If children have bladder control during the day, they are likely to have it at night, too, which means that it's time to stop using diapers. Sleepy children cannot use the potty easily if they are in diapers, so wearing diapers to bed encourages wetting and soiling. Instead, use a rubber pad to protect the bed and put waterproof pants over pull-ups so your child can get them off to use the potty at night. Or, try putting a PODS in his regular underwear (see Chapter 3).

Although full-blown fears of the dark do not typically develop until after age three, precocious children may feel uneasy at night at younger ages. Move the potty chair into the bedroom or light the way to the bathroom with nightlights. The prospect of company can be an incentive for a little one to get out of bed at night, so encourage your child to awaken you so you can take him to the potty.

Do not let her drink a lot of liquids after dinner, and take her to the potty before she goes to bed. Take her before you go to bed, too, and set an alarm to awaken yourself so you can take her to the bathroom once or twice a night. That may help her develop the habit of waking up to use the potty once she is mature enough to wake herself.

In the meantime, be patient. Most children have been conditioned to urinate in bed for several years. Disposable diapers reduce the discomfort of wetting to the point that many youngsters don't awaken even after they have had an accident, or they don't awaken because they simply sleep too deeply.