If your child is struggling with nighttime potty training, there is one tool that you can use to turn it all around. It’s simple, it’s straight forward, and it’s backed by research. Let’s talk about it!
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What is nighttime potty training?
This is a simple question with a simple answer: nighttime potty training is potty training at night or while your child is otherwise asleep. When a child is nighttime potty trained, they are able to go to bed dry and wake up dry. When they are not, they may wet the bed or be dependent on Pull-Ups.
Let me be very clear: THIS IS NORMAL and takes time! No child should be shamed if sleeping and staying dry is challenging. Lots of kids have trouble with staying dry at night until they are 10 or even older.
Taking a little longer to learn to stay dry at night is not a big deal, as long as it doesn’t get in the way of a child accessing the things they want in life. If they are unable to go to a sleepover because of this challenge, then it becomes an issue. As well, if they are having trouble with staying dry because of a medical concern, then it is something that needs to be addressed.
Why nighttime potty train?
Some kids have stronger bladder control than others and are able to quickly and seemingly effortlessly transition from just dry days to dry days and nights. Others get nights down before days. There is no magic order. Most kids need a little more time to stay dry at night.
So why focus on nighttime potty training? Here are a few of the big reasons you should consider it:
- Fewer wet sheets means less laundry and less laundry is heaven
- Midnight sheet changes interrupt everyone’s sleep
- Pull-Ups cost money
- Being able to stay dry may be a prerequisite to enjoying other things (like sleepaway camp or a sleep over birthday party)
There is one tool that is extremely helpful if you want to focus on nighttime potty training…
If your child is young, consider a well fitted seat with a urine guard (the raised part in the front) to make nighttime trips more seamless. This one is available on Amazon.
What is this glorious nighttime potty training tool!?
The humble alarm clock. Yep. That’s it. A simple alarm clock can make a world of difference!
I know what you’re thinking: Really!? That’s the revolutionary tool??? I already have one of those on every smart speaker, phone, tablet, and clock in the house!
That’s what makes it so sweet–you don’t have to buy anything. Just set yourself up for success and get started.
So how do I start nighttime potty training?
We are going to start at step zero: Is your child ready medically, emotionally, and otherwise to work on this skill?
The first person that you need to consult is yourself. If you don’t feel your child is ready, it may not be time yet. The next person to talk to is your pediatrician. They will be able to let you know if the best way to move forward is to:
- Wait and give them some time to develop emotionally or physically. If they have an emotional barrier, you may get a referral to a counselor or child psychologist.
- Work on prerequisite skills, like pelvic floor strength (if this is the case, they may refer you to an OT for support).
- Start working on it! They may suggest that you get some behavioral support (that’s what we do!)
If they are confident that you are in a good place to move forward, get that alarm clock ready and set a plan!
first use of the alarm clock for nighttime potty training: no after hours chugging
One of the most common reasons for wetting the bed is that (drum roll please…) THEY HAVE TO GO PEE!
I’m sure that’s not surprising to anyone. Using that knowledge, what can we do to make sure that when they need to pee, they do so in the restroom?
One thing we can do is set a timer for when drinking liquids will roughly end in the evening. Of course, if your child is dehydrated you should always make sure they have something to drink and not withhold fluids.
BUT if we can limit liquid intake after a certain time, we can increase the likelihood that they won’t have to pee while they are asleep.
Think about it this way–if you chug a giant glass of water and have a bowl of soup at 8pm then go to bed at 9pm, you already know you’ll be up all night going to the restroom.
Providing smaller cups near bed time can help keep nighttime liquid intake at a good level. These cups from Ezpz are great! (click the picture to check them out)
Here are a few things that can help:
- Make sure that your child is well hydrated during the day so they don’t feel parched right before bed
- Set the alarm for about an hour before bed and limit liquids after that point. This does NOT mean withhold water, this means give a smaller glass and avoid everything other than water.
- Model the behavior. If you’re continuing to drink a giant bottle of sweet bubbly goodness, they will probably feel left out and will be more likely to ask for drinks.
Second use of the alarm clock for nighttime potty training: nature calls
If your child is not waking up when they have the feeling of needing to go to the restroom, they may need help getting into the habit. An alarm clock can help you.
The best way to move forward is to know when they become wet.
If you know when they usually become wet, set an alarm for just before that time. For example, if they usually come to you needing a change of sheets around 2am, set the alarm for 1:30am. If they are quite young, set the alarm in your room and help them get up and use the restroom. If they are older, they can try having the alarm in their room and run the whole show.
If you don’t know when they usually become wet or if it’s fairly random, set the alarm for a few times a night. This can be a lot at first, but as they are able to stay dry longer, you will be able to put more time between alarms and will start to see them getting up without the alarm to use the restroom.
A meds reminder or nursing timer can be a helpful alarm clock because you can set multiple alarms. Of course, a smart speaker, tablet, or phone can do this as well. Here is a link to the timer above.
third use of the alarm clock for nighttime potty training: good morning courtesy calls
Yes! They made it through the night! But then they sleep in a little bit and…they’re wet again. Having a set time to get up and use the restroom (even if they go back to bed to sleep a little more afterwards) is a great way to set them up for long-term success.
Think about it this way–if their body knows that they get up for school at 7am every day and go straight to the restroom, their body won’t know that it’s Saturday and that they are sleeping in. Until they are 100% set, getting up at the same time in the morning to pee–again, even if they go right back to sleep–can be really helpful.
in conclusion: you can nighttime potty train
Potty training is hard, which is why we offer Potty Training Boot Camps and custom consultations for potty training (click here to see all of our programs).
If you would like some more information, tools, or a consultation on potty training, click here to schedule your FREE Discovery Call! If you are already receiving services, simply let your team know.
You don’t have to go through this alone, we are here to help!
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