Bedtime rules?

My kiddos have been pulling the "potty-card" at bedtime, calling us back in repeatedly to use the bathroom after going to bed. I told them starting tomorrow, there were going to be new rules for bedtime...now I need some ideas!

1) They are still in diapers for bedtime, but have been occasionally waking up dry. I am going at their pace and want to encourage them in their efforts. However, asking to go twice within 10 minutes of going to bed is not going to work.

2) They are still in cribs :blush: ...I am *really* tempted to make the switch to beds to give them the freedom to go on their own. HOWEVER, we "worked" really, really hard to keep in them cribs (sleep sacks until they turned 3, plus threats when I saw them trying to climb out!). It seems ideal, giving them the ability to get up themselves...but again, it could completely backfire and then we have bedtime antics that last longer than the current pee requests. They would still share a room and they are known for talking/singing/etc unless they are really tired. I think my DS would stay in bed if I told him it was a rule...DD, well, she would be the first one to test it :mellow:

So, what are your bedtime rules about using the potty? Right now, they go potty before bath and then after bath. Their final tuck-in is probably 10 minutes after their last potty trip. It is hit or miss if they go that last time, but if they do not go, they ask to go within 20 minutes of going to bed.

TIA, ladies!

 

The last thing they do before getting into bed is go potty and then brush their teeth which takes less than 5 minutes. Maybe you could let them go potty right before they get into bed instead of 10 minutes before.

I did not do this for their bedtime, but one of my DS's wanted to go potty every 5 minutes. I started to set a timer and told him he "needed to wait for the beep,beep". I started it at 30 minutes and went up to 45 minutes. Over time, the thrill went away and now he only goes when he needs to. It is very rare for them to ask to use the potty after going to bed, and if they do, they really do have to go.

Maybe you can explain to them at bedtime that you will set a timer and when it goes off, you will come and get them. By then, they should be fast asleep.

My boys are 3 1/2 and are in toddler beds. At least for us, giving them the freedom to go potty by themselves has not worked. If they do need to go in the middle of the night, they cry out for me to take them. I know if I just let them go, they would probably enjoy the freedom and decide to stay up and play while the rest of us are sleeping.

 

I think it's just a phase and they are just testing you. I don't think it will matter whether they are in a bed or a crib. My kids are in beds, but still don't go potty alone at night. They always want me there. I think either the novelty will wear off over time, or you can speed things up by setting a rule where they get one chance to get up and go after they've been put to bed (or none, if they really did just go 2 minutes prior and you know they don't really have to go). The hard part is following through when they're all upset and want to go again. It's so easy to second guess yourself. But after a night or 2 of it, they should get it. good luck!

 

Thanks for your input, ladies. It is helpful to hear that, even in beds, they still need you to get up to use the potty. Maybe I am just looking for a reason to transition them???

I like the ideas on setting limits...keep them coming!

Sarah

 

This one made me insane. Ours were also still in cribs with crib tents at that age (though we moved them at 3y3m -- mostly because I was afraid they'd break their cribs with all the jumping). We had a rule that they had to go potty before they got into their cribs. If they did that and STILL said they had to go potty afterward, they could go one time. After that they had to use their diapers.

I was a little bit afraid of setting them back on the PT front, but it didn't seem to do any harm. They did, of course, scream about it when we said they couldn't go. They were always screaming about something at bedtime, from about age 2 to age 5. (The only reason they aren't still screaming is that kindergarten has finally made them tired enough to just go to sleep!)

 

We did the same thing as Alden. Try to use the toilet right before bedtime stories (so about 10 minutes before lights out). Then if they still needed to pee, they could get up once. After that, use the diaper. One of my girls is night time trained now, and instead of the diaper, it's use the little potty in your room. My other girl isn't night time trained -- still at almost 4.5, but that's another story -- and she gets the one try in the potty after bedtime, then she has to use her diaper. Interestingly, after two or three nights of protests, they are pretty good about peeing before bed and not yelling to go after that.