Using reusable diapers makes caring for small children much easier. Parents are spared the need to frequently change and wash nappies or diapers, and the babies' delicate skin remains dry for a long time, without diaper rash or irritation. When a child begins to control his body and desires, he needs to be helped to wean himself off diapers.
It is easier for a baby to learn to walk independently or ask to go to the toilet during the daytime when he is not sleeping. It is more difficult to solve the problem of how to wean a child from diapers at night. To do this, you can apply several effective techniques, taking into account the age and psychophysiological characteristics of young children.
When to wean your baby off sleeping in diapers
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Psychologists and pediatricians believe that there is no point in teaching a baby to walk without a diaper for up to a year. If a child is potty-trained from six months, he can actually go to the toilet in it. This gives young parents a lot of joy, highlighting their baby’s abilities in front of their peers. But at this age the child does this unconsciously. Usually the potty is replaced after meals, and it is at this time that the baby pees and poops. It's just a coincidence, moms and dads successfully seize the moment.
After a year, the baby is able to control his desires, talk about them, tolerate them, and control the processes of urination. Therefore, it is possible to potty train him. The baby can already understand that when he wants to go to the toilet, he must inform adults who will help him. Of course, training will not happen overnight. The child will make mistakes, feel discomfort, sleep in wet underwear and freeze. Only through this experience will he understand that it is better to use the potty.
Baby on the potty
Note! Some babies are able to establish cause-and-effect relationships already at the beginning of the second year of life, others get used to the potty after 18 months. The fastest learning occurs in two to three years.
It is recommended to start weaning when:
- The child wakes up with a dry diaper, and during the day the intervals between going to the toilet are about two hours;
- The baby does not like to walk and lie in a dirty diaper or pants. He is capricious, cries, demands that his clothes be changed;
- The baby can voice or explain what he needs to go potty.
It’s good if by the planned time of weaning the child can take off his underpants and pants, knows what these items of clothing are called, and names the main parts of the body. This facilitates the process of communication between him and adults.
When is it time to sound the alarm?
However, if a child grows, his brain develops according to age norms, but it is not possible to wean him from a night diaper, we can hypothetically assume the presence of enuresis. Character problem for 10-12% of children aged 5 to 11 years. Nighttime urinary incontinence causes a lot of trouble for a child and complicates the process of his socialization, so enuresis must be combated using the safest means possible.
However, one should not attribute enuresis to a three-year-old child, in whom the process of urination is not yet a controlled action.
Based on official medical research, only 70% of children under 3 years old, 75% under 4 years old, and 85% of children under 5 years old can hold their urine at night.
Accordingly, we can talk about enuresis only if the child is already 5 years old and still has problems with night urination. The reasons for its manifestation may be heredity, immaturity of the nervous system, or hormonal imbalances. Treatment in each specific case is selected by the doctor based on the clinical picture.
Anna (27 years old, raising her daughter Lisa, 4 years old): “Like any other young mother, I am concerned about the harmonious and correct development of my daughter. Even at 3.5 years old, she still did not wake up at night if she wanted to go to the toilet. I started to worry, but our pediatrician calmed me down and said that we could be in that percentage of children who might need more time to master the skill. Everything returned to normal at 4 years old. I didn't do anything special. Most likely, the nervous system itself has matured.”
From all of the above, a logical conclusion suggests itself: there is no need to wean a one-year-old baby off diapers at night. There will be little sense from this, but a lot of hassle. The main task of parents is to help the child when he is physiologically ready. By following our recommendations, you can reduce all the difficulties of the process to a minimum.
How to wean your child off diapers
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There are no clear instructions on how to quickly wean a child from sleeping in diapers at night. Once parents make this decision, there is no turning back. You cannot give up on your own intentions, taking steps back, periodically allowing the baby to sleep in a diaper.
To make the weaning process painless, you can use the following tips:
- Before going to bed, be sure to ask if the baby wants to go to the toilet. If he refuses, then try to persuade him to sit on the potty, you can turn on the water in the bathroom to speed up the process. It's best to create a daily ritual before going to bed. The list of repetitive actions should include going to the toilet. For example, a baby takes a bath, drinks kefir, puts toys to bed, sits on the potty, and then changes into pajamas and goes to bed. Children quickly get used to the routine and planned events and wait for the next stage of the ritual. Therefore, using the potty will become automatic;
- Place a diaper under the baby's sheet, which will prevent the mattress and the bed itself from getting wet. You will only have to change the sheet, perhaps a duvet cover, change the child’s clothes and return him to his original place. You should keep a spare set of bed linen and new pajamas on hand;
- Stock up on wet wipes to quickly wipe your baby without using the shower. This will only interrupt sleep, and night awakenings will turn into long walks. It’s better not to delay changing clothes and let the baby continue to rest;
- Tell your child that he has grown up, become more independent, and no longer needs a diaper. Therefore, this night he will sleep without it and, if he wants to go to the toilet, he needs to inform mom or dad about it;
- You should not limit your baby’s fluid intake before bedtime so that he does not feel deprived. But it is better not to give him diuretic drinks, for example, rosehip decoction, apple juice. It is also better to avoid eating citrus fruits and grapes;
- Buy a night light, which is best chosen together with your child. After all, now he will have to wake up at night, perhaps the darkness will cause him fear. With dim lighting, children feel quite comfortable;
- If the baby wakes up dry or wakes up his parents at night so that they take him to the potty, you should definitely praise him. He should feel every little success. Parental approval has an inspiring effect on children.
Mom's Praise
Everything has its time!
Children's pediatricians recommend paying attention to the child's age; they do not advise speeding up the process of potty training. By 22-30 months, the baby consciously controls urination and defecation, that is, at this age he understands that he wants to go to the toilet. And if a child at 1 year old accidentally went to the potty, then you should not assume that he did it consciously. Pediatricians advise parents not to waste their time, energy and nerves, because they need to wean their child off diapers in a timely manner!
Also read: Weaning a child from breastfeeding at 1.5 years
Of course, you need to understand that all children are different, so some mothers can boast that they managed to potty train their child at 9 months. Most likely, they will not be able to tell how they did it.
Attention!
There is no need to panic if your baby does not go to the potty, while a close friend has not bought diapers for a long time and does not even remember how much money is spent on them. Children's personal achievements may be the exception to the rule. All children are different and this must be remembered.
Parents' mistakes when weaning
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When weaning off diapers, you should not scold your baby for his mistakes, laugh at him, or compare him with others. It is better not to pay attention to this, but to calmly change the underwear and change his clothes. You shouldn't blame yourself either. The child should not think that something irreparable and terrible has happened.
Important! The emphasis should be on successes, not failures. If you scold a child, a feeling of fear may appear, he will begin to be afraid of the potty, and the process of weaning off diapers will be delayed.
Also, do not wake your baby when putting him on the potty. As soon as he wants to go to the toilet, he will begin to fuss, pressing his legs to his stomach. Then you can carefully lift it. This does not mean that you need to watch the baby all night. It's good when his bed is next to his parents'. Then, if the baby is spinning a lot, this does not go unnoticed. If, however, it was not possible to catch the moment, and a wet and frozen child came to his mother, there is nothing to worry about. It is unlikely that he will like such an awakening, and next time he will try to inform his parents about his desire.
There is no need to constantly tell your child that he now sleeps without diapers, that he cannot drink before bed. It is not necessary for everything to center around this event. Life should go on as usual, and you just need to remind about the potty. It’s good when a child is proud of his achievements, and not in constant fear of peeing in the bed.
Note! At the time of weaning, it is better not to take the child into the parent’s bed, especially if he previously slept in his own. The process may drag on, and a new problem will arise: the baby will not want to go to his previous sleeping place.
Baby sleeps with parents
Parents try to wean their children from sleeping in diapers in different ways. Some people leave their baby without a diaper at four months. Others wait up to three years, hoping that the little person will give up diapers on his own. In any case, you need to focus on your own child, observing his behavior and assessing his skills. The main thing is, if a goal is set, do not give up on it, do not relax, periodically putting diapers on your baby. If you decide that he sleeps without them, you should put them away and stock up on replacement bedding and pajamas.
The optimal age for a child to start weaning off diapers
The best time to wean your baby off diapers is between 1 and 3 years of age.
There are different points of view at what age a child can be taught to ask to go to the potty and begin to gradually give up diapers. It is a common belief that the sooner this is done, the better. At the same time, it is believed that you can begin to wean your child off diapers within a few months after his birth. In reality, such a statement is extremely controversial. It appeared in those days when reusable diapers did not yet exist and parents wanted to quickly get rid of the hassle of changing and washing diapers.
Numerous studies have shown that in infancy, bowel movements occur unconsciously and instinctively, at the level of unconditioned reflexes. The cerebral cortex is not involved during these actions; the nervous system is not developed enough for the child to understand and remember the relationship between the potty and defecation or urination. He is physically unable to perceive information about the need to ask to go to the toilet. In addition, the general muscles of children under one year of age are too weak for the infant to sufficiently control the abdominal, rectal, bladder and sphincter muscles during discharge.
According to scientists and pediatricians, the optimal age to start weaning off diapers is between one and three years of age for a child. Before this period, attempts to potty train a child in most cases will be useless and will only lead to the creation of stressful situations for children. Only after a year of life will the child reach a level of development when he begins to gradually realize and control his needs and body.
In the course of many years of research and observation, the following age limits have been established that are suitable for the process of weaning children from diapers:
- after the first and during the second year of life, the child’s nervous system and body will be formed so much that he will be able to control the processes of bowel movements;
- in the period from 2 to 2.5 years, you can start weaning children off diapers;
- At about the age of three, after the learning process, the baby will finally develop the habit of waking up and going to the toilet on his own.
In addition to age, when choosing the right moment to start weaning off night diapers, you should take into account the individual developmental characteristics of the child. The following signs indicate that the baby is ready for this process:
- The child’s bowel movements occur at approximately the same time, and he has developed a certain routine.
- The periods between discharges are at least 2 hours.
- The baby feels discomfort from wet diapers and expresses it by crying, gestures or words.
- The child begins to understand the meaning of words and tries to speak himself.
- The baby makes successful attempts to take off his clothes on his own.
The main sign that a child can do without diapers will be his ability to express in words and gestures his desire to go to the toilet.
