Why is my toddler sleeping worse since we started potty training?

You've just started with the potty, and suddenly bedtime is bumpy again.

The day comes into the night

What you do with the potty during the day doesn't stop at the bedroom door. Potty training during the day has a direct effect on the night.

What you may then see at night and around bedtime: more resistance, stalling, night waking and bedtime negotiations. It doesn't have to go that way, but if it does, those night challenges are often closely linked to what's being learned during the day.

That stalling often sounds the same at bedtime: one more drink, one more cuddle, one more book, one more potty trip, one more song. The potty simply sits in that list. What to do about the stalling is in toddler won't sleep.

There's already more going on in this phase

Between one and a half and two and a half, your toddler develops at lightning speed. Their own will gets stronger and stronger and they know exactly what they do and don't want, they take big steps in language, their emotions get more intense, they want to do more themselves, and their imagination grows fast. All of that affects bedtime, and you see it back in how they sleep.

So what's bumpy at bedtime doesn't have to be only about the potty.

Clear limits about how you do this

What a toddler needs in this phase are four things that, according to Kyra, are all equally important: warmth, connection, predictability and limits. Together they make sure your child knows where they stand.

With potty training it mostly comes down to that last one. Agree on how you'll do this, and stay consistent with it. That gives your child safety and clarity.

What makes it harder, and what helps

Four things make sleep coaching harder: negotiating, changing the rules, going to bed too late, and responding inconsistently. If it isn't clear to your child what's going to happen, battles start. What time bedtime falls at this age is in the toddler sleep schedule.

What makes it easier are three fixed elements: predictability, repetition and consistency. Together they mean fewer battles.

If you're also using the Sleep Lady Shuffle, keep the pace that suits your child. How fast sleep coaching goes often depends on your child's temperament.

When the night stays restless

If your toddler stays restless at night, check whether something else is at play. In this phase imagination grows, and with it come fear of the dark, monsters and shadows: afraid of the dark.

If your toddler regularly wakes at five already, there are usually other causes, like going to bed too late or too few naps: early waking at 5 a.m..