Importance of Consistent Nighttime Potty Training

12/1/2011 | by Gwenn S. O’Keeffe, MD, FAAP

You’ve recognized your child’s signs of readiness and started potty training.  You’ve switched from diapers to training pants during the day.  You’ve incorporated routines into your day to help your child learn when it’s time to go potty.  Now there’s one last step - continuing to potty train at night.

As you approach potty training consistency at night, it’s important to understand a few biological factors that are out of your child’s control.

·         The biological maturity of the bladder - A child’s urinary system has to develop so the bladder can hold enough urine and every child’s bladder matures at a different rate.

·         Many kids are very sound sleepers - For a child to control their bladder, they need to be able to wake up when their body senses a full bladder.

·         Low levels of Antidiuretic hormone (ADH) - Some kids have a low level of ADH, which is needed to control urine, this typically improves with age.

Understanding these biological factors, parents often continue using diapers at night even after they’ve started using training pants during the day.  But, once you’ve made the switch from diapers to training pants during the day, it’s important to keep your little one on track toward Big Kid® success, day and night. 

Help motivate your child to continue potty training at night by introducing nighttime training routines, like using nighttime training pants.  By switching from diapers to nighttime training pants, your Big Kid® can keep potty train at night, even if they are just getting started, and everyone can feel confident about getting a good night sleep.   

Below are some strategies to help you and your child keep the potty training routines going at night.

·         Teach your child about going to the potty before bed and first thing in the morning, helping them understand it as part of a nightly/morning routine. 

·         Incorporate putting on Pull-Ups® Night*Time training pants into the getting-ready-for-bed routine. Pull-Ups® Night*Time training pants are extra absorbent eliminating the need for morning clean-ups while instilling a sense of potty training consistency at night.

·         Read potty training books before bed to encourage your child to stay motivated about potty training at night just like they do during the day.