Soaker Mats for Nighttime Potty Training

 Yesterday I explained the mini-saga that has been our efforts around trying to balance sleeping with fewer interruptions and also having the little guy (20 mo) get his sleeping pees into the potty (we do EC).  That story ended with him wearing underwear for his naps and peeing in them most of the time, and waking to be changed and put back to sleep.

These mats are fleece on one side and hard quilter's cotton on the other, with Zorb2 in the  middle (2 layers) and with  a wide zig-zag instead of binding on the edges.

Here is the nighttime version of the sleeping story:

He had been wearing Bumkins size large all-in-ones forever (15 to now 30 pounds and they still fit. Pretty awesome for a sized cloth diaper).  We had been putting fleece footed pajamas over them, and getting one leg in and out to potty him at night.  This, combined with his light sleeping, would wake him up when being pottied, unlike our older son, who sleeps through being taken to the bathroom at night.  We chose the pajamas because he only pees twice (sometimes three times) in the night, and he kicks out of the covers and loves having his feet covered.  Also, it is pretty chilly in the house overnight.  We chose fleece because fleece wicks moisture, so if the cloth diaper leaked at all, he wouldn't feel wet (unlike cotton).

I have heard that kids stop peeing in their diaper when you stop giving them a diaper to use.  I was bit frustrated over the last few weeks because we seemed to be wet more often than dry at night (it hadn't always been this way).  I decided it was time for a change and to go with a feel-dry diaper or to go diaper-free.

Yesterday you read how he refused the feel-dry diapers.  So we took some of the mats I had made for his brother, plus some split-crotch pants and socks, and got him dressed for the night.  He has not taken to the pants so far (it's been half a week), and keeps pointing to the hole and saying "uh-oh."  But he has fallen asleep with them on, and even pottied with them on a couple of times.  They are really fabulous~ fleece so they don't feel wet, you can potty him through them so you can disturb him less, and they also keep him warmer than if he were naked.  On the bed you put one of these mats, and if there is a "miss," then you take the kid potty (invariably they don't let it all out) and change the mat.

The new mats I just made (shown above) are nonwaterproof, and fleece on one side and hard cotton on the other.  The little guy has spent time this week complaining the hole in his pants makes him cold, especially on a new (cold) mat.  They are super absorbent Zorb2 in the inside, and I didn't use binding because binding makes more of an edge to roll over (and is uncomfortable) in bed.

Wish us luck with the new method.  So far we have even had one dry night!

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