Any advice on bed wetting alarms?

Question

So I'm having lots of frustration with my 6 yr old wetting his bed at night. Here are all the things we've tried so far...

Limiting beverages after dinner

Going potty just before bedtime

Waking him up when I go to bed and make him go potty again

All to no avail, he goes pee before bed, when I wake him up in the night and then STILL in the middle of the night he has accidents. Regularly.

I'm think of buying a bed wetting alarm but would like advice on types of alarms that other moms have tried and if they were helpful at all.

Thanks.

Answer 1

Have you tried putting a nite light in the bathroom or those GoodNites that are shaped like boxers so he won't feel like a baby. He might hneed to see a doc if he is still wetting the bed he might have an overactive bladder

Answer 2

It could be stess related or medical. I was diagnosed at 12 with a bladder which was like a womans who had multiple births. The muscles were not very strong. Call your doctor or he could have embarassing school years like me.

Answer 3

I am 13 and I bed wet i wear goonites/

Answer 4

Its understandable being frustrated, but please don't let your son see this frustration. He is wetting while he is asleep, therefore he is unconscious and completely unaware of what his body is doing when it happens. Punishing him or even showing frustration towards the situation is damaging to his self esteem as he realizes he has no control over it.

The most important thing to remember is to be supportive of this situation. Some studies show that stress, although a cause of bed wetting for only a very small percentage of bed-wetters, will result in more wet beds with almost every kid. Let him know that you understand it isn't his fault and that you are there for him if he needs someone to talk to about it.

If you haven't, it may be worth mentioning it at his next appointment with his pediatrician, just so that he can monitor his progress. At his age the doctor certainly won't be concerned, as approximately 15% of 6 year olds still wet their beds, and it is no cause for concern.

I want to address some of the things you have tried and explain why they didn't work.

First off, limiting fluids is an old-wives tale that has absolutely no basis in scientific evidence. Even so, some doctors recommend this as a treatment even though they were NEVER taught this in medical school--they are merely providing a personal opinion based on things they have heard. Think about it this way: If you drank 4 large glasses of water before going to sleep, would you wet YOUR bed? Of course not. The problem isn't too many fluids, its your son's body. Please do not let him go thirsty. Dehydration is potentially dangerous and has no benefit in this situation.

Secondly, waking him up in the night won't work. One study recently published actually showed that in some kids it can be counterproductive! The scientists who performed the study believe that since the child doesn't actually fully awaken when he is taken to the toilet, and he is "commanded" to pee, the parent is actually training the child to wet while he is sleeping. You may have seen evidence of this yourself. Ask him if he remembers being woken up to pee the night before. I guarantee you he won't.. and the reason is that he never actually woke up!

Like you have stated, regardless of those old-wives-tale-treatments, he still wets the bed. The reason is simple--they don't work.

Now, having him go to the bathroom before bed can't be disputed, as it is going to empty his bladder. Most of the time he is still going to wet, but the accidents should be smaller and less of a mess.

Now there is one treatment that has been scientifically proven to help some kids to stop wetting the bed, and that is precisely the topic of this question: the bed wetting alarm. They are all essentially the same thing. There is a sensor that goes inside of his underwear or diaper and a receiver that sounds an alarm at the first drop of urine. Models vary by design, more expensive ones being cordless, but are essentially the same. It may be hard to understand, but this is actually quite different than you going in and waking him up in the middle of the night. Even if he isn't able to make it to the bathroom after the alarm goes off and wets the bed/diaper, the device has done its job. In time (a period of weeks) his body may learn to wake up at the moment when his bladder is completely full (as opposed to the arbitrary time you chose to wake him yourself) so that he can get to the bathroom. These usually only work on older kids (over the age of 8), but it is up to you if you wanted to try it now.

Now, they are quite expensive, and actually only work for some children, but depending on how stressful this is for the child and how motivated he is to stop it may be worth a try. Expect a few weeks of a loud alarm going off in the house in the middle of the night, and potentially poor results, but try to support him through it. If after a few weeks it still isn't working, stop using it for a year or two to give him a chance to grow out of it on his own. Keep the alarm and after a year or so you can try again.

Most importantly, regardless of what you chose to do, it is important that his accidents have as little impact as possible on him. He is just a kid, and deserves to be happy. Try to make his accidents as little of an issue as possible, and if he has siblings make certain that there are harsh punishments for an jokes at his expense. Most of all, let him know that you are proud of how hard he is trying to stop, and that you aren't upset with him. Let him know that he isn't alone and that lots of kids his age and even older wet the bed. Also, let him know he WILL grow out of it eventually.

For this reason, many parents make the choice of having the child wear some sort of protection (diaper, pull-up) at night so that everyone can get a restful sleep. Diapers also make it easier for everyone as it is easier to change a wet diaper than to change a soaked bed. Make sure he knows its not a punishment, and explain how it will make things easier. Let him know that nobody has to know about it and nobody will make fun of him for it. Tell him that they make the diapers for people who have problems staying dry at night. Tell him the ones you buy him aren't meant for babies, they are just for big kids who have problems at night. If he is resistant, try to convince him to try it for a couple nights and see how it works. Let the final decision be his, letting him know that the alternative is that he help strip the bedding (once again, not as punishment, but as a regular responsibility).

I wish you both the best of luck, and hopefully he will grow out of it soon. In the meantime, he will be glad to have such an understanding parent to help him through it!

Answer 5

Are you sure it's not physical?  I'm just wondering if you should rule that out.  We were in your shoes before my daughter was diagnosed with diabetes.  In the meantime, did you pick up a plastic matress protector?