Three dos and two don'ts for potty training and sleep
If you know, you know…potty training can be such a daunting process. We hear so many dos and don’ts of when to start, how to start, what not to do, what tips and tricks work best, and the list goes on and on. I’m not here to get into what works best for everyone, but I can chime in on the topic of potty training and sleep.
Something to keep in mind, first and foremost with potty training, is that daytime and nighttime potty training are two totally different tasks. If your little one has mastered potty training during the day and you are wondering why something is not clicking during the night, just know that this is common and completely normal. In fact, on average, children can’t stay dry through the night until approximately age 4 or 5. So don’t rush and be patient…it will happen soon enough.
All of that said, if you are looking to master nighttime potty training, there are three tips I can recommend for getting your child on the right track:
Think fluids – you likely need to reduce the amount of fluids a few hours before bedtime and cut them out completely after bedtime. The best way to account for this is to make sure your little one is getting lots during the day and not playing catch up at dinner hour or later.
Think routine – it’s best to get into the habit of encouraging your child to use the bathroom right before bedtime. Once you reduce fluids and have them use the potty as the very last step of the bedtime routine, there is a better chance they won’t need to wake as often during the night or if at all.
Think trust - if your child is waking up and asking to go to the bathroom, this is A+…take them! Just like if you or I may need to get up in the night, then we do! If you do have your little one getting up through the night, you want to make sure you are keeping the lights low or off and interactions to a minimum to ensure they are going to go back to bed easily. Okay but also, news flash…keep in mind that children are very smart and will often ask to use the bathroom to avoid bedtime. My middle daughter, Talia, quickly learned that saying, “I have to poop!” would be a fast way to get her out of her bed. You know your child best, so you’ll probably know right away what’s real and what’s an excuse.
On the contrary, I have also read from experts and heard from parents some nighttime potty-training tips that appear to be ‘tried and true’ but that I wouldn’t recommend for making strides in this area.
First, some experts recommend waking the child throughout the night to use the bathroom, but I don’t agree. As a sleep coach, it is one of my biggest priorities to make sure children get the adequate sleep they need. By going into the bedroom to wake your little one, you are just disrupting their sleep and sleep cycles. If your child isn’t even old enough to sleep through the night dry, then there’s no point. Trust me, when they are ready, it will click! Just remember to use the tips I recommended above to help them out too.
Second, some parents put a potty in their child’s room that they can use during the night. Again, I wouldn’t recommend doing something like this. And this one is tricky, I get it. First, we want to make sure the hygiene of your little one and cleanliness of the potty area are top of mind – I’ve heard of so many people dealing with big messes in bedrooms in the mornings (no thanks!). However, I also didn’t want my kids to leave their rooms and go to the bathroom throughout the night. We made it so that when they called me, I would take them to the bathroom, even though this became a game very quickly too. But stay the course and your child will adjust.
I can’t recommend enough being patient with the potty training at night process. It’s easier to leave diapers or pullups on until your child is developmentally ready to stay dry through the night. Check out my Favourite Sleep Tools page for the nighttime diapers and pull-ups that I relied on most. At the end of the day, holding off until your little one is truly ready will ensure they are getting adequate sleep…and we know that’s the most important!
Good luck and always here to chat! Email me with your questions or book a call with me!
Lindsey
Lindsey Hennigar is the founder of The Sleep Ranch and a Certified Infant and Child Sleep Consultant. She helps exhausted parents and families get the healthy, restorative sleep they need. Your child can LOVE sleep!