Potty Training at Night/ Poop in the Toilet

Night training isn't really training, it's actually has to do with the maturity of his bladder. It is not uncommon for children up to age 7 to still wet the bed. My 5 yr old is still in pull ups.

for training at night, it's mostly a biology thing. If he's not ready, he's not ready and it's just going to make it worse to fight it.

As for pooping on the potty, is he scared of it? My daughter was, so I had to poop in front of her a couple of times, then she wanted to do it like mommy. Maybe you or your son's father could try that, so he can see that it's nothing to be scared of?

Another thing that helped was keeping track of when she generally went poop, which was right after dinnerish, so we started sitting her on the potty at that time, and within a week or so, she was always going at that time. My husband is also that regular, even though I've never been.

What Sara said is spot on. The other thing to try with the poo is to have him clean up his poo mess. If he has to deal with it he is less likely to repeat it. As for night time he will get it in his own time. My boys wore pull ups to bed until they were 3. My oldest daughter got out of them a bit sooner but not by much.

I put a pull up on my son at night only. He turned 2 March 31,2010. He also has a hard time with pooping on the potty. I don't really have any good advice...except for don't stress yourself out over it. He will get there and if he is doing well during the day that's great! I have many friends that have boys that still wear pull ups at night and their boys are 3 and 4 yrs old.

Good Luck...God Bless!

Plenty of kids have a hard time with pooping in the toilet, even if peeing comes easily. For many children, it's helpful to treat it as an entirely different stage of training. It's not uncommon for kids to continue to ask for a diaper for pooping for several months after pee training is a success. I've seen this happen in several families, and it does not appear to confuse the child. They just know what will work for them.

The urges and sensations are different, sometimes even painful, and can be complicated by diarrhea or constipation, or swing from one to the other. It usually takes a lot longer to poop than to pee (my grandson gets pins and needles in his legs from the pressure of the toilet seat by the time he's done.) Some children are very regular, some might poop four times one day and then skip two days, and never know what to expect. So it's often much harder, and this isn't your son's fault.

Night training, too, can't succeed until the toddler's brain, sleep cycles, nervous system and bladder are mature enough. For some kids, this happens by 2, but for most it comes somewhat later, especially for boys. Some children are simply not able to stay dry at night until they are well into their elementary school years – which is challenging for the child's self-image, and requires a great deal of patience from the parents.

Especially since your son is on the early end of the training spectrum, I wouldn't be too concerned that he's not putting it all together yet. The early part of the day might be easier for him because he's more rested. The more parents push and insist, the more frustrated and "failed" a child can end up feeling about the whole process, and the more drawn out the training can become.

Currently, most developmental specialists suggest that the child be allowed to approach this challenge at their own speed, with the parents acting as coaches, assistants, and a cheering section. Kids do take on the challenge when they are matured enough physically and emotionally. Then it becomes a positive process for the child, and they are as pleased with their success as they were with walking and talking. Many parents report the whole process of training can take from one day to a couple of weeks when the child is confident he can do it.

I was raised at a time when children were routinely trained before two. It was often a forceful and punitive process to make it work with kids that young, and I have no fewer than 4 people (3 of them men) in my immediate circle of friends who have needed counseling to recover from the trauma and rage they had to endure. I've heard many senior citizens report that their potty training, if they remember it, was a harsh and intimidating experience. I'm grateful that opinions have shifted toward a more respectful and humane process.

My daughter wore pull ups at night (only) from 2.5 through 3.5 hrs old and most often woke up having had peed in the at night. At 3.5 the made the choice to no longer wear her "sleeping undies" and so we started waking her at like 11pm to go potty. Now, at 4 years she wakes herself to pee at around 10:30pm. Also, she would sometimes wake up with a dry pull up and we'd just have her wear it again the next night to save money.