Nap Accidents

[WImom]

I have a DCG (will be 4 in April) that almost once a week has an accident at nap. (Now most days she doesn't nap, she just waits too long to go to the potty). I do remind her almost everyday that if she needs to go to the potty she can get up and go. She has been with me 5 months and potty trained when she got here.

She's never had an accident other than nap time. I have her go potty at 10:30 before we go out and again at 12:30 before nap (she's here 9-3) and she goes both times. Today at 1:30 she got up and went into the bathroom but peed on the floor.

When I let her get off the nap mat at 1:45 and she is doing quiet activites out of the nap room she remembers to go as well, it's only when she's in the nap room on her nap mat. (She's peed on her nap mat a few times while sleeping or had a BM or peed in her pants on the way to the bathroom)

Any thoughts?

[Zoe]

My daughter is 5 and she has the same problem. Now, she doesn't nap, but if for some reason she needs one, I have her get into her pull-up. She has to do this at night too. I talked to her doctor about this at her last check-up and he told me that some kids may be fully potty trained, however sleep-related accidents can still happen up to age 6. It's not uncommon. It's a matter of their inability to wake themselves up when they have the urge to go.

As for the accidents when she's awake, get her to go RIGHT before nap and that's really all she should need! Limit her liquid intake a half hour or 45 minutes before nap time/quiet time if possible. If she consistently has to go during nap time, then the fluid she is consuming is hitting her at an inconvenient time.

[nannyde]

When she goes to the potty before nap time make sure she SITS there long enough to completely relax. The way to do this is to tell her YOU will decide when she gets off the potty. That takes the pressure off of her to go in and get out quickly. Once she CAN'T do that... you decide... she will have nothing TO do but sit and completely relax her body.

Towards the end of her sit go in and run the cold water for a little bit and make sure the sound is a changing water sound... not a full on water coming out sound. The more irregular the sound the more she will be stimulated to pee and completely empty her bladder.

During rest time she needs a pull up on. My rule is they have to be completely dry at nap time for two months before I will allow them to go without protection. The cost of a potty clean up is more than the cost of weeks and weeks of diapers or pull ups.

[Unregistered]

if she is going down straight after lunch - wake her at 1:15 to pre empt the accident

I have a problem with going down straight after lunch too...a 1/2 story time, then potty, then nap might work better - or wake her to go for a while and see if that helps.

[WImom]

We go down for nap about 10 minutes after she's done in the potty. I try to limit her drinks to a small cup at lunch trying to stop the accidents. Maybe she just needs to grow out of them. Thanks for the advice.

[Hunni Bee]

I wake them up halfway through nap and MAKE THEM GO. I quickly guide them to the bathroom, take their pants down and sit them on the pot (so there's little room of going on the way or half-asleep peeing on the floor) . They do not enjoy this and I usually dont have to do it for more than 2 weeks before they either learn to completely empty their bladders after lunch or hold it till they wake up.

I usually do this with newbies or recent potty-training graduates. I dont do pull ups at naptime for very long - to me, it just gives the message of "i can just pee on myself and i'll get changed". I dont do a whole lot of pull-up usage at all...if someone's still not potty-trained once they get to me (3/4 class) then their whole life will be devoted to potty-training until we get there