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Bedwetting is No Fun!

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Bedwetting is no fun!


Does your child wet the bed? Are you wondering if you should do something about it or just give them time to grow out of it? I will share our bedwetting journey here. Please feel free to give your opinion or share your experience too.

My bedwetting child was Five

Most sites said five years old was too early to worry about. But my child was upset about it. We had tried everything except medication. When we told the child there was an alarm that could wake them up so they would not wet the bed, they were excited to try it. It was expensive so we told the child that we would have to wait until next month. They looked forward to receiving the alarm.

What Alarm to Buy?

So many decisions

Once we decided to go with an alarm, we had to decide between a mat for the bed, something in the underwear, or something clipped to the outside of the underwear. We decided on a clip-on one.
The next decision was wireless or wired. We chose wired. I did not want to mess with "signals and connections"
Then we had to decide on vibration or sound. We chose both with changeable sounds. That way if the sound did not wake our child, we could try another sound. We thought the vibration was a good addition, but it would not wake us up too. We needed noise to wake us up down the hall.
We chose The Malem Ultimate Sound and Vibration and it worked well for us. We let our child be in charge of deciding what sound they thought would wake them up best.

Is bedwetting a big deal?

Tell us what you think parents should do about bedwetting?

Should a parent try to stop a child from wetting the bed?

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No....tell us why not.

Bethany says:

Having tried many avenues to stop a childs bedwetting, not limited to but including meds, alarms and waking it's difficult to help the child keep their esteem up. No child wants to wet the bed and the older they become the more difficult it is for them as well as you. After 6 months of using the alarm we felt we had success. The alarm was stopped and within 3 weeks the wetting returned, basically the same thing happened with the meds.

Finally sitting down with the child and discussing the issue at length the child agreed to try bedwetting pants. These were worn nightly to bed for 10 months and during this time everyone got a good nights sleep which seemed to help from all angles. Finally after 8 months the nightly wettings started to decrease and by 10 months there was no further need for for the bedwetters pants.

Every child is different and as we found out the same things do not always work for every child?!

Yes....tell us why.

Othercat says:

I only had one child with this problem. When we saw our fussing was making her feel bad, we just bought a plastic mattress protector and besides waking her up to potty at night, we didn't bring it up. She eventually stopped wetting the bed on her own.
So I think parents should help, but they shouldn't make a big deal over it.

Elka says:

No take them to the doctor

IndyLisa says:

My Pediatric Urologist says, if the child is 8 AND if it bothers them, then seek help. One common cause of bedwetting is a crowded bladder. If child has constipation OR large stools, a Rx mild laxitive may help with wetting. Also, milk products after 2 pm may play a role. They encourage deeper sleep. Focus dairy and hydration in morning hours, limit after dinnertime to 6 oz. liquid. After that, my pediatric urinologist says, keep up these regimines and then, add the bed wetting alarm, which is overwhelmingly successful with most kids. He recommends the "least expensive" Malem, as he says he has seen success with all Malems.

Kevin says:

Diapers are not for babies only.

Every person is different, and things happen at different times and stages. Staying dry is one of them, and it's perfectly normal for about 2% of the population to continue wetting throughout their teens and into the adult years.

Drugs should NEVER-EVER be used. Parents can and should try alarm training because it might work for some.

But, for chronic wetting and incontinence, cloth diapers and plastic pants will give the best protection ... and that's why they make them in all sizes for all ages. They can be layered as needed for absorbancy and are cool to wear for providing security and dryness. They are also much much better than disposable diapers and pull-ups like Goodnites bedwetter pants.

I believe most people will feel OK about it and like wearing diapers if they are provided to them, but they should not be forced into them, or made to feel ashamed.

GregGiordano says:

I believe at some point in a child's life parents should assist their children if bedwetting becomes a problem, especially for the child. The bedwetting alarm featured in this lens worked wonders for our child. I highly recommend one for any family that may be struggling with this issue.

 

“We tried many ways to help our child stay dry all night. Check them out below!”

Limit liquids!

Stopping drinking after dinner did no good!

Old Fashioned Cloth Training Pants

We tried thick cloth training pants with rubber pants over them. Maybe if the child felt wet, they would wake up and go to the bathroom. Our child slept through no matter how wet he got. Getting cold would wake him up occasionally.

Check for food allergies

This did not help either. The child tested negative for all allergies. We tried to go dairy free, but we never got there.

Waking Child Up During the Night!

They would urinate when we took our child to the bathroom, but still wake up soaked in the morning.
We even set our alarm clock for every 2 hours and took our child to the bathroom all night long and they still were wet at some point in the night.

Just give it time!

No way, my child was very aware and upset and did not want to wet the bed anymore.

We did not try homeopathic or traditional medications.

WE DID NOT TRY PUNISHMENT!

We did not ridicule our child.
We did not act "sad" that they woke up wet.
We did not make them wash their own sheets. (They did help at times, but just like they helped with other chores.)
We did not compare them to other kids that did not wet the bed.

Post what you tried

Then vote for what worked for you!

1

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waking them up

3 points

2

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purchased a bedwetting alarm

1 point

3

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A lot of compassion

Kushies Cloth Diapers1 point

4

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Patience

Cloth Diapers1 point

5

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Cloth Diapers

all in one cloth diapers
to be exact. more...1 point

6

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limit liquids

0 points

7

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cloth pants

0 points

8

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patience and waiting

0 points

9

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Bedwetting Alarms- No More Soggy Nights

Bed wetting alarms are a great for helping to stop more...0 points

10

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2010 New Bedwetting Alarmseggtoes

A bedwetting alarm senses moisture as the first dr more...0 points

11

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2010 Bedwetting Alarms

An electronic bedwetting alarm sounds an alert as more...0 points

12

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Bedwetting alarm wet stop3

Cool Len for "> Bedwetting Alarm Wet-Stop3 . more...0 points

“At 1st a parent has to get up every time the alarm goes off and help the child to the bathroom.”

How it worked for us

The alarm came and child was excited!
Night one, 4 alarms, less wet each time! I am exhausted! Boy that alarm is loud!
Night two, 2 or 3 alarms, only damp underwear each time.
Night three, The child hid the alarm and put on pull-ups when they got ready for bed. When we commented, they willingly changed. 2 alarms, just damp! Began to get out of bed before I got there.
Night four, when the alarm went off, the child went to the bathroom alone and was trying to turn it off.
Night five, The child "beat the alarm" by going to the bathroom before starting to wet.
No more alarms, we used the alarm for about 3 weeks. Child was dry for about a month, then one accident. We used the alarm a couple more nights but child stayed dry. 3 years later and I think child has had 2 accidents.
From wetting the bed 4 or more times a night to waking up once per night to use the restroom! It is amazing.
Important!

You are a crucial part of this program!

You have to get up every time the alarm rings so you can coach the child and turn off and reset the alarm for them. As you guide them out of bed say "Hold it, we are almost at the toilet" or something like that. They will be disoriented by the alarm at first and you have to tell them what to do. As they get conditioned to the alarm they will begin to be more independent. Give them all the time they need. Do not skip a night because you are too tired. Hang in there for your child.

“Be prepared for weeks of interrupted sleep, as if you have a newborn! Exhausting but worth it! :-)”

Important!

It takes different children different lengths of time!

Just because my child got it in a week does not mean it is normal. The alarm retailers say it can take up to 12 weeks or more. Look at the small steps for encouragement.
Here is a great progress chartto keep you motivated. If you child does not like charts, keep it privately to remind yourself how far they have come.

The Bedwetting Store had a lot of information that helped.

If you explore this website you will be able to find information to help you explain what a bedwetting alarm is and how it works to your child.

Bedwetting Facts
Bedwetting Causes
Psychosocial Issues
Bedwetting Statistics
Choosing a Bedwetting Alarm

Stop bedwetting

We used the malen ultimate selectable with vibration!
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Share your bedwetting trials and solution if you have one!

  • Othercat Jan 29, 2012 @ 11:14 pm | delete
    When Beanie started wetting the bed, we made a big deal about it. We talked about it all the time, tried 16 different fixes and generally made such a big fuss over it that Beanie started to feel like she was in trouble or something. All we wanted was to help her but we ended up alienating her. When we realized this, we stopped talking about it and we stopped trying to fix it. We just bought a mattress protector and woke her up a couple times a night to use the potty. Within a couple months, she stopped wetting the bed. Sometimes the simplest approach is the best approach.
  • AngryBaker Jan 29, 2012 @ 11:11 pm | delete
    We tried setting an alarm, reducing fluids, pull ups and visiting the doctor .... what ultimately solved problem? Getting older...the problem stopped for good at 14
  • debnet May 21, 2011 @ 2:44 am | delete
    Blessed by a Squid Angel ;)
  • aj2008 Nov 24, 2009 @ 9:49 am | delete
    The Childrens and Parenting Group that this lens belonged to has survived all the recent changes on Squidoo and is now a Lensography. This lens is now featured at Children and Parenting HQ.

    And of course this visit gives me the chance to Bless this excellent lens.
  • aj2008 Nov 24, 2009 @ 9:49 am | delete
    The Childrens and Parenting Group that this lens belonged to has survived all the recent changes on Squidoo and is now a Lensography. This lens is now featured at Children and Parenting HQ.

    And of course this visit gives me the chance to Bless this excellent lens.
  • aj2008 May 20, 2009 @ 5:33 am | delete
    Just revisiting lenses in the Children and Parenting Group to say how proud I am of the quality of lenses in the Group and that I am so glad this is one of them.
  • WillRobinson Apr 13, 2009 @ 10:23 pm | delete
    I agree. This is a great product that works in taking care of bedwetting when nothing else seems to work. My son was eight and we tried all kinds of other systems, but until we used an alarm we were frustrated. Thanks for getting the word out! 5 Stars!
  • GregGiordano Sep 30, 2008 @ 10:24 pm | delete
    My darling wife, it was very helpful and reminded me of when we were dealing with this situation in our own family.
  • GregGiordano Sep 29, 2008 @ 9:39 pm | delete
    I did not want to spend the money on this but it paid for itself after just a few weeks of not having to buy Good-Nights any more! I would encourage any parent in this situation to purchase this product. It truly works.
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What helped or did not help you?

Add your own product

If it worked for you vote it up. If it was useless vote it down!

Isn't it mean to make your child wear an alarm?

HMMM?

That is a tough question. It depends on your motivation.
If you are SO SICK of wet laundry or a wet child climbing in your bed in the middle of the night but the child does not care and is not uncomfortable with bedwetting, don't force it on them.
On the other hand, if your child is upset that they are waking up wet and are motivated to be dry and you can be a partner with your child in this, go for it. You are letting your child chose this way to try to attain nighttime dryness.

Success!

My child has not had bedwetting problems again except twice when the house was cold and blankets got kicked off.

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ngio64

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