Toddler behaving like newborn as a result of potty training

[CB13]

Has anyone experienced this? None of the books cover it. My 2yrs 3 month old daughter managed potty training in two weeks. She's been dry for over two week. We did the reward charts, she's taken to it brilliantly and we were very pleased. UNTIL, now she is using the potty training as a way to delay bedtime. She is usually, alone asleep by 19.45 or so after bath, teeth and stories. No fuss, wakes up again around 06.00-06.30. Great.

Now she cries when left, insisting she needs a wee wee. I go back in, she goes on the potty, maybe a trickle, maybe nothing. This can happen up to three times after she as already been after bath and story. She has started waking at 3am, and 5am to do number one or two. I say she can wee wee in in nappy but I feel wrong telling her that during the day, doing a wee wee is brilliant but at night, she's expected to go backwards. She hates the wet nappy. She still has one bottle a day, but at lunch time, pre nap. Nap is never more than an hour.

I am due to have second baby in a month and I am petrified. Any advice gratefully received.

I know you probably enjoy the break when your daughter has a nap but how about cutting out the nap completely, so as she's so tired at bedtime she'll sleep through. Also make sure no drinks for an hour before going to bed and a 'big wee' just before bedtime. Good luck with the next one, you must be knackered 8 months gone and up with your daughter, but then if I remember my pregnancy I was up a zillion times a night for a diddle myself.

Yes dropping the nap is very good, my dd 3.2 dropped her nap and started sleeping very well at night. As for wetting in the night, apparently this develops later than daytime continence sometimes as old as 8 years. I also read should be treated as separate from daytime toilet training and night time contince is dependent on the child being biologically ready.

Gosh your dd is doing well, i am trying to potty train my dd and she is noway near, it has been a week and its just baby steps like her recognising when she is wet as she is quite happy being in wet and dirty pants. I am waiting for the magic switch to click, at the moment it seems like it will be forever

Thank you both so much. I think cutting out nap might be a good plan. Yes me too up for wee wees during night

Pigletmania, yes she took to it well. She liked the reward charts. First week, she piddled everywhere, including on the climbing frame in park and at a party. It was really the second week before she got the hang. And I do remind her before going out etc. and in a cafe, to go for a quick wee wee. Good luck to you and thanks again. I'll let you know what develops. We had it again this evening and she did a number 2 when I went back up. Waited 15 mins before going up and she was crying, I felt terrible. I think you might be right about not needing the nap.

It seems to be working. Half hour nap each day now and she seems to be waking at normal times and at least going to bed without a fuss. Thank you.

Glad it seems to be sorting itself out.

I had this with DD1. Having been a brilliant sleeper with a 7pm bedtime since she was tiny we suddenly started the whole delayed bedtime thing - she was up and down like a yo yo, insisting she needed another wee, but rarely squeezing anything out, or just a tiny dribble. The we would have the 3am wake - again up and down and up and down saying she needed a wee - usually she would do one, but then still insist on getting up over and over again even after she had done it. It lasted a couple of weeks only. Try and be as absolutely patient and commentless as you possibly can. With the bed time procrastination, go with it, but don't speak to her too much (just calmly go through the motions of sit on potty / back to bed). I would avoid telling her to use the nappy.

Re the night time waking again try to stay calm and as with the bedtime procrastination just take her to the potty and back to bed. We ended up doing a sticker chart for not waking mummy and daddy - 3 stickers in a row and she got a treat (chocolate buttons), it worked really well.

After about 3pm don't let her drink anything other than water (mine all guzzle juice etc, but with water they just drink what they need). If she still has bedtime milk then bring it forward to before the bath so it has time to go through, then take her to the loo once, more after stories etc

This might seem like a crazy suggestion, but have you tried not using night nappies and putting a potty in her room? We did this with DD2 when she was about 2.4. If your DD is waking anyway when she needs to go, what's the point of a nappy? if she's in a night dress and no pants then she can easily pop herself onto the potty - easier than flapping about in a nappy and getting stressed. What was interesting with both DD1 and DD2 (night nappies stopped 2.6 and 2.4 respectively), was that removing the nappies and putting a potty in the room actually stopped the night waking - they almost NEVER used the potty, but it was a sort of comfort for them to have it there and know they could easily use it if necessary. Make the bed up twice (mattress protector, sheet, disposable bedmat, second sheet) so you can easily take off the top layer if there is an accident.