Our kids were all trained during the day long before they were dry at night. For a while, we wondered if we were doing something wrong. We weren't. Staying dry at night is a different skill, and for many kids it simply comes later.

So when do you stop night diapers or pull-ups? Here's how we decided, and how we made the switch without a lot of soggy 2 AM wake-ups.

During the day, your child learns to feel the urge and walk to the potty. At night, they're asleep. Staying dry depends on things like how their body handles pee overnight and how deeply they sleep. That's not something you can train with stickers.

That's why lots of kids who are fully trained during the day still need a diaper or pull-up at night for months, or even years. If you have questions about your child's development, your pediatrician is the right person to ask.

We looked for a pattern over two or three weeks, not just one lucky morning.

• Dry diaper most mornings. This was our biggest sign.
• Dry after naps on a regular basis.
• Waking up to pee and calling for you or going on their own.
• Asking to sleep in underwear like a big kid.
• Fully trained during the day for a while.

If the diaper is soaked every morning, that's a sign to wait. It isn't a failure, just "not yet."

These won't force dryness, but they made our nights go smoother once our kids were ready.

• A calm bedtime potty. Make it the last step after teeth and books.
• Easy path to the bathroom. A night light in the hall and the bathroom.
• A potty in the bedroom for kids who don't want to walk far.
• Easy pajamas they can pull down themselves.

Some families also cut back on big drinks right before bed. We still offered water with dinner and made sure our kids weren't thirsty.

When we saw dry mornings most days, we picked a calm week and went for it.

1. Talk about it: "Your body is staying dry at night. Want to try underwear tonight?"
2. Protect the bed. A waterproof mattress cover plus a "double layer": waterproof pad, sheet, waterproof pad, sheet. If there's an accident, you peel off the top layer.
3. Keep spare pajamas and a towel right by the bed.
4. Go potty right before lights out, every single night.
5. Celebrate dry mornings with a sticker or a happy breakfast.

Accidents will happen, especially in the first few weeks.

• Stay calm and quiet. Speak softly, change clothes and sheets, and get back to sleep.
• No shame. Your child isn't doing this on purpose. They were asleep.
• Keep it short. Nighttime isn't the time for a talk.

If you're getting several wet nights a week after a couple of weeks, it's completely fine to go back to pull-ups for a while and try again later.

Some families do a "dream pee" before they go to bed themselves. It helped one of our kids feel more confident. Another one hated it and got cranky, so we stopped. Do what works for your child and your sleep.

Ask your child's doctor if:

• your child was dry at night for months and suddenly starts wetting again,
• you notice pain, burning or a lot of thirst,
• you're worried about how long night dryness is taking.

They can tell you what's typical for your child's age.

• Siblings: Keep it private. Nobody needs to know who wears a pull-up at night.
• Sleepovers at Grandma's: Pack pull-ups and spare pajamas without making it a big deal.
• Travel: It's okay to use pull-ups on trips even if your child is dry at home.

Some parents ask whether pull-ups help or slow things down. In our house, it didn't matter much. What mattered was whether our child's body was ready.

• Pull-ups felt more grown-up to our kids, and they could pull them down for a late-night potty trip.
• Overnight diapers held more and leaked less for our heavy wetters.
• Underwear with a waterproof cover worked once mornings were mostly dry.

Pick whatever gets your family the most sleep. Rest matters for everyone, and a calm, well-slept toddler is easier to potty train during the day too.

Mornings matter as much as bedtime. As soon as your child wakes up, head straight to the potty, even before breakfast. Celebrate a dry pull-up or a dry bed with a sticker, and keep the tone light if it's wet.

Nights come when they come. We stopped stressing about the calendar and started watching for dry mornings instead. That made the switch easy when it happened.

For the full picture, from prep week to daytime training to naps and nights, The Prep-First Potty Plan has a simple bedtime routine sheet.