What age should a child (boy or girl) be fully potty trained for the night?

What age should a girl or boy be fully potty trained for the night?

In short, most children are fully potty trained for the night time at 4 years of age or 48 months. However, it is not unusual for kids to still wet the bed at much older ages which we discuss below. This blog post also discusses the different time frames that make up the potty training timeline. ( See Chart Below).

 

Readiness not age should determine when children start potty training?

 

Obviously, the age that a child is fully potty trained depends greatly upon the age that the  process begins. In The Comprehensive Guide To Potty Training, we emphasized the fact that no two children are the same, and no two potty training experiences are alike.   The Comprehensive Guide To Potty Training Timing  presents statistics about the timing of potty training so parents are aware of the general time line for potty training most children as well as the potty training readiness signs that indicate a child is ready to start training. Since children physiologically develop at different rates and ages, the age of a child should never be used to determine whether or not to start potty training. Rather, the presence of potty training readiness signs is the best determinant that a child is ready to start the process of potty training. 

 

What age are most children ready to start the process of potty training?

We emphasize again that children should only start the process of potty training once they show the potty training readiness signs. Each expert or method has a half dozen potty training readiness signs that parents should observe before starting the process, however, there is no consensus among experts as to exactly which readiness signs to consider. In the chart below we have compiled a comprehensive list of all of the signs found in the literature from various experts and methods. The 21 potty training readiness signs are:

What age do children exhibit all of the potty training readiness signs?

In the chart above, we included an age range that each different readiness sign is likely to occur as a frame of reference so that parents know when to look for each sign. Some children will exhibit all of the readiness signs as early as 18 months, while others will not display readiness signs until 36 months. And parents should be aware that there is always the possibility that their child is an outlier and may very well fall outside of this range.

 

What age do experts recommend starting potty training?

Although most experts agree that the presence of readiness signs not age should dictate when a child is ready to start potty training. Different experts and methods recommend different ages to start potty training. Lora Jensen author of,"The Three Day Potty Training Method", insists that 22 months of age is ideal for any child to begin training. A study by Blum et al*(1) found that 28 to 32 months seems to be the sweet spot to initiate toilet training for boys and girls both. While a Madeformums.com survey indicated by far the most popular time parents reported starting potty training was between 18 months and 2.5 years. Taking all of the different experts and research into consideration we believe the ideal age to potty train most normal healthy children is 27 months of age. At 27 months most healthy normal children will display all of the potty training readiness signs and there is a good chance of successful potty training.

At what age can children control their bowels and bladder?

Children develop at different rates. According to hopkinsmedicine.org: A child younger than 12 months of age has no control over bladder or bowel movements. There is very little control between 12 to 18 months. Most children are unable to obtain bowel and bladder control until 24 to 30 months. Children learn to control their bladder during the daytime followed by their bowels during the daytime. Then they learn to control their bowels at night time followed by their bladder at night.

 

How long does it take children to be potty trained once they start the process?

While each method has its' own guidelines and expectations in regards to the length of time to complete the process, parents are always interested in knowing the general length of time potty training takes most children to complete the process regardless of method. As with all things when potty training, the answer is it varies greatly from one child to the next. How long did potty training take (for 72% this was the second attempt or more)?

Don’t expect your child to take to it straight away. While the 3 Day Potty Training Method and other methods may indicate that potty training can be completed in just a few days, most children will take longer to get the hang of it. The general consensus is that on average it takes 6 months to complete the potty training process though children may be outliers and take only a few weeks up to a year or more.

The following was reported by UK parents in a 1200-person madeformums.com survey in 2013, less than a third of parents (28%) successfully potty train their child the first time around,. That's right 72% of parents reported it took more than one attempt to train their child successfully. Between 2-3 weeks is the most common period to complete potty training, as reported in the survey below- which is encouraging! But remember, 72% have stopped and started at least once before this successful period...

• 11% took under 1 week
• 11% took 1 week
• 21% took 2-3 weeks
• 14% took a month
• 6% 6-12 months 

Also, it should be noted that there was no indication of exactly what parents were considering to constitute complete potty training. Did the respondents consider it complete only when there were no accidents present during the day or both night and day? Were any accidents permissible or were occasional accidents permissible? Without having all of the details spelled out for respondents such as whether it was for both night and day or daytime only, as well as whether occasional accidents still meant a child was potty trained, it is difficult to determine exactly what the results indicate. 

 

What age should children be fully potty trained for the night time?

"On average children learn to control their bladder for the night time 10 months after learning to control it during the daytime."

Children on average learn to control their bladder at night time 10 months after learning to control it during the daytime. ADH (anti-diuretic hormone) or vasopressin is a hormone that is produced in a part of the brain called the hypothalamus. It is then stored and released from a small gland at the base of the brain called the pituitary. ADH helps the body regulate water and salt levels, blood pressure, and urine production and acts on the kidneys to control the amount of water excreted in the urine. About 10 months after the body can make enough ADH to stay dry during the day, the body produces ample ADH to stay dry at night. Thus, children are potty trained for the night time on average 10 months after they are trained for the daytime if potty training is initiated soon after the child is physiologically able to start training. .

What age are most children fully potty trained for the night time? Night Time Potty Training at 3, 3.5, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 years old- What age should a child stay dry through the night?

As we have emphasized previously, all children are different and will have different potty training experiences. The fact is clearly demonstrated in the literature concerning the age children should be fully trained for the night time as each source reports different ages. National Childbirth Trust NTC.org states 3-5 years old, BBC.co states 3.5-4 years of age and whattoexpect.com states 5 to 6 years of age or older as the age children should be potty trained for the night time. All of the previous sources are correct in some cases as children develop at radically different rates and ages and many children are not physiologically capable of staying dry at night time until after 5 years of age in many cases. Usually children will grow out of wetting the bed as they develop physiologically and there is a substantial variance of ages children are fully trained for the night time. On average most children are fully potty trained for the night time at 48 months, however, there may still be infrequent accidents.

 

What causes bed wetting in children?

It is not known the exact cause of bed wetting or nocturnal enuresis but it is thought to be a delay in development in one of the following three areas:

1. The kidneys producing too much urine at night.
2. The brain unable to wake up.
3. The bladder is too small to hold the urine.

 

What age is it normal for a child to still wet the bed at night time? Is it normal for a 4,5,6, 7 or 8 year old to wet the bed?

It is normal for any given child under 5 years of age and some outliers at 7 or 8  to still wet the bed at night because of later physiological development. If a child still frequently wets the bed after 5 years of age, parents should consult a physician.

"Genetics may play a role in bed wetting as well, if one parent wet the bed as a child there is a 40% chance that their child will wet the bed. If both parents wet the bed there is a 70% chance that their child will wet the bed."

 

What medical conditions cause night time enuresis or bed wetting?

1 in 6 children 4 years of age to 12 years of age have a medical condition that causes night time bed wetting or nocturnal enuresis. Recurring bedwetting may be a sign of an underlying medical condition, such as a urinary tract infection, constipation, diabetes, sleep apnea, small bladder, spina bifida, deep sleep or nerve problems. A urologist should be seen when children wet the bed after 5 years of age or one of the above conditions is suspected.

 

What medication is given to help with nocturnal enuresis or bed wetting?

 

There are only two medications that have been approved for bedwetting—imipramine and desmopressin. It is important to note that bedwetting usually returns once medications are stopped, unless the child has "grown out of" nocturnal enuresis in cases that the child was not physiologically mature enough to be able to produce enough ADH.

• Imipramine works well in some children with nocturnal enuresis. Parents need to have strict control over the medication since it can result in overdose. Children with an abnormal EKG should not use this medicine.

• Desmopressin (DDAVP) helps to reduce the amount of urine the child's body makes.  It is effective in about 40% to 60% of children. A pill or nasal spray is taken just before bedtime. After taking it fluids should be avoided to decrease the risk of electrolyte imbalance. Oxybutynin, can be given with it to increase it's effectiveness.

 

How do you stop a child from peeing the bed at night?

1. Ensure the child drinks plenty of fluids throughout the day and stays hydrated.
2. Eliminate fluids at night time especially within 2 hours of bed time.
3. Avoid sugar and caffein later in the day.
4. Build voiding into the night time routine.
5. If necessary wake the child one time during the night to urinate.

 

What percentage of children still wet the bed?

The actual statistics are: less than 1% of 15 year olds, 3% of 12 year olds, 7% of 8 year olds, 15% of 5 year olds and 30% of 4.5 year olds wet the bed or have nocturnal enuresis. Bed wetting is 2 to 3 times as common in boys than it is in girls.

 

Conclusion     

The average age that children start potty training is around 24 months and most complete potty training for the daytime on average at 36 months. On average children are potty trained for the night time at around 48 months. However, there is still going to be infrequent bed wetting under 5 years of age and there are some children that will continue to wet the bed into their teens. It is recommended that after the age of 5 years, a child see their pediatrician if they still wet the bed as medication may help in many cases and bed wetting may be due to a medical condition.

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