When you have little kids, the transition train never stops running. From sleeping solo to potty training to heading off to school, there are so many transitions, it's hard to keep up. But the great thing about transitions is that some of the techniques used to get through them are the same. Also, as an experienced parent, you gain confidence from one successful transition after another. So does your child.
One of the transitions that we're encountering is helping our 4-year-old sleep through the night without diapers or pull-ups. It's been challenging simply to convince him to try. He's worried about wetting the bed, which is common.
Here are some tips that we're using to get through it and convince our son that he can stay dry and comfortable during the night:
1. Stay Positive
There will be accidents and when you have a child that is sensitive and determined, their confidence can easily be shaken. It's up to you to remain unfailingly positive, despite having to change their clothes or sheets in the middle of the night. Your child will eventually make it through the night without wetting the bed and when they do, part of their success and confidence will surely come from your belief in them.
2. Work Up to It
This is one of those transitions where working slowly towards your goal is probably a good idea. Unlike getting rid of a pacifier — where going cold turkey is a solid option — it's best to transition from a diaper to a pull-up, then to nighttime underwear with extra padding before trying to get through the night without any protection. Also, take time to see if your child is staying dry through the night for several days or weeks before moving to the next option.
3. Get the Tools
Along with pull-ups and padded underwear, you can add a bed pad to your nighttime routine. There are long pads that go on top of or under the fitted sheet on your child's bed. This won't completely eliminate a middle of the night clean-up but it could minimize it.
4. Limit Liquid Consumption
The less liquid that goes in your child, the less liquid will come out of your child. If you set a cut-off time for liquid at the end of each night — 6:30 pm? 7 pm? — then you reduce the potential flow of urine in the middle of the night.
5. Go Pee Before Bed
Establishing a bedtime ritual is critical for your life (and sanity!). As part of the routine, make sure that the last thing your son does before he heads off to sleep is go potty one more time. Even if he is worn out from a long day of school, activities and playing and doesn't want to get up, coax him to the bathroom for one last evacuation. It could pay dividends with a quiet night for everyone in your home.
6. Before You Turn In
If you are concerned about your child's ability to make it through the night without wetting the bed, you should take your child to the potty before you turn in. Even though it will require you to wake your child up — which for many, is a no-no — it's likely your child will scarcely remember it and will fall right back to sleep afterwards.
7. Make Them Comfortable
Make sure that your child knows that if they wake up in the middle of the night and have to go potty, they can rely on you to help them, if necessary. If you protest or react angrily from being awakened in the middle of the night, it will send the wrong message to your child and could set them back in the quest to achieve a night free of bed-wetting.
