Nighttime Potty Training
These are my general tips for nighttime potty training. Before you begin, you want to make sure your child is fully trained during the day meaning they can PUSH their pants down and then PULL their pants back up by themselves. They also will need to have mastered peeing and pooping in the potty.
When is the ideal time to start? Every child is different but typically anywhere between 2.5 and 3.5. Certain factors will determine whether or not you want to start this process:
1) Are you willing to get up when they call you and need to go to the bathroom because they are still in a crib?
2) Your willingness to collect some data for at least a week. That means: before you go to bed you check to see if their diaper is wet and then a half an hour before they typically get up you check their diaper to see if it’s wet. You do this because most children hold their pee until right before they get up to pee.
3) Your willingness to implement a dream pee. If your child is wet before you go to bed (ie:10pm) that means that you may need to implement a dream pee which is to take your child out of bed, put them on the potty, and then take them back to bed.
Once you are committed to the above, I like to start training during nap time.
The language you use is equally important. Say to your child “you won’t be wearing a diaper during nap time. Your body knows how to pee and poop in the potty.”
Make sure not to have bottoms on your child when you put them down to sleep (no pants or underwear). You will place the potty right next to their bed/crib. Make sure to have them use the potty before putting them down for a nap.
Once a child has succeeded at least 3-5 days of staying dry during nap time, you may proceed with nighttime.
If your child is waking up with a full diaper (that is full before the 30 mins before they wake up) then eliminate liquids for 1-2 hours before going to sleep. If your child asks for more water, validate them “I know you want more water but right now your body is learning how to sleep without a diaper.” Obviously make sure your child is hydrated enough during the day and pees before going to sleep. If your child continues to wake up with a full diaper after eliminating liquids before bed, it is best to implement a dream pee.
Assuming your child is down at 7pm, you can implement a dream pee with your child before you go to bed, typically around 10pm. You will lift them up and place them on the potty next to their bed for a dream pee. Keep the lights off and sounds to a minimum. Just saying “it’s time to pee in the potty.” And then place them back in bed. Like with naptime, your child should not be wearing any bottoms (no underwear or pants) at night during this phase.
Most children pee the second they wake up in the morning which is when they will likely have an accident. Knowing when your child wakes up (not when you go to get them) is imperative. For example, if your child wakes up at 5am but hangs out in the crib for an hour, you may need to go in there at 5am to put them on the potty and then put them back in the crib until it’s time to wake up. Remember this is not going to last forever. This too shall pass!
Once there have been no accident for 5-7 days, you can put bottoms on them to sleep in. Remember, this method doesn’t work for everyone and you know your child best