I hope I’m not alone to say that potty training your kids is one of the most tedious jobs ever. It is just one of those things that you wish you don’t have to deal with and hoping for your kids to kind of learn it on their own! Well at least that’s the way I feel, lol.
Potty training Bella during the day was a task but she eventually got it very quickly in about a week. This was at her second attempt at 3 years old as the first time we tried it, when she was 2 years old, was just not possible as she wasn’t ready.
The problem was that she had a few regressions caused by an unfortunate constipation. She suddenly didn’t want to use the toilet anymore as she was scared. Things like that were always a step back but then she finally mastered it and things were great during the day, so no more nappies and hello to normal underwear! Well at least during the day.
Our problem was always the nights. This was something that Bella was struggling with for years! We let her have her Pull-Ups during the night and we just decided to wait for the correct moment to try to stop using them. The first time we tried she didn’t manage to keep dry. We persisted for a few days but it was always the same so we decided that she was definitely not ready for this yet and it was better to wait. The next time we tried, Bella was using Pyjama Pants and not Pull-Ups anymore. It is a similar idea to Pull-Ups but they can hold more pee during the night (Bella at this stage was 4 years old). I was pregnant with Sienna and desperate to get Bella out of her Pyjama Pants. We tried for a couple of weeks and she was successful at the beginning but then the accidents started again and I had to keep changing the sheets (up to 4 times one night) and so I decided to stop again, returning to the Pyjama Pants. I guess being pregnant wasn’t really the best state of mind in which to be dealing with this so with hindsight it was perhaps obvious that this wouldn’t work out but I just wanted to try.
The next attempt was last summer, a few months after Bella had turned 5. It was of course a big concern for me as she was getting older and older and we were still regularly stocking the wardrobe with Pyjama Pants. I was actually worried that she would be wearing them forever, even on her wedding day, LOL!
Anyway, this time we all decided that it was time to get rid of the Pyjama Pants once and for all so when the last pack ran out I had a conversation with Bella and said that she was already 5 and she was now big enough to go to the toilet during the night and that she will not be wearing Pyjama Pants anymore. It was an easy conversation for once as she actually agreed with me.
We started to make a conscious effort to cut her liquids after her evening meal and I was constantly talking to her about it so she was mentally prepared. She went to the toilet before she went to bed and we told her that later in the night we were going to take her to the toilet again. We also put a waterproof sheet underneath her while she slept just in case. At about 11:30 we took her again to the toilet. She was confused but she actually did pee and I was of course constantly monitoring her that night. I think I hardly slept worrying that she would wet the bed, but she didn’t. It was a successful first night.
The following night we did exactly the same thing and it worked again. She was like this for about 4 days. On day 5 she had an accident! Oh no I was so disappointed! Why did she have an accident? What did we do wrong? I was confused.
The following day we did the same routine but she had an accident again. It was so confusing, but then after a few days of failures she had a dry night again. The celebrations didn’t last long. She managed to be good for another week but a week later she had a few more accidents. The whole process was so frustrating and we were like this for months, some nights good but then an accident!! Cleaning sheets and changing pyjamas were just part of the routine! One thing we did do this time was to stick with it with no return to Pyjama Pants, even if it meant waking her in the night to empty her bladder. From the moment we said no more Pyjama Pants, that was it, there was no going back!! This is the best recommendation I could give to any parent trying to potty train during the night.
I must admit that I was really worried about this whole process. I didn’t understand why Bella at 5 years old was still wetting the bed. She had a GP appointment for her eczema and I discussed it with the doctor just in case. The doctor explained that each child is different and of course some kids develop at a different pace to others. The bladder should mature enough in order to be able to hold the pee for the whole night. Apparently this wasn’t just something that needed teaching but it was something that needed lots of patience because you just need to wait for this moment to come. She said that wetting the bed up to 7 or 8 years old was still considered normal but perhaps after that age it could be possible that there could be some other issue. If it was still happening then, we could discuss about it at that time.
I felt more relieved after that conversation as I felt that it was still okay if Bella wasn’t ready for this because her bladder was not mature enough to hold her pee for the whole night. We just kept trying and remained persistent with it. The routine was to always make her do a pee before bedtime and then take her to the toilet later in the night to make sure her bladder was empty and this would allow her to get through the whole night. Since then, Bella hasn’t had any more accidents. I guess this is a routine for her now so she knows that she needs to go to the toilet if she needs to pee and not do it in the bed. Also her bladder has matured as it is holding much more liquid during the night from 11:30 to 7:30 am, so it is definitely a huge improvement.
At this stage I can say that she is finally potty trained at night if you would like to call it like that but my only concern now is for how long do I need to encourage her to go to the toilet later in the night. I’m hoping that soon she won’t need it and that she will go all night without having to go to the toilet or better still, gets up and goes to the toilet on her own if she needs to without us asking her to do it. I hope this will just come with time.
This post is for all the parents out there that are struggling with potty training their kids during the night. I think it is important to be persistent and always to keep trying. It is not easy but eventually will happen. Just be aware that the bladder needs to mature enough in order to hold the amount of liquid your child needs to keep dry during the night. For this we just need to be patient and give it time.
I guess if you are concerned it is always better to have a conversation with your GP as the one I had actually helped me and gave me more hope. I was more relaxed and less worried after that and I just knew that things would progress with time and if not there is always the option to have the proper conversation with the doctors when that moment comes and there has been no progress at all.
Have you had any problems like this with potty training during the night? What was your experience? Do you have any tips to improve this process? Please leave a comment below as I would love to hear what you thing.
Thanks for stopping by,
Love you all ❤️
Franca 💋
we still get the occasional accident now! we found it was because he was scared to go in the bathroom on his own at night (we left the lights on) so we moved the potty closer to his bedroom in the evening and he was fine to go in there! I think it differs from child to child you just have to find whats best for you x
Ahh it’s so tough, my daughter is 4 and still has accidents at night. I have a 2 and a 1 year old who need to start potty training this summer and I’m dreading it!! #KCACOLS
Sounds like she’s doing really well now 🙂 Potty training is a massive ordeal for us. My son is autistic and it can be a big challenge for those on the spectrum. He is 3 yrs and nearly 5 months and nowhere near close to potty trained, day or night. He understands it all, can communicate well enough to easily tell me he needs to go if he wanted to – but he just doesn’t recognise the urge and so while he will sit on the potty and use it happily he can’t wear pants at all. He also finds it extremely stressful if we push the suggestion of wearing pants and so his paediatrician warned us to take it extremely slowly. If he is dry in the day by school time I will be so happy! #KCACOLS
I’m glad I read this post, as I am clueless about potty training. I really need to read up some more about it as my mother is convinced that me and my brothers were all potty trained stupidly early, and is encouraging me to try to train Piglet even though he is only 19 months. Good to hear about the conversation you had with the GP about their bladders simply needing to be ready for it. Congrats on all your hard work-sounds as though things are going well. #KCACOLS
Dreading potty training more and more the closer we get to it! Glad to hear you’ve cracked it 🙂 thanks for hosting #KCACOLS x
Potty training sounds so hard, even harder at night. We are a few years off from that yet, but from reading this I am dreading it. I know that every child is different, and I hope that we have an easy-ish run at it. Thanks for sharing this, I’m sure that in a few years time I’ll be asking for advice. Claire x #KCAKOLS
I’m sure this post will reassure a lot of parents out there who are having a similar issue. Taylor’s too young yet, but I’m sure I’ll have these sleepless nights to look forward to! I remember my sister was adamant she wasn’t going to potty train my nephew too soon – despite my mum encouraging her otherwise. As you say, all children develop at different rates. It sounds like you’re doing a great job – fingers crossed it lasts for you and Bella won’t need to still go late at night soon xx #KCACOLS
Well done on getting nighttime potty training, it is a very challenging times X #kcacols
BB still isn’t dry at night and she’s four. The problem is she simply won’t get out of bed once we’ve put her to bed! I know I shouldn’t complain as we’ve never needed a stair gate or anything…I’m hoping it happens in her own time #KCACOLS
Oh well done! and Well done Bella! Its so tricky isn’t it?! We were like you and had 2 false starts with potty training in the day and then Mia decided about 4 months ago that she was ready at 2 1/2yrs old and she did it overnight! They are strange sometimes! She is also dry overnight too but not quite sure how she managed that however we have the odd night where she wees straight through her pullups and I didn’t realise you can get pyjama pants so I will have to have a look for those as they would be perfect! 🙂
#KCACOLS
We’re just going to try and test potty training with our toddler (she’s just over 2). She seems to be giving us the signs but as yet we’ve not managed it. But she has managed it at her Nain’s house. So there may be hope! I’m just going to let it be what it is because it’ll happen in it’s own good time x #KCACOLS
Hi Franca, Cygnet is 18 months old and I am already absolutely dreading the whole potty training saga that I have in store for me. I had been told that if you start potty training at age 2 you finish at age 3. If you start at age 3 you finish at age 3. The moral being, start potty training late for your own personal sanity. I hadn’t really considered that nighttime might be a whole different story… Oh my! #KCACOLS
Potty training is such a challenge. Congrats on getting it done though! Hopefully things continue to go well. #KCACOLS
I think is great that you are sharing this as there is so little information around. When I potty trained Monkey I really didnt know what I was doing and just relied on my instincts. Its good to know about the maturing bladder thing as that would never have occurred to me after all if they can do it in the day why can’t they at night. This makes complete sense. Thank you for joining us at #BloggerClubUK hope to see you again this week x
I’ve got this to come – very soon. Harry is almost there now during the day. I just need to have a few days off in a run to make sure he gets it and then we move on to tackling the night time. Although, I might give myself a break (rather than anything to do with him) as it’s bloody exhausting = both mentally and physically! KCACOLS
Ah it’s so hard isn’t it! We didn’t have such a hard time with Ava but we did have quite a few accidents, and waterproof sheets are a Godsend! We still use them just in case. I was gutted last year, when we realised with had left two of the sheets at Centreparcs! You’re doing a great job xx #KCACOLS.
We’ve got all this to come, as Emma is about to turn two I’m wondering when would be a good time to start daytime potty training. I’m not sure what the signs are to tell whether she’s ready or not and I don’t want to push her into it too early before she’s really ready. Most people I’ve spoken to about it say they had relatively quick and painless potty training experiences, during the daytime at least, and all between two and three years old. I think being informed and having all the right information would be really helpful for parents like me abou to face this rather daunting challenge! Thanks for sharing! #KCACOLS
Oh well done Bella! It does sound like perseverance is key but you got there in the end. We’ll done on sticking with it, and yes they are all so different and do everything at their own pace! #kCACOLS
I have to say i was so lucky with both of mine children as they were quick to become dry through the day and night relatively quickly. Well done for keeping the night time routine going! Before you know it Bella will be dry through the whole night soon enough 🙂 #KCACOLS
As Mikey is a lot older, I’ve luckily forgotten the ‘joys’ of potty training! Although Dot is still a bit young, we are starting to think about it. I can’t wait!
Laura xx
#KCACOLS
Well done Bella and Mummy on cracking the potty training! I felt the same as you about potty training. My first girl decided to potty train when I had her newborn sister to look after too! She had shown no signs or interest and then one day just decided she wanted to do it – she was 2 years old and I was totes unprepared! She wasn’t dry at night though until she was 4 and close to going to school. I was told it was a hormone that has to develop for night time so we kept her in nappies until they were constantly dry. Daughter number two trained at age 3, but was completely different. She was dry day and night straight away! Both so different. Thanks for hosting 🙂 Kathy x #KCACOLS
Fortunately I did not experience this with my daughter – We let her wear pull-ups until she began to stay dry through the night for about a week. She has had a couple accidents, but for the most part we were very lucky. My 4 year old nephew, however, is having a very difficult time with this. He wets through his pull-ups all the time and needs frequent clothing and linen changes. All-in-all a very stressful situation, especially since my sister just had a baby. I’m going to look into these pajama pants a little more and see if we can find her something similar because it seems like he just isn’t ready. He even has been having frequent accidents at school, and could potentially be regressing because of the new sibling. I feel so bad for her!
Thanks for sharing your insights 🙂
#KCACOLS
Tori
http://www.themamanurse.com
Oh wow, sorry for catching up late, I did read all last weekend but kept being distracted by a cheeky monkey! I really dread potty training, so I have no clue on what to do, but I found this really informative. It sounds hard!!! Well done on persevering!!!! #kcacols
We’ve still got all this to come but it’s so great hearing other people stories and advice as I know it’s a tough one to crack. Sounds like you’ve been very persistent and patient with it, it’s funny how all these stages happen in their own time. Great post, really enjoyed reading it x
I’m so happy that you enjoyed reading this post!! My daughter now doesn’t even need to do the trip to the toilet at 11 pm so she finally mastered it all and I’m so happy for her! It was a long journey but eventually happened!! Thanks so much for your lovely comment! 🙂 x