Potty Training/Junior Bed/Night Waking 2 3/4 year old

[KMH35]

Hi Mommies!

My son, Jack, will be 3 in June. We've been potty training for a few months and aside from the occasional accident, we're just about there. It's been relatively painless because he'd decided he was ready. However, it's led to some sleep issues!

He's been asking to go potty repeatedly before bed (sometimes making bedtime quite late), so we're trying to get away from the before bed drink. That's coming along pretty well and potty time is interfering less with the bedtime routine. However, he was starting to show signs that he might try to vault out of his crib (NEVER ever tried it before) so we decided since soon he may start working away from the night time diaper, too, it was time to take the side off of his convertible crib and turn it into the junior bed. He'd been sleeping through the night for the most part, but hasn't sleep through in 2 weeks since the side came off. The first two nights he took himself down the hall to the TV room and sat by himself in the dark w/ the TV off (we heard him over the monitor and went to get him right away). After that, I told him to come get us if he awoke and couldn't get back to sleep. Now, he turns on his light and comes into our room. We also have a 10 mo. old and DH and I both work full time...So, accidental parenting alert...DH usually just goes and lays down with Jack because he'll usually go right to sleep. He seems to need the potty most nights when he wakes up and though he doesn't go on his own yet, maybe someday he'll wake up and go...But he's not returning to bed. I'm guessing the best advice is to walk him back to his bed? And this could happen repeatedly? He's never been great at falling asleep on his own (luckily the 10 mo. old is - I learned more the 2nd time around) and is so going to resist. Just wondering if anyone has been in a similar situation and has any advice? I know part of the problem is that he's reached a milestone...Just had a huge language leap, too. *sigh*

THANK YOU!
Karen

[Layla]

Karen, what about getting a gate by the door to stop him from wondering around? if you're not comfortable with that then I would say take him back to his room as soon as he is out. Its just a novelty at the moment to come out... its something that will wear out but you just need to keep things very low key and boring when its nighttime so eventually he'll get the idea that its time to sleep.

My dd (she's been in a big bed for 3 weeks now) also used to put the light on. Any way you can block the light swiotch or cover it up somewhow so he can't put it on?

She also went through a stage of wanting to go to the toilet over and over again at bedtime. It was a stalling tactic. What I did was to put a potty in her room (I know this sounds yuck!) and tell her that if she wants to go to the toilet the potty is there. She's only ever used it twice (in the morning before I'd come to get her) and she stopped asking to go to the toilet 20times before she'd go to bed! What I do is take her to the toilet as the last step before she goes to sleep & tell her that if she wants to go from now on she can use the potty.

Also we got a night light & put it on a timer so now if she wakes at night, I tell her that its still night time, its not time to get up and I'll come to get her once her night light is on...

hth a little
Layla

[KMH35]

Hi Layla,

Thanks for your detailed response. I appreciate it! I have talked with DH about keeping it low key when Jack gets up as DH tends to be chatty with him (how, I don't know, as I'm usually way too sleepy to chat). I agree about taking him back to his room. We actually took another step and went to the full big boy bed instead of the junior bed this weekend as it seems more cozy and we can have our wind down routine in his room now (we used to read on our bed so we could all fit). It's a double bed in a little alcove in his room. Last night was the first night and though he woke up, he didn't get out of bed - He just called for me. Progress! I'm really hoping that if our wind down happens in his room, he'll have good feelings about his bed and will be more likely to stay. The light is a floor lamp so I can't cover the switch, but perhaps I could put that on a timer. Then, he'd only be able to turn it on during certain times. He does have a night light so it's not pitch black, at least. (There's no outside, ambient light around our house.) The potty idea is interesting and I definitely need to try taking him once and that's that - use the little potty otherwise. I feel so bad saying no to a boy who just got the hang of the potty but I also know he's stalling (though usually he does actually have to pee a lot)...Maybe it will be enough to convince him to try to go before bed. (He'll usually say he doesn't have to go and refuses to try.)

We'll see how things go...No more major changes on tap so hopefully Jack can settle in now.

Thanks again,
Karen