Basic Truths of Parenthood: Night Trained
Posted by Jim at August 31st, 2005
Both of our kids are night trained as of this August. They could have been regarded as night trained earlier, but I wanted to use up all the diapers we had left (and wasn’t quite willing to trust their bed linens to fate). Still, the diapers have been dry so once the box was empty, we stopped buying diapers.
So they’re night trained–mostly.
They’re night trained provided I:
1. Don’t allow them extra glasses of water after bedtime.
2. Make sure they use the toilet before bedtime.
3. Am ready at any moment of the night to leap up, turn on lights, open doors and generally get kids into the bathroom the moment a cry of distress is heard. The kids are too short to turn on lights by themselves and we keep the bedroom doors closed because we don’t like cats walking on our heads at 3 am.
I’d like to stress the bit about extra glasses of water. I allowed it last night.
That won’t happen again.
When our kids became potty trained (both of them switched it on in one day after months of work) we sent them to bed without diapers. The only problems we’ve had since were because of a bladder infection.
They both thought it was SO COOL to be able to get themselves up in the night to go potty that they did it more than they needed to, just to be able to.
Topher
I guess that with my kids the thrill was gone all too quickly. That or one of them sleeps very deeply.
Jim Zoetewey
It could be age too. Molly didn’t potty train until 3.5, and Sophi at 3. If your kids are younger, it could be a more drawn out process for them. Then again, they say that all kids are different.
Topher