Saying bye to night nappies

WHEN is the best time to make the transition to no nappy at night? I think my 3 ½ - year- old is ready, as she has been out of nappies during the day for nearly a year. I don’t want to push the issue too soon nor do I not want to miss an opportunity to progress to the next stage of nappy- free life. Elena’s Mum THERE

certainly comes a time after day toilet training when you start to wonder if your child is ready to leave the nappies behind at night as well. Generally speaking, my rule is you add on one year after daytime dryness and this is a good indicator of when your child should be ready to tackle night- time training. Of course as every parent knows there are the children who defy general rules and do it in half the time or those who just take a little longer to get there. For nighttime dryness, I certainly see the same.

Day- time toilet training and night- time dryness are certainly two different training scenarios.

Your thoughts about not wanting to push too soon are spot on. Some parents are too quick off the mark, as they see some sign of their child being ready and start too early and it can get drawn out with lots of frustrating wet beds.

On the other hand, if your child is ready and you are not and you decide to stick with the night nappies or pull ups then you can miss the window of opportunity. Often a child’s brain then thinks, “oh well, I should get up and go to the toilet but hey, I have my nappy on, I can just let it go”.

Then it certainly can take years for your child to be motivated again.

The biggest sign your child is ready is a dry nappy. If your child has had a dry nappy for three, four or even five nights in a row when they wake up in the morning then it is time to jump in and start night- time training.

If you would like more details on how to do this then there is an article on my website for members outlining the steps involved and the approach to take. Above all, just like daytime training, you need a positive attitude. Email questions to aboutababy@ townsvillebulletin. com. au. Nicole Pierotti is a child psychologist who is an expert in helping solve sleep problems. Call 4724 2600 or go to babysmiles. com. au