You might be thinking about stopping nappies at night, once your child is potty trained during the day. Many parents choose to start nighttime toilet training at a different age to daytime training. This gap could be 2 years or more and children aged up to 6 and beyond can still struggle with nighttime training.
Potty training at night will be different for every child but there are some things to consider before starting.
Like with potty training in the day, there will be some signs to look out for that will help you to choose the right time to start. Your child might:
Before you start, introduce the idea by chatting about it with your child. Try to:
When the time comes, make sure you have the items you need. This could be:
To help your child stay dry at night, think about what they are drinking and eating in the day and before bed. Make sure they have enough to drink during the day but limit drinks in the evening unless they are thirsty. Some foods might make them thirstier in the evening, like salty foods.
Try to get your child into the habit of going to the toilet just before going to bed. Encourage them to try going to the toilet as soon as they wake up every day, so this becomes a natural timing for them.
It’s normal for children to wet the bed sometimes. If they do, try to stay calm and positive. Have a change of bedding and nightclothes nearby, so you can change them without too much disruption to the rest of the night.
If your child is wet most nights, it may be a sign that they’re not quite ready. It’s OK to go back to nighttime nappies or pull-ups and try again in a few weeks. If your child is neurodivergent or has a learning disability, it might take them a little longer.
Night training is not age related but is individual to each child. Try to focus on that and not what other children of the same age are doing. If your child is 5 or older and still struggling to stay dry at night, you might want to talk to your GP to check whether there is an underlying issue. You can also speak to your child’s school about getting advice from the school nurse.
Sometimes children who are dry most nights can have accidents too. This could be due to a temporary issue like:
If you’re worried about your child or need more advice about nighttime toilet training, you can speak to:
This advice was written by our experienced Parent Talk coaches. Parent Talk is a free online service for parents and carers provided by the charity, Action for Children. You can talk to our parenting coaches online using our 1:1 chat.
