I have a 3 and a half year-old daughter who very rarely sleeps through the night. When she wakes at night, it's as though she doesn't comprehend anything we say to her. She wakes crying, almost angry, and 9 times out of 10 she has to go to the potty, but doesn't realize it. We tell her to go to the bathroom, but it's as if she doesn't even hear us. Sometimes she says, "Okay," then wanders down the hall toward the kitchen, or another room. Sometimes she stands next to the bed and urinates on the floor. On the rare occasion that she does sit on the toilet, she just sits and screams. We let her sit and scream for awhile before going in to lead her back to bed, hoping she'll "wake up" and realize what she needs to do. We're very healthy eaters and make sure she doesn't have sweets in the evenings (we eat no refined sugar at all). I'm worried that there may be something wrong with her, although our family doctor says there isn't. Is this "normal" behavior, or should I take her to another doctor? I'm desperately in need of your professional advice.

Even though I have never heard of this one before, I don't think it is anything to worry about. It will just take extra effort on your part until she grows out of it--which I feel certain she will. Meanwhile, I'm sure it is hard on you to have to lose sleep, but the best way to handle this is with kindness as you gently lead her to where she needs to be. Instead of telling her to go to the bathroom, gently lead her to the bathroom. Instead of letting her scream on the toilet, gently lead her back to bed. The key is to be quiet, since she doesn't hear you anyway. Perhaps you and your husband could take turns so you can get a good night's sleep every other night.

By the way, congratulations on the healthy eating habits. I wish more parents would be so conscientious.