One tough part of potty training a toddler is during the night. The toddler may not be ready to potty train and you may be more comfortable letting her wear a pull-up diaper to bed. Even toddlers who are potty trained may sometimes wet their beds at night. Patience with night-time potty training is even more important than it is with day-time potty training, because much of night-time training is reliant on physiological readiness.
Determine that your toddler is ready for night-time potty training by checking that he has dry diapers in the morning. Check the diapers as close to his waking time as possible so you don’t confuse a morning wetting of the diaper with a night-time wetting. This would not be a good indicator of what’s happening at night.
Step 2
Take your toddler into the bathroom as close to bedtime as possible. Using the toilet can easily become part of a bedtime ritual that includes brushing teeth, reading with mom and dad or taking a bath.
Step 3
Provide your toddler with a portable toilet if her bedroom is not close to a bathroom. Keep the path from your toddler’s bed to the toilet clear and pick up all toys before bed. Add a night light for your toddler, so she can see, when she needs to get out of bed at night and use the toilet.
Step 4
Allow your toddler to wear a pull-up diaper if he is uncomfortable with the idea of going to bed without a diaper. A toddler who wets the bed two or three times a week would also do better with a pull-up, until his bladder matures enough to naturally hold in urine during sleep.
Step 5
Consult your toddler’s pediatrician or family doctor if consistent bed wetting continues when the child is old enough for school. There may be an underlying physiological cause for bed wetting.
Note:
- Do not be concerned if your toddler is not ready for night-time potty training, as it could take the child a couple of years after day-time potty training to be trained.
