Should I Wake My Toddler To Pee At Night?

potty training how can I help my child stay dry at night? 

If you have a toddler who falls back asleep easily, you could try this. It is not my recommendation but, it is a method some moms use and have success with. 

Also known as ‘dream pee’, you can help your toddler stay dry by gently moving them to the potty in their room between 11pm-12am and 4am-5am. Ideally not fully waking them during this process. You don’t want the time you choose to do a dream pee to be too close to bedtime or wake up time, where they won’t be able to get back to sleep easily.

Likewise, you can wake them 10 minutes earlier to pee on the potty when they normally would pee in the pull up or diaper.

Personally, I find it unnecessary and exhausting, especially if a toddler doesn’t fall back to sleep easily and/or a family isn’t getting quality sleep because of a newborn sibling etc, this can be very disruptive and frustrating for all (we deal with enough of that! No need to create another situation that is hard for us to manage. Let’s aim for balance instead.)

Without thinking of judgements or social pressures, do what feels manageable and keeps balance for your family. 

In addition to a ‘dream pee’, you can do what is called a ‘double void’ – where you have your toddler sit on the potty after dinner, limit liquids and have them sit again right before bed or right after getting cozy from story time.

For mornings, you can wake them 10 minutes earlier than usual, as many toddlers will pee or poop just as they wake up (or just as they go to sleep).

Have a waterproof mattress cover on your toddler’s bed and have a few extra for when there are accidents.

Keep a simple floor potty in their room with a toddler-safe night light next to it, either on a towel or a doggy pee pad. 

You can choose to leave a goodie next to their potty in the morning to encourage them to use it first thing after waking. One mom I worked with would make her son’s favorite smoothie and leave it right next to his potty each morning. It was part of his happy morning routine.

Last but not least, you’ll want to ditch the diapers and choose either pull ups or training pants, to make it easiest for you and your toddler to pull up and down as needed through the night (which you’ve probably already done during day time training). 

These tips also apply for nap times.

And, if your toddler is in daycare and you are working with your provider on potty training, you can see this article on how to support your child and talk with your care team.

training pants vs pull-ups 

The benefit of having training pants vs pull-ups, is that they feel more like underwear (so they will allow for that awareness I am talking about) AND they will help catch the accidents so there is less clean up for you. You can also easily use these at night to manage messes as well. Having something to catch poop is VERY helpful and nice lol. Having some disposable gloves can make poop cleanup easy and less messy for you.

It’s a great idea to have a few packs so that if you end up having lots of accidents in the beginning, you won’t be stressed out or overwhelmed by having to was a bunch of laundry each day. 

Here are some top-rated multi-pack potty training pants on amazon for boys and girls…

Another thing that you may want to do is start with a pack and see how your toddler does. They may not have as many accidents as you thought they would or they may have more. From there, you can decide to buy more potty training pants or regular underwear, depending on your toddler’s specific need.

pull-ups for potty training

I haven’t tried them all. We’ve mostly used pampers and they have been great for a leak-proof, great fit for all so far. They’re soft and hold a lot and are easy for toddlers to pull up and down without a fuss.

Here are some pull up options…

Pampers that we’ve used 

These are 28% plant-based making them eco-friendlier

These are built specifically for nighttime potty training, to absorb more (which isn’t necessarily important if you are following my nighttime potty training tips.)

And these are great for waterplay or swim time

Using either pull ups or training pants for nighttime potty training will work. Stick with what you are using in the day to keep things simple.

if you decide to wait on nighttime potty training 

If you decide to wait, you can still do the double void, limit liquids after dinner and encourage your toddler to sit first thing in the morning. You’ll just be skipping the night wakings portion and potentially dealing with pull ups longer.

See how that goes and if you notice dryness consistently for 10 days+, consider swapping to underwear and keep up the routine that is working.

If your toddler is still having wetness and you don’t want to do the night wakings, you can start talking to them about listening to their body when they’re in bed and sleeping. With time, practice, reminders and their body naturally maturing, you will see results and your toddler will be out of pull ups.

Again, if your child is 7+ years old and still struggling at night with bed wetting, it is encouraged that you speak with our doctor. 

So, can you nighttime potty train? Yes. Do you need to start at a certain age? Not necessarily. Follow your toddler’s lead and do what is most manageable for you and your family in the given situation.

I hope this helps give you some ideas of whether or not you want to wake your toddler to pee at night or not!