Dry Through the Night

How Old Should My Child Be?

When a child is able to stay dry all day, it is not uncommon for a parent to believe that it should follow that they'll stay dry all night as well. This is most frequently not the case. In fact, night-time training should be considered entirely separate from daytime training and, in practice it can be quite different.

Most children master daytime training long before they are able to stay dry at night so don't be concerned if your toddler still wets the bed. Many children under the age of five years continue to urinate in their sleep, however, if it continues much past school age, then it may be necessary to seek professional help for the child as they could have some serious problem which needs attention.

When To Begin the Process

Don't toss the night-time diapers out too soon. There are some ways to tell if your child is ready for night-time training and if you are too far ahead of the signals, both you and your child will be miserable. The child isn't ready if he wakes up every morning in a wet diaper. If you take their diapers away, you'll be washing sheets.

Keep your child in diapers until they wake up dry most of the time or they wake up in a freshly soiled diaper - the urine is still warm. Another clue that your child may be ready is if they wake up during the night or call for help in the night.

Things You Can Do To Help Your Child

You can help your child on his dry-night-time journey by making sure he can both get out of bed easily and pull his pants down and up easily as well. If your child is a little older, work out your night-time plan with him by talking about whether he'll go to the toilet alone or wake you to accompany him. Perhaps they'll have the potty in their room with a night light on for safety. Protect his mattress with a waterproof mattress cover - accidents cannot be ruled out.

Once you've decided on a routine, there are more things you can do to help him stay dry at night. It is important to make a trip to the toilet part of the regular routine before bed and a casual reminder that he should get up to go to the toilet during the night keeps the thought in his mind when he goes to sleep.

If your child wakes for any reason during the night, use it as an opportunity to go to the bathroom before tucking him back in bed. Don't pressure the child and certainly don't get angry and frustrated if he wets the bed. Criticism and humiliation put the entire process in reverse and you may create a very emotionally tense child.

Potty Training-All in Good Time

Remember, it may take a long time for your child to stay dry at night. Don't stress about it and if things aren't working, leave it alone for a while and try again further down the road.