Nighttime Potty Training: 6 tips to help your child’s journey

Potty training is a significant milestone in your child’s development, and transitioning from daytime to nighttime training can feel overwhelming for many parents. While each child progresses at their own pace, achieving success with nighttime potty training requires patience, release of parental control and loving encouragement. In this blog post, we will explore six tips to help you and your child navigate this transition smoothly.

What you’ll learn from this blog:

• Important factors for nighttime potty training
• Red flags for bed wetting 
• 6 tips to make the journey easier
• Next steps 

Understanding Nighttime Potty Training

Before diving into the tips, it’s important to understand that nighttime potty training is typically a later stage in the potty training process. While some children master this skill shortly after daytime training, others may take longer (and this is totally ok!). On average, children present with nighttime dryness between the ages of 3 and 5, and some children may by closer to 6 or 7 until they’re consistently dry in the night.  Recognizing that every child is unique will help set realistic expectations. There is no medal for child milestones so meet your child where they’re at and keep it low stress and it will be a much easier experience for everyone. 

It’s important to recognize that your child’s development will be on their own trajectory and their progress with nighttime potty training will be impacted by many factors (e.g., sleep patterns, development, genetics, bladder control, etc.). When you are able to release control of the process, and recognize your child is in control of some parts of this process (because even they don’t have control of some aspects), it makes it easier to accept the challenges that may arise. 

Nighttime bladder control takes longer for boys than girls to develop and some research indicates there is a significant genetic component to the inheritance of bedwetting (if you or your partner had prolonged bedwetting as a child, your child may too).

Another consideration for bedwetting is that a small population of children with prolonged bed wetting have a comorbid condition (e.g., psychological, behaviour, psychiatric disorder – the most common being ADHD). It should be noted that just because your child may have prolonged bedwetting, doesn’t mean they have ADHD and vice versa. There are other flags to consider for prolonged bedwetting which I will discuss below. 

On a personal note, my son began to consistently wake dry around 3 years old (and was out of daytime diapers before 2 years old) and easily transitioned to no diapers at night quickly once we saw readiness… It wasn’t until 2.5 years later that we got confirmation he has ADHD.  Sharing that experience to highlight how unique the experience can be for families. 

Red flags for bedwetting

Bedwetting, or nocturnal enuresis, should resolve as your child ages. If your child is over 7 years old and still consistently wetting their bed (called primary enuresis), or, was previously dry for a period of time (6 months) and has started to wet the bed again (called secondary enuresis), you should seek consultation with your child’s primary care provider. 

Nocturnal enuresis, regardless if primary or secondary, can be an indicator of sleep-disordered breathing and should be properly assessed by a medical professional. 

6 tips to make nighttime potty training easier

Tip 1: Wait till they’re ready and showing signs consistently

This is a marathon, not a sprint. I totally get the excitement of not having to purchase diapers/pull-ups anymore, but prematurely pushing your child through this process will be stressful for everyone. 

Ensure they are confident with using the potty consistently throughout the day and are waking dry from naps and nights consistently. If your child is prone to constipation, you’ll want to get that under control also so there isn’t excess pressure on their bladder. Once these readiness signs are happening, and they are out of a crib, it’s time.  

If your child is showing readiness and still in a crib, you can definitely remove the nighttime diaper, use the methods below and be prepared for them to wake to get support with getting to the potty.

Tip 2 : Reduce fluids around dinner time

If your child is chugging a bottle or large glass of milk at bedtime, their bladder will be much fuller throughout the night which may make it more difficult for them to stay dry throughout the night. 

If they are thirsty at bedtime, offer a small sip of water. 

Tip 3: Prep their bed and environment

Use a layer method with sheets and waterproof mattress coverings. Layer the mattress cover, then a sheet, then another waterproof layer, then another sheet. This way, if an accident happens in the night, you can quickly strip the top 2 layers and have another set ready to go. If an accident happens, your child may be upset about it. Reassure them they tried their best and this is all part of the learning process. 

Consider having extra pajamas close-by their bed ready to go in the event of an accident the switch can be super quick. 

Tip 4: Potty close by in their room

When your child is first getting started with nighttime peeing, the urgency will be there. If possible, set up a little potty station close to their bed (e.g., floor potty on top of a towel, nightlight in their room) so that when/if they wake, they don’t need to travel very far to use the potty. This will make them successful and gain momentum with the process. 

Tip 5: Avoid the dream pee!

This may be an unpopular opinion, but a dream pee doesn’t help your child learn their bodily signals to wake to pee. You waking them helps them empty their bladder but they can become reliant on that external signal (you waking them), rather than their body giving the signal. Another factor to consider is if you’ve worked hard to get your child’s sleep in a consistent spot, waking them to pee may disrupt this. Not to mention, disrupt your sleep too! If you’ve tried the dream pee and it’s worked for your child, then this is totally ok. If you’re not at the stage of nighttime potty training, you may consider this tip and avoid the dream pee. Instead, offer your child a pee opportunity at the beginning and end of their bedtime routine to ensure they’ve had the chance to empty. 

Tip 6: Patience with the process

Staying dry overnight is a developmental process and it will take time. We all want a quick fix and quick result but that isn’t a realistic expectation for many children and families. It’s ok if your child has an accident. It’s ok to put a pause on the process if it’s not going smoothly and it’s a stressful experience for all. You can always try again when readiness is more clear. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. 

Next steps

Nighttime potty training is a journey that requires time, understanding, and positivity. By implementing these six tips, you can support your child in achieving nighttime dryness with confidence. Remember, every child is unique, and celebrating each step of progress will help make this transition a positive experience for both you and your child. 

Stay tuned for the release of my step-by-step practical toileting guide and support call availability to trouble shoot the potty process for your child.

Wishing you rested, dry nights!

Chelsea

 

Chelsea is Mom of 2 and a Baby, Toddler and Child Sleep Consultant. She has advanced certification in Infant and Early Mental Health and Pediatric Sleep Health and has a Master’s of Professional Education with a specialization in Applied Behaviour Analysis. She has a comprehensive intake assessment that helps determine the most appropriate route for families to reach their sleep goals (and sometimes this means a referral to a different provider!). Chelsea supports families within Hamilton and beyond with hands-on, no cry-it-out, responsive methods towards longer naps and better nights. Chelsea works collaboratively with families to empower them with the confidence and tools they need to reach their unique sleep goals. Hear from rested families here and book a free call with Chelsea here to discuss how she can support your family’s journey to more sleep.

 

Gomez Rincon M, Leslie SW, Lotfollahzadeh S. Nocturnal Enuresis. [Updated 2023 Jun 26]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK545181/

Van Herzeele, C., De Bruyne, P., De Bruyne, E., & Walle, J. V. (2015). Challenging factors for enuresis treatment: Psychological problems and non-adherence. Journal of pediatric urology, 11(6), 308–313. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpurol.2015.04.035