Parents using underwear should remember that:

• Accidents are to be expected while the child is learning.
• To simplify nighttime cleanup, put an extra rubber sheet and fitted sheet under the first set. When accidents occur, parents can whip off the wet sheet and a dry one is already on the bed.
• A vinyl tablecloth can be used instead of a rubber sheet in a pinch.

Wake the Child a Few Times at Night

Chances are that kids will have to learn how to wake up from a deep sleep when their bladder is full, and they will need your help for the first few days or weeks. If a child normally sleeps from 8 P.M. until 7 A.M., good times to wake them would be around 11 P.M. and 4 A.M.

Other Tips to Facilitate Potty Training Success

In addition to waking the child up at night initially, parents need to encourage nighttime potty success in other ways.

• Keep the child’s bedroom floor clear of toys at night to allow her to get safely to the bathroom.
• Provide night lights or leave lights on where necessary so children can see what they are doing.
• Make sure there is toilet paper on the roll.
• Make sure that the toilet seat is in the down position to ensure that the child doesn’t “fall in.”

After a few days or weeks of waking up children, parents should get a feel for when children are ready to try for a dry night without any help from them. If parents want to provide sticker charts or other incentives for staying dry they may, but usually parental praise is enough to motivate small children to keep trying.

I have not tried any other these tips yet but will be sure to follow-up with you on how it goes BUT the thought of waking a sleeping childs a few times a night is like splashing cold water on them. But then again, it should not be too much of an adjustment for me (waking up in the middle of the night) since I have to let my dog out every 3-4 hours anyway. Will I ever get a full nights sleep again?

Other moms, help me out here!!!