10 Tips for Making Nighttime Potty Training Easier

Why Does Nighttime Potty Training Often Take Longer Than Daytime Potty Training?

Nighttime potty training often takes longer than daytime potty training. Even when a child is fully potty trained during the day, they might still have accidents at night.

Kids need to be developmentally ready for nighttime potty training success. Their bladder must be large enough to hold all of the urine their body produces overnight, and their brain must be mature enough to make sure the child wakes up when they have the urge to go to the bathroom. These milestones differ for every child.

Doctors also note that toilet training at night might be influenced by genetics as well. Many children who struggle with potty training at night have parents that wet the bed as kids. Some kids are just genetically predisposed for nighttime accidents, through no fault of their own.

If you're feeling discouraged, don't fret - eventually you will have a potty trained child!

How Do I Know If My Child Ready for Nighttime Potty Training?

Starting nighttime potty training is a big decision for families. How will you know when your little one is ready to ditch the diapers or pull ups and move to wearing underwear at night?

For starters, one aspect to keep in mind when you start potty training is that boys typically take longer than girls. If you have a boy that struggles to potty train overnight, rest assured that their genetics might be working against them. Even so, readiness is very developmental and can vary widely between children.

Each child develops differently!

Here are some promising signs of readiness for nighttime potty training:

• Your child has success with daytime training.

• Your child is able to use the potty during their bedtime routine.

• Your child can stay dry for a few nights in a row.

• You notice dry pull ups after nap time or in the morning.

• You don't notice wet sheets in the morning.

• Your child can stay dry at naptime.

• Your child has expressed an interest in wearing underwear at night instead of a diaper or pull ups.

Of course, nighttime training is a big decision and undertaking, and if you think your child isn't ready for nighttime potty training, there's no harm in keeping them in diapers or training pants at night for a while longer.

What you can do is limit diapers (or pull ups) to nighttime, so your child doesn't get confused. Let your child wear underwear during the day, and a diaper during naps or night, until they seem to have the developmental readiness for nighttime training.

Should You Wake Up You Child to Go to the Bathroom At Night?

The child's brain and body will naturally develop the bladder control and ability to hold their urine for long stretches of time, like at night. Eventually, most children develop the ability to wake up and go to the bathroom at night.

If your child experiences lots of wet nights and bedwetting, it is best to pause nighttime training and give their brain and body a chance to develop the ability naturally. A child's bladder will eventually learn to cue the brain to wake the child up to use the bathroom.

Some parents are in a rush to train at night, and try certain methods to get their children to not wet the bed at night. You can wake the child up in the middle of the night to take them to the bathroom, or try a potty alarm that goes off at certain times at night, helping the child understand they need to get out of bed and go to the bathroom before they have an accident.

When Should Your Child Make the Switch to Underwear At Night?

Even if your child has had a few dry nights in a row, they might not be quite ready for underwear at night. If you notice dry diapers, continue using them for a while until the child is fully nighttime potty trained if you want to avoid messes at night.

You will definitely want to invest in a waterproof protector for your child's mattress, create a well lit path to the bathroom, and use overnight diapers or a pull up until the child is mature enough to stay dry and go to the bathroom on their own at night.

Parents should take care to create a spirit of positivity when they decide to train at night. Most kids respond best to parents and caregivers that stay positive and use encouragement as motivation, not fear and judgment.

10 Tips for Nighttime Potty Training Success

Want to better your chances of nighttime potty training success? Try out the following tips and tricks:

1. When potty training, make sure your little one is going to the bathroom regularly during the day.

2. Encourage hydration during the daytime. At night, limit drinks to one hour before your little one goes to bed. You might not want to keep water or drinks in your child's room when potty training at night.

3. Help your child use the potty during your child's bedtime routine and right before bedtime.

4. After your child wakes up in the morning, take them to the potty right away, even if they have a dry diaper. Make it part of their morning routine.

5. Tell your little one they can go to the bathroom any time they wake up during the night. Some parents choose to keep a potty seat in their child's bedroom.

6. Consider using a pull up or another kind of potty training pants that your child can pull up and down on their own—this type of protection might absorb any nighttime accidents but also helps your child feel independent as they are not bothered by bed wetting (nocturnal enuresis).

7. Create a well-lit pathway to the bathroom so your child feels safe and comfortable walking there during the night, even without your help.

8. Encourage your child to wake you up if they need to go potty at night.

9. Buy disposable sheet protectors or use a protective mattress cover that is waterproof to protect your child's bed and mattress. This can also make for easier changes if your child has an accident as you begin to train at night. Remember, it is normal for kids to wet the bed when they begin night time potty training.

10. If your child has an accident in the middle of the night, don't yell at them or punish them, which could cause fear or anxiety around using the potty. The more judgment they feel, the longer potty training and bed wetting can go on. Occasional accidents are going to happen, and kids should not be judged when they wet the bed. If you feel that your child is bed wetting too much for their age, contact your healthcare provider for extra tips and advice.

What else can parents do to make night time training easier?

When you first start attempting nighttime potty training, set an alarm yourself to take your child potty in the middle of the night. You should also be sure to make using the potty the very first thing your child does when they wake up in the morning - using the potty should be a part of their morning routine, even when they wake up completely dry. When they get out of bed, they should automatically go use the potty.

The KeaBabies Isla Waterproof Sheets Can Help!

If you're experiencing continuous dampness in your child's bed as they learn to use the potty at night, consider getting waterproof sheets for their bed.

The KeaBabies Isla Waterproof Sheets make night time training a breeze for busy parents and can make for more dry mornings. These protective, fitted crib sheets have a built-in waterproof lining that can act as a mattress protector. They prevent stains without the need for an extra bed cover, all with the comfort and softness of other KeaBabies products designed for optimal sleep.

Here are some benefits of the KeaBabies Isla Waterproof Sheets:

• They are temperature-regulating.

  They are luxuriously soft and cool to the touch. These temperature-regulating organic baby crib sheets provide unbeatable comfort for all seasons and never disappoint. They fit most standard-size crib mattresses.

  Made of gentle bamboo viscose, these beautiful sheets are ultra-soft and cozy, allowing your little one to have a restful night's sleep even as they work on potty training.

• They are easy on, easy off.

  The KeaBabies Isla Waterproof Sheets are stretchy, soft, and fitted. The 2-Pack Isla Protect+ Crib Fitted Sheets make your chores and life easier - perfect for modern parents. The unique SnugFit bands hold the baby sheets in place, creating the perfect setting for your baby's slumber.

  If you're potty training at night, you don't want to be fussing with difficult sheets in the middle of the night in the event an accident happens. The KeaBabies Isla Waterproof Sheets are so easy to put on and slide off of a crib mattress.

• They make your dream nursery come true.

  These crib sheets come in neutral, contemporary colors curated to match any nursery style and cribs. Whether you're expecting a baby boy or baby girl, have a newborn or have a toddler, these unisex waterproof sheets for baby will never go wrong!

  These sheet sets come in many different colors and patterns, including basics like pink, blue, beige, and green, and well as adorable patterns like trees, squirrels, bunnies, giraffes, and lions. There is sure to be a set to match any nursery theme.

• They feature quality, doubled down.

  These sheets are double-layered, double-stitched, and double the value. They are machine-washable, dryable waterproof crib sheets that offer lasting, reliable protection for your baby's bed and mattress, giving you more time for the things that truly matter.

  No more worrying about potty accidents at night! These absorbent sheets are durable and easy to clean.

Daytime training is much different than potty training for nighttime, but it doesn't have to be a scary task.

Modern parents can rest assured that if it takes a little longer for their child to be able to use the potty at night, it is completely normal. Toilet training during the day is often quicker and easier, and potty training at night has a big developmental aspect to it.

If you are concerned, reach out to your child's healthcare provider or a potty training expert who can help troubleshoot any issues with nighttime potty training.