Pregnancy Info HOME

I don't have a 3 yr old so I don't know how their minds work. Would she understand if you told her that because of all of these up and downs and ins and out, she'll have to start getting ready for bed earlier?

Are you limiting the amount she has to drink from a certain time at night?Has it been going on for a while or is it just recent - could she have a chill? Does she go more often through the day too?

I would try limiting drinks after a certain hour as someone mentioned. Also, try a good warm bath before bed and have her sit on the potty right after. I never knew this til the pedi pointed it out (during a bout of constipation in my oldest dd), but warm baths are good above encouraging the bowels to move...it's just important to get them to sit on the potty for about 10 min. or so to give it time. Hopefully if you can encourage her to have a bm earlier before she goes to bed it will keep her from making at least that trip to the bathroom. Maybe try making a chart, too with stickers. Tell her she gets a sticker for everynight that she doesn't have to get back out of bed after getting in. Then let there be some reward for so many stickers on her chart. Maybe that will give her some incentive to stay in bed if she thinks she can earn something from it. My guess is that she is using the "I need to pee" just to get out of bed. Granted she is really peeing, but I'm guessing she could hold it overnight if she wanted to. She's just learned that it's a valid excuse.

Wow does that sound familiar! Our 3 year old does nearly the same thing. We put him to bed and he says, "Hey mommy," after I have gone out into the hallway and after his whole bedtime routine, and then he says"ummm....I want....ummm....can I....." You get the idea! We have a routine at bedtime of brushing teeth, going potty, reading a few stories--I let him pick out the books and I say how many--then we sing a few songs, and then pray. He has a night-light and he listens to a children's cd. Before I leave the room, I usually go over what we have done--I say "Okay buddy, we've brushed your teeth, gone potty, read books, etc, and you have your night-light, music on, and fresh water (we actually keep a cup-holder w/ a sippy cup of water on his bed) and your flashlight. There's no reason for you to need to get up, right?" And then if he does get up he loses his night-light (he is not afraid of the dark or we wouldn't do that) or his music or flashlight. That usually does the trick for the next night. So basically, dh and I point out to him when we leave his room that he has everything he needs and should sleep now, and then if he does get up he loses privileges. Sorry I got a little long-winded but hopefully you can see what I am saying.

My 3 year old doesn't even bother with an excuse for getting out of bed - he just comes trooping back down to give us yet another kiss...hopefully the drier days will tire him out so that he falls asleep a lot easier!! Now my 7 year old always has 'one more' question at bedtime...Its now part of her routine to ask 'another' question when I get to her door! lol