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My 18 month old daughter already has figured out that she ought to use the potty for pee-pee and poo-poo. She also makes effort to use the potty, although she sometimes informs of her need to use it while in the middle of the business.

Recently we realised she's using the potty as an excuse to get out of bed when she shouldn't. For instance, while waiting to fall asleep at night she requests to leave the bed to go pee. However, she sits on the potty, doesn't actually make use of it but tries to make conversations.

Is it OK to tell her she could pee in (diaper) pants at night?

I worry that asking her to do her business in her pants may adversely effect her potty training progress.

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  • They rightly similar. But I think this one takes a slightly different angle to the one you have suggested as its duplicate. I asked "Is it OK to tell her she could pee in (diaper) pants at night?" and also raised a concern about the possible outcome if the answer to my question would be "yes", and that distinguishes my question from previous 'similar' ones.
    – Igwe Kalu
    Dec 9, 2017 at 13:15
  • "Recently we realised she's using the potty as an excuse to get out of bed when she shouldn't." This will not change for years. The only thing that will change is more "excuses" to stay up will arise, like oh I didn't fill my water cup, or some other minor detail.
    – corsiKa
    Dec 11, 2017 at 16:18

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Have her use the bathroom before you put her to bed. If she wants to use it later, have her use it in the dark, give her only 5 minutes, and do not talk to her. She'll stop when she realizes it's boring.

The point of potty-training is to make her have an instinct to only go in the toilet, so don't undermine that.

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Once you have started potty training, you should not ask her to do her business in diapers (unless you are traveling and it's urgent for her and you are unable to find a restroom). Make a routine during bedtime and follow the same order of things everyday. For eg., Taking a bath, changing into pajamas, story time then a final bathroom break before going to bed. This will help the kids understand what's expected.

If she wants to use it later, let her go again even if she's not making use of it. You can't really be sure if she's tricking you. Maybe she feels like she needs to pee but not much comes out (This happens even with adults sometimes).

Tell her clearly that potty time is silent time, she can talk once she's back on bed. You may have to explain this via actions since she's too young to understand what you're saying. Once nobody is responding to her chatter, she'll most probably stop her business and get up when she's done.

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I don't think that 1.5 year-olds can lie or trick their parents. You have to be older to do that in my experience of children. I'd say that she just wants to be with you and knows that you'll be available when she asks for the potty. I'd tell her that she doesn't need to do that to make you available:in other words, appeal to her intelligence. "I like it when we talk but now it's time to go to bed" and reassure her. As for the diapers, my children went to the toilet by day AND had diapers at night because very young children can't easily wake up and go to the toilet if it's dark etc... Today they're fine and never pee in bed. Maybe tell her that she can wear the diapers at night just in case... if you need a good night sleep;)

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