Potty Training at Night

Bladder control in infants comes gradually with age. As they grow, their signal mechanisms develop and they know when it is the right time to go for their needs. Until after the age of 5 or 6, bedwetting is considered a normal trait in kids by most pediatricians. According to surveys, about 66% of children under 3 years achieve nighttime control and so is the same with 75% of kids under 4 years. This percentage gets higher with kids under 5 years and 6 years, which accounts for 80% and 85% respectively. Potty training at night might be regarded as a matter which is a bit different from the same during the day. This is due to the fact that, the child does not have the ability to control the accident while he is sleeping and thus the accident is involuntary. It has been noticed and observed that children learn to master daytime control with ease before they develop a sense of how to stay dry at night. So, here are some tips which you can effectively put to use, for your benefit and most importantly, of your child, as well.

How to Potty Train Your Child At Night

To begin with the training, your child must be comfortable sleeping in a toddler bed, instead of a crib. She needs to be able to crawl out of the bed and finding the bathroom herself and then crawl in back into it. However, if you still have to keep your child in a crib in order to prevent her from falling, then it is not the right time to begin the toilet training at night.

Always remember to take your child to the toilet just before she goes to bed. It is also advisable to keep a night light on so that she knows what she is doing and where she is going. One good method to start putting the bladder onto schedule is to encourage your child to use the potty as soon as she wakes up. Keep the bedroom clear of any toys or objects which may risk her safety while she is going to use the toilet at night. Ensure the availability of toilet paper, and see to it that the toilet seat is down.

One of the important aspects of nighttime potty training is to let your child know that she can always call for your help whenever she needs to. It is a good idea to use training pants as they can be pulled up and down like underwear, as even if any accident occurs, then there wouldn't be any need to change the bed linen. Training pants having the child's favorite character work well most of the time. It is also better that you avoid buying the stuff in your child's presence. This is to make her feel there is no more need for her to wear any diapers and this way she will be more confident. One smart tip parents can use is to encourage their child not to pee on the different characters on her underwear and that they must be kept dry. When you notice that the training pants are regularly dry at night, then you must consider your child to move on to a real underwear.

Potty training your child at night also involves waking him/her from deep sleep. This, however, they will be able to learn with a bit of help from your side, for the first few days. So, wake up your child three hours after the time she normally goes to sleep and three hours prior to the time she usually wakes up. Do not wake up your child abruptly. Instead, gently call her name and tell her that it's time for her to use the toilet. Consider that your help finishes there. Meaning, do not carry her to the toilet, nor assist her to pull her pants down or setting her on the toilet. This will help her to stray away from being more dependent on you and help herself to be more confident.

Apart from following the above potty training tips, another important step which parents must take up is to praise their kids every time they stay up dry all night and without any help. Sticker charts, treats or any other incentives may be used as praises, however, even a lovable 'pat on the back' from the parents is good enough to motivate their kids to keep up with the training.