Thinking of overnight potty training your toddler or preschooler? Learn everything you need to know about nighttime potty training right here.
Potty Training Resources for Parents:
- Potty Training Under Two: Everything You Need to Know
- How to Potty Train a 2 Year Old
- What to do When Your Toddler Won’t Poop
So your toddler is fully potty trained during the day, and now you’re wondering when to tackle nighttime potty training.
Mama, you’re in the right place.
Today I’m going to share with you everything you need to know (and then some), so you can successfully potty train overnight – and hopefully still get some sleep in the process.
No promises on the sleep thing, though ๐
Let’s kick this off with the question I hear most often:
How do I know if my child is “ready” to nighttime potty train?
As I shared in how to potty train before 2, when it comes to daytime potty training, “readiness” mostly falls on us as parents.
However, when it comes to nighttime potty training, it’s really all about the individual child and their ability to wake up to use the potty, or hold it overnight.
The age range for this milestone really depends on the individual child.
That being said, sometimes we wait around for “signs” – thinking to ourselves, “he’s just not ready.”
When in reality, your toddler or preschooler is ready, you’ll just never know until you remove the overnight diaper and test it out!
And it’s totally understandable if you’re afraid to try.
No one wants to wake up several times a night or be woken up because of a potty accident.
It’s exhausting. But it is short-lived.
Let’s look at some common questions/scenarios when it comes to nighttime potty training.
FAQs
This is almost always the measure used to determine whether or not a child is “ready” for overnight training, however, this can leave you waiting and waiting around for that magical day to come.
If you put a diaper on your 3 year old, and then put them to bed, the likelihood is they’ll wake up wet. Why? Because for the past 3 years they have been sleeping in a diaper and they are used to the feel of it. In order for them to wake up dry, you might need to remove the diaper. This is all to say, you don’t need to wait for your child to wake up dry to nighttime potty train.
My recommendation would be to wait until they are sleeping in a toddler bed or converted crib. You want them to be able to get to their little potty (more on this later), as quickly as possible. And since I’m guessing you don’t want to teach your toddler to climb out of their crib in the middle of the night, it’s best to wait until you transition them to a bed.
As I mentioned earlier, all kids are different, so it’s difficult to give a one-size-fits-all answer.
The ideal potty training window is between 2-3 years old. However, the window for staying dry overnight can be a range from 2 to 6 years old, as it really depends on the child.
Mom-to-Mom Tip:
There’s no rush on transitioning your toddler from crib to bed, especially if you have more than one child. Cribs provide a sense of security for toddlers and peace-of-mind for moms. If your toddler is content in their crib, wait it out a little longer. However, if they continue to climb out, or wake up in a soaked, leaking diaper, it may be time to transition.
That being said, I have some real life tips to share that can help make the process easier at any age!
Note: I am not a medical professional. This post is for informational purposes only and based on my experiences with my kids. If you have additional questions, please consult your child’s medical professional.
How to Get Started with Nighttime Potty Training
1. Pick a Start Date
As much as you might want to, you shouldn’t just jump right into overnight training.
You should start out by picking a date at least 5 days away.
5 days prior to overnight training, it’s important to reduce liquids gradually.
Picture an upside-down triangle.
- When your toddler wakes up in the morning, give them water or milk to drink as usual (big part of the triangle).
- As the day goes on, reduce water intake.
- At dinner, serve their water in a small cup (so it looks more full), and make sure they don’t drink too much (tip of the triangle).
Your goal is to reduce liquids gradually as you move toward bedtime
- You don’t want to suddenly restrict water, especially for a young child.
- And on the flip-side, you don’t want your toddler guzzling water at dinnertime, as you can be certain it will cause them to wet the bed.
- This process will vary slightly based on age, but anyone with a toddler knows they LOVE to down water right before bedtime, and there’s little likelihood they’ll stay dry after that.
As kids grow, their ability to “hold it” or realize they need to wake up becomes stronger.
2. Get the Gear
You may already have some of these items from daytime potty training.
If not, these are the things I recommend to have on hand for a successful nighttime potty training experience.
- Little potty (to keep next to bed – see photo below)
- Soft nightlight (so they can find the potty / you can see to help them)
- Sheet protectors (more on this below)
- Nightgowns or sleep shirts (more on this below)
- If your toddler accidentally wets the bed (this will happen and it’s totally fine), you’ll want to have a waterproof sheet protector in between their bed sheet and the mattress pad. This is so you don’t have to replace the mattress pad in the middle of the night.
- Simply remove the wet sheet and sheet protector, and place a new sheet protector and sheet on the bed.
As for pajamas, it’s time to put away all the onesies and complicated zips & buttons.
I only recommend nightgowns or fitted sleep shirts with loose bottoms, for overnight potty training, with no underwear (or diaper).
Fitted pants or underwear can mimic a diaper and cause them to accidentally wet the bed.
3. Try it out!
Now that you have the gear and you’ve made a mental note to reduce liquids before bed, you’re ready to try!
If your toddler or preschooler doesn’t sleep in bed with you, make sure you have a baby monitor where you can hear & see them overnight, in case they get up to use the potty!
There’s no need to wake them up as the goal is that their body will wake them up!
- If they have an accident, there’s a chance they might sleep through it or they’ll wake up calling for you – every child is different.
- Sometimes they’ll wake up, but just miss the window to make it to the potty – this is a good sign!
- Obviously girls and boys are different, so while a girl might be able to use the little potty next to their bed in the middle of the night, a boy may need to use the potty in the bathroom – whatever works!
- Leave a nightlight in their room and in the bathroom!
- If you can tell there’s no progress after a few nights, it’s okay to press pause.
Troubleshooting
What should I do if my child consistently wets the bed or I can’t seem to get the timing right?
Mama, sleep is everything. Everyone needs it. You need it to function as a mom, and your toddler needs it to function as a little human being. If everyone is loosing sleep over non-stop accidents, it’s time to hit the pause button.
Go back to diapers or pull-ups for a few weeks and try again when you feel ready.
When is it okay to introduce underwear or pants?
After you’ve declared overnight training a success, I would wait a few weeks before introducing pants or undies.
Especially if your child is younger. You want them to be able to use the potty as quickly and as easily as possible, without having to pull down pants or fuss with anything extra.
My toddler has nighttime tantrums or sleep issues. Should I postpone night-training?
My advice would be to solve the sleep issues before tacking on nighttime training. Sleep comes first. Training can wait until the other issues are resolved.
Read: 3 Year Old Bedtime Battles & How to Stop Them
To Recap:
- Pick a start date & reduce liquid intake
- Get the gear
- Try it out
- Celebrate being officially diaper-free!
More on Toddler Parenting:
- 2 Year Old Won’t Listen? Try This.
- My 2 Year Old’s Daily Routine
- 2 Year Old Sleep Schedule Tips
- My Nightly Reset Routine
- How to Potty Train Before 2
Follow Marla on Instagram for more practical ideas for everyday #momlife
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This post came at the perfect time! I finally feel โcaught upโ on sleep from having a 6 month old, and feel ready to tackle nighttime training with our 3 year old. My only hesitation is nap time- he still takes a 2-3 hour nap in the afternoon, which means I canโt wake him the middle of it to go (and he almost always wakes up with a full diaper after his nap). I know limiting liquids before nap time will help, but do you have any other tips for tackling nighttime when they still take a good nap too?
Hi Lauren! I did overnight training with my second daughter right before 3. For the most part she also took long naps – so it can be done! Limiting liquids will definitely help. I keep the little potty next to her bed and always have her pee before lying down for a nap. She naps in just a nightgown, no undies. And you’re right – you definitely don’t want to wake them during a nap. There’s definitely a little bit of trial and error involved with naps. However, removing the diaper at naptime can also be a good indicator of how long he can hold it while he sleeps! You could also just focus on overnight training and still use a diaper at naptime. Once he gets used to the feeling of having to get out of bed to pee at night, it might translate to naptime as well. Hope this helps!
Very helpful! What you said about it being the *parent* who needs to be ready is so true, and your post has made me feel ready- so thank you! Also, another tip I’ve seen elsewhere is to layer -protector-sheet-proctector-sheet-, so that when you have to change sheets in the middle of the night your’e just peeling the top two off, and have another set all ready to go underneath, thus not having to put another on at 3am!
Thanks again for the helpful tips!
I’m so glad to hear that – and wow, that is genius! I wish I had know that tip. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much for this! My son is potty trained during the day and doesn’t really have accidents anymore. However I’m so nervous to transition at night! I love some of these helpful tips and you are making me feel like I can do it!
You CAN do it! And yay for daytime potty training success! DM me on Instagram anytime with questions ๐