showing how kids are different. I would have loved Goodnights back then. However I can totally understand why a child wouldn't want to wear them as well. I love reading all the suggestions posted. I hope that we don't have to deal with this forever.
Thanks for sharing your inputs as well! Sue, thanks for the informative post! I didn't know all that! WOW!
Linda ~ is the polar fleece "hot?" As in, holding in heat and making kids sweat, etc? Or is this the breathable kind? Thanks!
I did not mean for this post to turn into a bashing post ~ just trying to think of suggestions to not wash the sheets everyday... not what my kids can/cannot do, etc. This is in no way criticizing parents who use Pullups/Goodnites, etc. Everyone's child is different...
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Clothes for my kids (WAHM PERFECT!):
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DS: Winter Jammies size 6 100% cotton
My daughter "won't" wear pull-ups either. It isn't like she folds her arms and says, "No mother, I refuse", and then I say, "Well, you're the boss dear"! LOL! She just gets so upset about it, I don't want to traumatize her either. She has always had a rash from disposables, and if left in a pull-up too long, (all night, wet) it makes her uncomfortable. I have tried putting it on her even though she was upset, and then later find it on the floor next to her bed. She hates them, and I have given up. I am not the type to say, "do it or else" anyway. It's so tough. Then again, I suppose I am a whimp. I don't enforce a bedtime either, or make them fall asleep alone in their rooms. I don't let them speak disrespectfully, or hurt others, but well, I just don't have the heart to let them cry themselves to sleep, and that sort of thing. I guess what I am trying to say is that you have to find a gentle way of handling this, because you seem like a kind hearted Mama. Unfortunately, some people aren't understanding of this.
thank you Wendy.
We're still working on what works here, too... but what I refuse to do is to shame my child over something of which she has no control. I wish she wanted to wear a pull-up, that would make my life easy... but if it makes her feel bad about herself I'm not going to wrestle her to the ground to make her put it on. WTH message does that send?! Yeah, I DO have better things to do than extra wash, but I'm not sure some people understand that it's not a matter of "potty-training" them at night...THEY CAN'T #$%^& HELP IT!!!
Rfamhere- you are SO right about the not drinking and night wakings. They suck and we usually end up w/ a wet bed anyways. It's more hassle than changing her "pee pee pad" LOL I'm done with that tonight... thanks for your BTDT advice
but what I refuse to do is to shame my child over something of which she has no control. I wish she wanted to wear a pull-up, that would make my life easy... but if it makes her feel bad about herself I'm not going to wrestle her to the ground to make her put it on. WTH message does that send?! Yeah, I DO have better things to do than extra wash, but I'm not sure some people understand that it's not a matter of "potty-training" them at night...THEY CAN'T #$%^& HELP IT!!!
I so agree with you ~ my life would be a lot easier if they are willing to wear SOMETHING (diapers, Pullups, Goodnights, etc.) but I am not going to fight them. There are other things to reason with them but this is something that goes beyond my control.
My best friend does this (the same way I did) for all 3 of her kids ~ but they're 2 years apart so much easier on her... I guess I'm asking for it with having twins go through it at the same time!
Well, I don't know of many options that won't have you washing sheets each time there is an accident without some sort of protective underwear, be it a pull up or thick training pants with a pull up diaper cover on top.
My dd was dry from 2yrs3months during the day, hardly ever an accident. Nighttime was a whole different story though- she wet every night, with few exceptions. We tried the whole no diaper/pullups for a few weeks, but it was too stressful for me with a new baby & washing sheets every day. So, back to pull ups.
On her 4th bday, we threw the pull ups away, and she has been great since then. She has had a few spurts of wet nights, sometimes two times in one night, but that was I think twice or so. Anyway, what we do whenever we change her sheets is first a mattress protector. On top of that, we use a wool blanket folded just in her wet zone, so, from pillow to about halfway down her bed ( twin bed). It is about 4-6 layers depending on how we fold it, and very absorbant. We don't use it on top of the sheets, just because it is more comfortable for her under the sheet, plus it doesn't move around that way. We also have a large flannel crib protector, I think it is two layers of flannel sandwiching a waterproof layer, if the wool blanket is in the wash.
I don't know of any comfortable solutions aside from protective underwear to not change sheets everyday.
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Mary,
momma to Tyler 5-14-03 And Maya 1-19-2001
And Ciara 1-14-06
I guess I'll have to "double" their beds (mattress pad, sheet, mattress pad, then sheet) and just pull out and wash... 
thank you Wendy.
I wish she wanted to wear a pull-up, that would make my life easy... but if it makes her feel bad about herself I'm not going to wrestle her to the ground to make her put it on. WTH message does that send?! Yeah, I DO have better things to do than extra wash, but I'm not sure some people understand that it's not a matter of "potty-training" them at night...THEY CAN'T #$%^& HELP IT!!! 
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