Kirsty's blog: In pursuit of dry nights!

This week we have been mostly washing bedding and night clothes.  Carmel announced, (as she has a tendency to do) that she was no longer going to wear nappies to bed as “I’m not a baby anymore.” 

At first we waited until she was asleep then slipped one on her because we were too knackered to deal with getting up and down all night – but she woke up screaming at us that she was taking it off.  So after 5 nights of our scheming and her screaming, we decided (with the aid of an under-sheet) to embark on the dry nights mission. 

The under sheet is great at protecting her mattress but it too needs washing each morning and takes rather a long time to dry.  Thankfully we’ve had good weather as I have no idea what we would have done in the winter or indeed what we will do if and when the rain comes. 

I feel like all the neighbours must know what’s going on now.  Aside from the nightly screaming of course, our garden is permanently overshadowed by high-flying white sheets.  It’s like Carmel is making her statement known to the rest of the world – “Nappies are for babies!”  Which is all very well but perhaps I’m just not ready yet.

Somehow I thought that the whole getting up to go to the toilet on ones own didn’t start until a child is about 4 years old, but then I looked at the nappy sizes available and realised that Carmel is about as big as they get.  Perhaps I have been babying her too much. Quite frankly I just don’t want to be getting up and down all night (or more likely, waking Pete up to get up and down all night).

We have tried to explain that drinking leads to weeing.  We stand there lecturing her almost every time we give her water, juice or milk.  We even run our fingers down our own bodies to illustrate just where the liquid goes before ending up in the potty, toilet, nappy or sheets! Carmel must think we are obsessed with wee. 

Last night when she fell asleep shortly after having drunk a warm drink, I panicked.  Should I wake her up and force her to go to the toilet? Would the drink have ‘gone down’ enough to be ready to come out the other end?  Finally, I decided that we (Pete) should put her on the toilet just before we go to bed. 

She complained without actually waking up and more surprisingly she did a very large wee without waking up. Surely, being aware that you are passing urine is key to being able to get up and do something about it? This convinces me that she can’t be ready for a completely nappy free existence – Now, all I’ve just got is convince Carmel that she is to wear nappies until she’s old enough to wash her own bedding.