Dear Stacia,

It is not uncommon for children who are toilet trained at a very early age to have accidents at night. Their bodies and minds have often not yet developed enough to control the impulse to urinate when they are asleep or semi-awake. This is actually more difficult than using the potty during the day.

It's possible that your son is bothered by his new surroundings, but he is very young to react in this way. Two-year-olds generally adjust to new surroundings fairly rapidly. More likely, it is just the developing maturity of his nervous system. If you can, put your son on the potty when he comes into your room at night. Often, one visit to the lavatory during the night will solve the problem.

If this method does not work, you have two other choices. You can put your son back into nappies ‘for the nigh- time only’, or you can change the sheets every time it happens and wait for his body to mature. This latter is more difficult because it requires patience, and the ability to not get angry when an accident happens. If you can manage it, however, it's a good course of action.

The main thing to remember is that your child will eventually be completely trained, just like everybody else.

Best of luck,

Patti Greenberg Wollman