When should you night-train DC?

[fedoragirl]

DD has been potty trained since she was 22 months. We have had a handful of accidents. I know we're lucky. She is still in diapers at nap time and night time. She soaks them through.
When did you start training your DC for night time? I have read age 7 and up but I thought that might be the exception, not the norm.

[wencit]

I am not sure you can night potty train your DC. I think it's a developmental milestone, and it will happen on its own timeline. DS1 was about 4 years old when he started staying dry through the night. When he went several weeks without soiling his overnight diapers, we put him in underwear at night -- along with several layers of waterproof mattress coverings! DS2, on the other hand, has already been staying dry overnight even before he turned 3.

There is a huge variation among kids, and I personally wouldn't even give it a thought or attempt any type of night time potty "training" until my kid was around 6 or 7.

[pinay]

DD1 daytime trained when she was about 29 months old. We didn't worry about naps and overnights until the following year, when she was staying dry most nights. I wouldn't have pressed the issue if she wasn't showing signs of readiness, but I was definitely glad when she was out of diapers once and for all!

[fedoragirl]

I am not sure you can night potty train your DC. I think it's a developmental milestone, and it will happen on its own timeline. DS1 was about 4 years old when he started staying dry through the night. When he went several weeks without soiling his overnight diapers, we put him in underwear at night -- along with several layers of waterproof mattress coverings! DS2, on the other hand, has already been staying dry overnight even before he turned 3.

There is a huge variation among kids, and I personally wouldn't even give it a thought or attempt any type of night time potty "training" until my kid was around 6 or 7.

Oh ok. I had just read about timers and alarms for waking kids to go to the potty. I just assumed that's how you night potty trained all kids. I am in no rush to train DD but I just wanted to be aware of the next thing we have to tackle. Glad to know I don't have to worry about it till a certain age.

[citymama]

I am not sure you can night potty train your DC. I think it's a developmental milestone, and it will happen on its own timeline. DS1 was about 4 years old when he started staying dry through the night. When he went several weeks without soiling his overnight diapers, we put him in underwear at night -- along with several layers of waterproof mattress coverings! DS2, on the other hand, has already been staying dry overnight even before he turned 3.

There is a huge variation among kids, and I personally wouldn't even give it a thought or attempt any type of night time potty "training" until my kid was around 6 or 7.

I couldn't agree more. At some point after she turned 3, DD1 just told us she didn't want to wear diapers at night any more. She never had an accident. My nephew night and day trained at the same time (around 3). Other kids still wear diapers at night till they are 5 - it really depends on when they are physiologically ready for it.

[brittone2]

All 3 of mine were dry at night before they were fully daytime trained. They just consistently woke up dry every morning.

DS1 had only 1-2 accidents, and they were times when he was also sick, etc. and probably sleeping deeply or just "off." DD had maybe 3 accidents in total. DS2 is the only one that really ever needed to pee in the middle of the night. If he wakes up I'll ask him if he wants to go and he'll go, but he can hold it all night if he is sleeping through. He's been out of nighttime dipes for several months and had a tiny little dribble of an accident a few nights ago.

We never limited liquids or anything; they are just wired that way and we didn't "do" anything (although I do offer the potty to DS2 if he wakes up crying, just because sometimes I think he's tired and confused and doesn't know what he wants). DS1 and DD pretty much never requested to go to the bathroom or got themselves up to go...they just didn't need to, which is probably easier than a child who has to recognize the urge, wake themselves up enough to act, physically get to the bathroom, etc. while sleepy.

eta: I'd probably wait until my child was dry most nights on their own. Maybe provide a potty in their room or whatever just in case they want or need it.

[hillview]

DS1 was night time potty trained at maybe age 5-6
DS2 was night time potty trained at 3

[twowhat?]

DD1 started staying dry all night when we officially PT (around 3). DD2 still wets her pull-up at night. they're almost 4. I don't plan to push it, and probably won't for a very long time as long as she is STTN:)

[ZeeBaby]

DD1 never really stayed dry at night. When she was 3, I decided to try her a few nights with no pull up, it worked out fine. I woke her up for about a week at 11pm to go to the potty before I went to bed and then we stopped. After that she either got up on her own or slept through the night. She had a couple of accidents the first few nights, but we had the miracle sheet and just washed it. She acually does better now at night then during the day.

[AnnieW625]

DD1 didn't night train until she was almost 5/1/2 (about a month before she started kindergarten). For her it was a mental thing. She mentioned one day that she would get up from nap at daycare and go pee and then I told her that if she can do that then she can get up and go at night. For the first couple of weeks we took her to pee at 11 pm when we went to bed, but then most nights at the same time she'd get up at around 2-3 am to pee. She still does that as well.

I honestly don't fret over night training and when it happens it happens although fwiw about 5/1/2 seemed to be the magic age for that.

[cono0507]

It just happens when they are ready.
DS was day trained just shy of 3 years old and dry at night 2-3 months later.
DD has been day trained since just over 2 years old and still working on the night time part (she turns 5 this month). I think she's getting closer. Maybe a few more months.

[georgiegirl]

Dd was night trained at 2.75 (day trained right at 2). I waited until she was dry at night for a week straight, then I put her in underwear. She never had an accident.

DS just turned 3 and I think he's been dry once at night. I'll just wait til he's dry a week before putting underwear on.

I agree that it will happen when they are ready. It's physiological.

[Simon]

Agree with all the Pp that kids just start waking up dry, eventually. Ds1 day trained at 18 mo and night trained around 3.5 and Ds2 day trained at 19 mo is dry off and on now in the morning (nearly a year later). For us, it has more to do with nursing or bottles/drinks at bed time. Both our kids like to drink in the evenings and I don't want to limit them since I am not sure they drink enough during the day. They're at school/day care so I can't monitor or change that.

Alarms and such come into play when you have a kid who doesn't seem to be outgrowing nightwetting and after you have ruled out other factors (constipation, etc). For boys, most Drs. won't do anything until 7-8yo because it is so common. Girls seem to outgrow it sooner, on average. There is a genetics component to this.

[ilfaith]

All three of my boys were day trained around their third birthdays. DS1 wore pull-ups, and later, Goodnites, to bed well into the first grade. DS2 was staying dry at night by age 4, and DS3 just turned 3 in June and only occasionally wakes up dry. Every child is different.

[Momit]

DS had been day trained for maybe 9 months when decided himself that he didn't want to wear a diaper at night anymore. He was nowhere near ready, still soaked his diaper every night, but for whatever reason was done with them. So we bought cloth training pants (not unders, the ones with a cloth inside and rubber/plastic outside), did a lot of laundry, and now - 3 months later he's dry maybe 2 or 3 nights a week. I would not have even attempted to night train him at this stage if he had not insisted on no more diapers. At least they're not usually so soaked that the sheets get wet anymore.

[scriptkitten]

DS has been day trained since 2.5 but still can't make it through most nights dry. however his twin night trained herself at about 36m and a few months ago he decided he didn't want to wear diapers at night so i have to take him to potty at 11pm every night to avoid accidents.

if he doesn't want to wear the pullups i don't want to make him.

[chillinoutmaxin]

Yeah, it just happens. With mine it has really depended on what type of sleeper they are. My kid who wakes at the drop of a hat has never been wet at night. My two who would sleep through a tornato have.

[nfowife]

DD day-trained right around 3. Night trained about 6 months later, on her own. She just started being dry at night and when we had 5 in a row, we went to underpants and only had 1-2 accidents after that.

DS is 5 and has been day-trained since 3.5. He has gone as many as 3 dry nights in a row recently, but hasn't made it to 5 yet. He is still in underjams at night and until about 3 months ago, a dry night was a rarity. They are starting to happen more frequently, though, so I think we are closing in on night-training. I'm not doing anything to help him. It is just something the body is able to do when it can IMO!