I never used a crate with my dogs at night. No matter what I tried, the crate was peed and pooped in (even though everyone swore a dog wouldn't use it's bed as a bathroom) and all they did was whine and cry and howl all night. Which is not a good mix with two young children in the house. I would gate the pup in the bedroom with me, set my alarm for every 2 hours, and take the dog out. Sometimes my husband would do it, sometimes I would do it, but it worked. As each month older they get, you can make them wait an extra hour. (For 2 months, let them out every 3 hours, for 3 months let them out every 4 hours) and so forth. It worked great for me. Sure, I had some messes, but just like baby proofing, I puppy proofed.