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Starting Out At Home Away From Home At Daycare Finishing Up
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Smart Steps to Overnight Success

by Christopher Lynn, North Carolina

“Getting your child successfully potty trained at night can be a challenging milestone, but a little nighttime planning and patience can make it a lot easier.”

Your little one may be ready to brave the neighborhood this Halloween dressed as a ghost or goblin, but what lurks inside your bathroom may still give him the spooks.

You’re almost there! Your toddler is a pro at staying dry through the day, but like most potty training tots, he’s still having occasional setbacks at night.

“Your child wants to master the potty training process so he can showcase his abilities and independence,” says Christopher Lynn, former PULL-UPS® Potty Training Partner and father. “But becoming night trained requires a lot from a child: not only waking from slumber, but also getting out of a comfortable bed and braving the dark to find the bathroom. Getting your child successfully potty trained at night can be a challenging milestone, but a little nighttime planning and patience can make it a lot easier.”

Lynn offers these smart suggestions to help your toddler stay dry from bedtime to breakfast:

Less In, Less Out
Reduce your childs access to liquids in the evening and at bedtime. Some toddlers get used to taking a bottle or sippy-cup to bed to help get to sleep, but that’s not good for little bladders overnight! Avoid leaving full cups of water near his bed, and instead offer one small drink of water to your child before you tuck him in.

Sugar, Sugar
In place of juice or other liquids, let your child drink only water in the evenings. Children drink larger quantities of the sweeter liquids they enjoy, even when they are not thirsty. If you give your child only water, she’ll drink according to her thirst instead, and need fewer bathroom visits overnight.

Night Bright
Dark rooms or hallways can be scary to kids – so make sure that your child’s path to the bathroom is well lit! Use nightlights or glow-in-the-dark wall decals to light your child’s way. Also, keep a small safety light on in the bathroom overnight, so your child can easily find everything she needs.

Celebrate Good Times, C’mon!
Research continues to prove toddlers need rewards to stay motivated during training – so make sure you celebrate your child’s successes. After a dry night, make your child’s favorite breakfast and let him watch his favorite video. He’ll learn to associate a dry bedtime and dry mornings with other great things, and will make that extra effort to become fully trained!

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