5 Ways To Encourage Potty Training at Bedtime

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #HuggiesNewYear #CollectiveBiasMy daughter resisted potty training for almost nine months (I started trying to potty train her at 2 1/2 years old) and she was’t having any of it. I finally gave up on the prizes, stickers, and candies. Soon my enthusiasm turned into frustration and threats. Not long after that, I was completely over it. I told her she wasn’t ready to go potty on the toilet, so back into diapers she went. Within days, she wanted to be a “big girl”, wear underwear and go potty on the toilet (go figure), and she’s been doing great ever since! I’d definitely agree that some children (strong willed personalities) are going to be more committed to doing things on their own timetable, when they’re ready for it.

Since she’s decided to commit to potty training, its been going really well. The occasional time she has an accident would be at bedtime, during the night. In the past we had her wear diapers, but it was too hard for her to take them down by herself at night, so she would end up wetting them while trying to get out of them. Last week while shopping at Family Dollar, I discovered that they carry GoodNites® Underwear and tons of other potty training items (wipes, stickers and prizes) at a really great value. I switched her over to GoodNites® Underwear (think of then as a nighttime pull-up) and she’s actually able to get out of bed, pull them down and go on the potty all on her own. We still consider wetting them an accident, but its nice to have that extra protection as a backup. As part of our bedtime routine, I set up a nighttime station where my daughter can have everything she needs for bedtime. After we give her a bath and we brush her teeth, she goes on the potty one last time before she puts on her GoodNites® Underwear and pajamas. I made her a sticker chart (mostly to have the conversation) about how she did for the day. It has a few different categories including: “I sat on the potty”, “I went on the potty”, “I flushed”, “I washed my hands”, and “I stayed dry all day”. She loves putting stickers on the chart, and once the week is filled up she’s able to pick out a prize. Grab my free printable here: Potty Training Chart.

5 Ways To Encourage Potty Training

For the past 9 months, I’ve been reading articles/books on potty training, talking to mommy friends and have had potty training experiences with my own child and I’m happy to share whats been working for us. He are my 5 tips to encourage potty training your child for bedtime.No. 1 – Talk about potty training with your child. Ask them what they think about it and address any fears or concerns they might have. If your child knows you care about their thoughts on the subject, they might be more open to the idea. Always be encouraging and do not punish or scold your child when accidents do happen.

No. 2 -Start cutting liquids off an hour before bed, make sure the child uses the toilet before bedtime as part of their evening routine. Even if they don’t go, praise their efforts for sitting and trying. No. 3 – Use GoodNites® Underwear to give your child the best nights sleep and start training them for real underwear at night. Show your child how they function just like regular underwear so they can make trips to the potty at night. Offer a small reward or sticker for a dry diaper in the morning and trips to the bathroom at night. Make sure to put them on the potty first thing in the morning, right when your child wakes up. After they “go”, switch them into real underwear for the day.

No. 4 – Use verbiage that gives your child an incentive to go: “I’ll know you’re for bedtime stories, after you go potty on the toilet.” Give praise afterward. Sometimes I’ll offer a few minutes of jumping on the bed, this is usually a no-no in our house, but I know she’ll always try to go potty for a few minutes of bouncing.No. 5 – Compliment your child when they do go to the potty, even if they don’t actually go. Offer a small reward or sticker when they do go during the night. Tell them how proud you are of their efforts. At Family Dollar, you can find $1 Packs of Pull-Ups® Training Pants, perfect for potty training kiddos (Use their store locator found HERE). Also, make sure you also follow Huggies on Facebook for even more offers and promotions.