Potty training is no joke. Whether you’re on kid number one or kid number three, like me, it’s always an adventure!
With my oldest we started just a little too soon. So I pressed pause, talked to some veteran mamas, and made a new plan. “Let him take the lead,” they said. “Give him the tools he needs but don’t push it, let him know they are there when he’s ready. Take the power struggle out of potty training,” they advised. “You won’t regret it!” Every child is different and every parent therefore has a different experience and different advice.
We did nothing potty training related for 3 weeks.
I mentioned his “big boy” underwear occasionally when I was putting away his clothes and we were in his room together but that was it. No pressure, no power struggle.
Then one magical Tuesday afternoon I was making mac n’ cheese when I felt a little tap, tap, tap on my hip. I turned to find my boy holding out a pair of underwear to me, “I want to wear these today!”
The rest of the week we pretty much camped out at home. I set an alarm and every 20 minutes he sat on the potty. When he went we celebrated like crazy; dancing, singing, and cheering were all happening (usually simultaneously).
And that was it. After that, he was potty trained… or so we thought.
We had, what I thought at the time was another setback, when it came to nighttime wetting. No matter how well he did throughout the day, he just wasn’t waking up dry. Was this normal?? Had I again made a mistake somewhere along the line?
Worrying over the nighttime wetting was my biggest mistake.
In fact, I’m here to tell you, if your child is dry all day, congratulations – she’s on her way to becoming a big kid! But staying dry at night is a different task, and it can take a longer time for many kids.
I did my research and learned that nighttime dryness evolves naturally as children grow – it’s simply a matter of a child’s physical development.
So while my son was 100% daytime potty trained by age 3, he wore GoodNites Nighttime Underwear for nearly a full year at night.
If you’re not familiar, GoodNites NightTime Underwear, the #1 NightTime Protection brand, are specifically designed to fit and provide outstanding protection for young children who are still wet at night.
They have all sorts of cool features that help kids stay protected throughout the night including:
- Five Layers of Protection & Double Leg Barriers to help protect all night long
- Zoned Protection in areas where girls and boys need it the most
- Super Stretchy Sides helps to fit many body shapes and sizes
I was worried at first that my son would ask for the GoodNites Nighttime Underwear during the day but it never happened. Toddlers are amazingly skilled at understanding well-defined distinctions (hooray for that!) In fact, he referred to his GoodNites as his big boy night underwear.
When my daughter potty trained two years later she was waking up with a wet diaper every morning so I knew she wasn’t ready for underwear at night. Instead, I took her to the store and this time we picked out both a set of underwear (pink and purple, of course) AND a box of GoodNites Nighttime Underwear.
Now we’re potty training our 3rd child and, although I’m living for that day on the horizon when I will never again have to change a diaper, I’m really not sweating that he too doesn’t stay dry at night yet.
We picked out our underwear together, we’ve got potties stationed upstairs and downstairs, I set the timer the first couple of days, and we’ve got our GoodNites Nighttime Underwear all set up by his bed for bedtime.
And did I mention the look on his face when he saw Spider Man on his just right sized GoodNites?!
Suffice to say this little super hero could not be more excited to wear them at night (and then put on his Spidey suit as soon as he wakes up each morning).
Things are going great. We’ve found a nighttime solution for my potty training grad, and I’m so relieved to know he’s comfortable and confident at night.
If he wears GoodNites every night until he’s nearly 4 ½ like his older sister, I’m fine with that. (If he gets dressed in the morning and starts hiding them under his bed like his big brother did, though, that’s another story!)
And if you’re a Sam’s Club member there’s a coupon for extra savings. You can use it through 7/16/17 to save $18 for 3 or $10 for 2 on any combination of Huggies Diapers, Pull-Ups or GoodNites, or Wipes.
Take my advice and stock up – there’s nothing worse than realizing you’re out right before bedtime.
The deal is available both in-store and with free shipping online. You can also order online and use drive through club pick-up – super convenient when you are running errands with kids and don’t want to unload everybody out of the car!
If you’re dealing with nighttime wetness in your house, I really hope sharing my experiences helps you realize that it’s not something to stress about! You and your child will get there, I promise. All you need is the right tools and the right mindset.
*This post is sponsored by GoodNites and Sam’s Club.
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