Toilet training can be a challenging task for new parents. Just because you have mastered daytime potty training doesn’t mean that your child won’t wet themselves at night time.
Some kids will learn them both together but for others there will be a large gap between the two. This is largely about your child’s body and their maturity. There are things you can do to improve night time toilet training and signs to look for. And it’s usually introduced once your child has mastered daytime potty training.
Checking If Your Child is Ready – Signs to Look For
The readiness of the child for night time toilet training has to be observed. It will give you the go signal to start helping your child avoid bedwetting at night. Below are the signs that you need to look for to tell if your child is ready.
- Consistently dry diaper every morning.
- Informs you that he needs to use the toilet.
- Reluctant to wear a diaper or a pull-up at night.
- Taking off their diaper before sleeping.
- Going potty or in the toilet first thing in the morning.
Tips and Tricks You Can Do to Make the Process Easier
Even though bedwetting can be frustrating, patience and calm is required. It is not going to help getting angry at your child about bedwetting, as it’s not going to stop until the child is ready. There are some things that you can do to make it easier for you to wait for that moment your child is ready for night time toilet training.
- Let your child wear diapers or pull-ups at night.
- If your child is already 5 or 6 years old and still bedwetting, try to offer rewards.
- Use an alarm to wake up your child when it’s time to go to the toilet.
- Avoid expecting too much from your child.
- Allow your child to get used to the idea of using the toilet at night. Putting a night light in the toilet sometimes helps them not be scared to go at night.
What Can You Do to Make Your Life Easier?
Frequently changing the sheets is not a fun activity. If your child is bedwetting at night, you need to try doing something about it. Don’t try drastic measures to stop your child from wetting the bed. Follow these simple tips to make your life a bit easier.
1. Manage Fluid Intake During the Day
It’s best to manage your child’s fluid intake during the day to avoid urination at night. Build your child’s habit to urinate every 2-3 hours in the daytime. Make your child do this twice before going to bed. Encourage them to drink fluids during the early part of the day than at night.
2. Avoid Disruption and Discomfort at Night
Make sure that your child is comfortable while sleeping at night. If your child is bedwetting, it’s best to use a waterproof mattress protector or disposable bed mats. Have clean sheets and extra clothes handy in case your child needs to change in the middle of the night.
3. Use a Bedwetting Alarm
The bedwetting alarm will help you with the night time toilet training problems. There is one called TheraPee which is the most popular. It has a moisture sensor that triggers a buzzer or a bell when your child starts to wet the bed. This alarm is for parents to monitor their children’s night time toilet training.
It may take time for some children to be awakened by the bedwetting alarm. This may take 3 to 4 months for them to wake up when they hear the alarm. It’s a reminder that they have to get up and use the toilet.
Ways You Can Support and Encourage Your Child
Night time toilet training, can be frustrating at times as sometimes when you think they have mastered it and you can say bye bye to diapers, bedwetting happens again. During these times, you should avoid getting angry or showing frustration as children do want to try and please. It’s not the child’s fault that he/she is not quite ready to wake up to go to the toilet. Below are some attitudes and routines that could help when doing night time toilet training.
- Make your child pee before going to bed.
- Have a calm bedtime routine.
- Encourage your child to go to the toilet first thing in the morning.
- Use training pants to avoid your child from getting soaked.
- Reassure your child that he can do better next time.
- Praise your child instead of punishing him.
- Explain to them why bedwetting occurs.
- Keep the toilet accessible for the child to use.
- Switch to underwear when your child is ready.
- Be prepared when accidents happen.
- Stay calm and patient.
Boys Can Take Longer With Night Toilet Training
Typically, bedwetting is more common with boys and they can take longer with night time toilet training than girls. Out of 10 kids, 7 of them are males who still wet their beds. Although when they turn 5 or 6 years old, kids will generally stop bedwetting by themselves. Bedwetting has no particular reason why it happens.
Kids sometimes wet the bed longer than other kids due to it being hereditary, sleeping deeply, and having a small bladder. The child may have difficulty responding to the bladder’s signals. Bedwetting is also known as nocturnal enuresis if it continues after the age of 5 or 6. There’s nothing to worry about in this condition aside from the need to change the sheets often.
When to Seek Help from a Medical Professional
Usually, children will outgrow their bedwetting issues by themselves. It’s not something that you have to be concerned about. However, if bedwetting extends longer than 7 years old, it can be a sign of a medical condition. It’s time to seek medical help when:
- The child continues to wet the bed after 7 years old
- After a few months of dry bed at night, the child starts to wet the bed again.
- Painful urination, pink or red urine, unusual thirst, hard stools, or snoring.
Night time toilet training is different to training your child to use the potty or toilet during the day. You usually turn your attention to night time once your child has mastered day time toilet training and you see that your child is ready to try removing a diaper at night time. Accidents will happen and this is completely normal. Whilst this can be frustrating and the changing of sheets annoying, remember to stay calm and patient. Give you and your child a break and try another time if it is not happening. Being completely diaper free will happen, sometimes it just needs a little time.
