It will probably be a while after your child is dry during the day, before he is dry at night. To begin with, the night is a long period. Your child may not be able to stay dry that long. Children have to learn to wake up in an emergency, this takes time.

Also, is your child still in a crib or can he go to the bathroom on his own at night? How big and capable are they? Can you reach the light switch or do you have a night light? Some children do not dry at night until they are five or six years old; by then, if they don’t, talk to your doctor. Until then don’t worry. Make sure they drink a lot during the day, but I recommend reducing fluids to sips of water two hours before bedtime.

I also found it useful to pick up a child around ten o’clock at night and take them to the bathroom; although they barely woke up, they were able to urinate and went back to sleep immediately, a well done whisper is enough at that time you don’t want to wake them up completely.

As they get older they may be embarrassed to be wet at night, pull-ups are obviously required or you’ll have a mountain of laundry to do. Don’t scold a child for treating accidents kindly. You can wrinkle your nose to show that it smells bad and is not pleasant as an encouragement to be dry, but be aware of their feelings, they are probably upset too.

Signs that your child can stay dry all night will be a dry diaper in the morning, also the fact that he can go for long periods and fully acknowledge being dry during the day. Try to get them up at ten o’clock at night if you think they are ready, it really helps.

It is possible to get plastic protectors for both the mattress and the pillows and you don’t want to have the problem of wet and smelly mattresses that can be destroyed soon, when it is easy to prevent it from happening.

Reminders and Guidelines for Stress-Free Potty Training

• Make sure he drinks 6 or more water-based drinks. No fizzy drinks; definitely not tea or coffee. Tea and coffee are not suitable for children due to caffeine.

• Reduce the amount you drink two hours before bedtime, but encourage drinking much earlier.

• To make it easier, a child should wear clothes that are easy to remove and wash, especially in the first few days of training.

• A brief “sit down” is enough or they will get bored and resist. Praise works wonders, especially when the potty is initially introduced; also reading a story or playing with building bricks. Make it fun. A suitable choice of two activities can be offered if potty training is met with resistance.

• Young children should be encouraged to sit down and not stand up initially, as they will be able to urinate and poop while they are learning to interpret sensations or desires, and are learning control.

• Be consistent. If other adults are involved, everyone works from the same song sheet, or the child will get confused.

• Praise every step of the way; make his son feel good about his efforts and achievements. He will love to please you and receive your compliments. Never criticize or demoralize.

• Be patient, you will have occasional accidents at first, be prepared and do not scold. If after some time you find that it’s too soon and your child isn’t ready, let them try again for a few weeks before trying again. You may have been looking for signs of readiness, keep watching.

• Be sure to use the potty or toilet before bed along with brushing your teeth.

• I found it useful to wake up my children at ten o’clock at night; although they are sleepy, they soon relieve themselves. Then immediately go back to sleep.

• Never punish a child, tease or embarrass them, they are probably upset anyway.

I hope these suggestions are helpful if you are having difficulties.