At bed time keep it simple. Make sure your child goes to the bathroom right before hopping into bed. Encourage them to try for a pee pee, even if they don’t need to go. Explain to your child that they need to listen to their bodies even when they’re sleeping, if they have to go potty, they need to get out of bed and walk to the bathroom.
When you’re first starting out with potty training at night, invest in one (or two) plastic sheets or for convenience some disposable bed mats! Accidents will happen, but encourage the bedtime routine and celebrate any dry nights and success!
Leave a potty somewhere accessible and see if your child is happy to sit on it for a moment when you change their nappy and before bathtime.
Just because your toddler is a pro at using the potty all day long does not mean they are ready to make it through the night accident-free. See our top tips for Night-time training.
Be patient and persistent! Some children potty train easily, but others take weeks or months.
For your first few trips out of the house, start small. Take a short walk. Pop over to granny's or a friend's house, but try to limit journeys or outings to no more than 20 minutes at a time. Be sure to try and go on the potty just before you leave and as soon as your arrive at your destination.
Some parents like to wake kids up at the same time each night to train their bodies to wake up and use the potty. Some don't. If you really feel like your child is ready to stay dry all night long, see what happens the first few nights. If there are frequent accidents, you can either start waking them up throughout the night to use the potty – or just wait to tackle night-time potty training when they’re more ready.
Be consistent, try not to keep switching between pants and nappies or pull-ups, as your child may end up confused about where and when they’re allowed to wee or poo.
Setbacks are a normal part of anything that’s new or unusual for kids. Hang in there, do not worry, try to keep at it and remember to make it positive and fun for you and your child.