For most children, nighttime potty training will take much longer to learn than daytime potty training. For some children it could take a few weeks, for others it could take much longer.

The important thing to remember is to stay positive on your potty training journey - you have already done a fantastic job of potty training your toddler during the daytime and it won't be long before your child is ditching the pull-ups for bed and wearing underwear.

Potty training at night is much different to daytime training and the key to success is patience.

Potty training at night is completely different to potty training during the day and just because your toddler is going throughout the day without any accidents it doesn't mean they are ready to make it through the night without one.

The average age to start night time potty training is around 3 and a half to 4 years old, however, this will vary for each child. Although children can start potty training at night when they are showing signs that they are ready.

What are the signs my child is ready for nighttime potty training?

A good indicator that your little one is ready to start nighttime potty training is that they are waking up each morning or most mornings completely dry.

Once your child has had dry nights for a couple of weeks this is a sign that they are ready to be potty trained overnight.

Preparation for overnight potty training

If your child is showing signs that they are ready for the next stage in the potty training process you will need to make a few preparations first to help make the transition from overnight nappies to underwear a smooth one including:

• Invest in a waterproof mattress protector to shield your child's bed from any bed wetting during the night.

• Place a night light near your child's bed so that when they wake up in the middle of the night they can easily switch it on and know where to go to use the toilet.

• Ensure that your child is wearing pyjamas that they can easily pull down to use the toilet in the middle of the night.

• Have spare bedding and pyjamas nearby in case of any accidents.

• Encourage your child to use the toilet before they go to bed for the night.

Before starting to train your child to use the potty at night, you need to ensure that they are ready and have woken up regularly with a dry or slightly damp nappy. Once they are ready you can start to follow the below tips to help with nighttime potty training.

Establish a Routine

Establishing a nighttime potty training routine is key to success. Before settling down for the night, make sure your child uses the toilet. You could do this just after they've brushed their teeth. When they wake up in the morning, encourage them to use the toilet again, this way it will form good habits.

Limit liquids at nighttime

To prevent nighttime accidents, consider limiting how much your child has to drink before bed. You should particularly limit things like juice which tends to bring more water into the bladder.

Wake your child up

Some parents have had great success with waking their children up to go to the toilet a night - think of it as a dream feed but for peeing! This is not everybody’s approach so it’s important to trust your gut on this one.

If your child is ready to potty train at night, we suggest seeing what happens for the first few nights or you can try again when you feel they are developmentally ready.

Positive reinforcement

When teaching your child how to toilet train, remember to use plenty of positive reinforcement! You could try using a sticker chart to reward their nighttime potty training successes! Whenever they use the potty at night or go the full night without wetting the bed you can place a sticker on their chart.

Don't be too hard on yourself

It's completely normal for your child to have a few nighttime accidents here and there. In fact, most kids can't control their bladder properly until they're 2.5- 3 years old because their bladders are too small, they don't have the proper muscle control or they sleep straight through so don't be too hard on yourself if you feel your child isn't getting there.

The more relaxed you are, the more relaxed your child will be and the more successful your potty training will be!

Give your child time to get used to being potty trained during the day

Before your start nighttime potty training, make sure that your child is used to using the potty throughout the day first. A good rule of thumb is to wait until your child is regularly waking up dry, or to try 6 months after they have been using the potty in the daytime successfully.  

Relax

This is easier said than done, especially when you're having to change the sheets in the middle of the night - but if your child does experience bouts of bed wetting (which they will) try not to get upset at them for it. Instead, remain calm, get them fresh pyjamas and fresh bedding and tell them it's okay.

Final thoughts

Before you start trying to train your child to go all night long without a nappy, you need to decide whether they are truly ready. Are you starting potty training because other parents are doing it with their children or is it because your child is regularly waking up dry each morning and is showing the signs that they're ready?

Remember, each child will potty train at their own pace - if they aren't ready yet you can't force it.

Read my earlier blog On Starting Potty Training.