The Truth About Nighttime Dryness
When folk brag about how early their child completed potty training, try not to feel the pressure of competition. Instead, consider that there may be some variation in the definition of ‘potty trained’. Do they mean that their tot was fully potty trained and that the child was completely toilet independent at that age? Often people will refer to daytime dryness and cleanness as ‘potty trained’. Nighttime dryness is considered to be a separate event.
There are 3 stages in the journey to complete toilet independence.
1. Daytime and nighttime bowel control
Then,
2. Daytime bladder control
And lastly,
3. Nighttime bladder control
Nighttime bowel control usually happens naturally. When your child reaches the necessary physical maturity, nighttime cleanness will happen of its own accord.
As the toileting trainer, you can help your toddler achieve daytime dryness and cleanness. Daytime bowel control and daytime bladder control are achieved when:
1. Your child displays sufficient signs of readiness to be potty trained, which indicates that your child has met the emotional, physical and physiological maturity needed to commence potty training. Combined with…
2. Patient, consistent coaching from you, and…
3. Lots and lots of practice
Nighttime dryness on the other hand is not something that can be taught; instead it is only achievable when:
1. Your child’s bladder has grown large enough to hold a whole night’s supply of urine.
2. Your child’s bladder does not overproduce urine during the night.
3. Your child’s kidneys send a signal to its brain to alert him that he needs to go.
4. Your child does not sleep so deeply that he cannot wake and respond to his need to go.
As first-time parents and novice toilet trainers it is sometimes difficult not to have unrealistic expectations of our children. This is particularly true when peer pressure and urban myths cloud reality. The reality is that there are some things we have no control over. Nighttime dryness, and therefore complete toilet independence is one of those milestones our children will have to reach in their own time. As further reassurance, let us take a look at what research and the experts have to say:
According to American research, the average age of potty training completion (day and nighttime dryness) is 35 months in girls and 39 months in boys.
In the USA, pediatricians have a saying about potty training:
“If you start at 2, you will be done by 3. If you start at 3, you will be done by 3!”
98% of children are completely day time independent by 4 years old.
80% of parents say that they experience setbacks. This high number is probably an indication that these are not actually setbacks, but are instead part of the normal progression to independent toileting.
1 in 6 children aged 6 years are still not dry at night.
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