Bedwetting alarms

[yola]

Dominik's been out of nappies since he was 2 1/2, but has almost constantly worn night-time nappies since. He was adamant that at 5 he would stop, and he did with much success initially. However, 2 weeks on the bedwetting has returned. He's quite upset about it and doesn't want to go back to nappies; however I don't have the time to change, wash and iron bed linen on a daily basis!

So we're going to get him a bedwetting alarm. Does anyone have any experience of these? There are two types; body-worn and under mattress. They're both quite pricey so before I buy one or t'other it would be useful to hear of any experienced anyone's had with them.

[angieh]

Sorry Yola - no experience at all in that department. Could you ask your health visitor's advice?

[yola]

My what??? LOL I haven't seen one of those since Dominik was about 6 months old so I have not a clue as to who she might be!

[alexgirl73]

I went through a bout of bed wtting with Hayley after she had cystitis at 3 (after being successfully dry for nearly a year). I stopped giving her anything to drink at least 2 hours before bedtime, made her go to the toilet just before bed, and then when I was going to bead around 11pm, would giver her a gentle shake and quietly guide her to the toilet to make sure she went again, After a little while her body learned to recognise when she needed to go during the night, and we've only had one or two accidents since. usually when she's had something to drink at a late hour. Hth!

[Donna]

I think some kids are just prone to it. I know my boss's daughter still occasionally wets the bed and she has turned 8!!

Good luck with whatever alarm you decide to buy.

[yola]

Alex, I did read that not giving them a drink before bedtime has no bearing on whether they pee or not; we've tried that and I think it's what made Domi so upset. He was thirsty and we said no to a drink and he still peed

I think waking them before going to bed yourself is a good idea. Problem is that Dominik is such a heavy sleeper - and that's what I think is key to his bedwetting - is that it will take a lot to wake him. This is a boy that sleeps through the alarm clock in the morning!

Donna, my brother used to wet the bed on and off until he was about 10 (I think). It's not unusual but I'd rather nip the problem in the bud before it becomes a major issue for Domi and means he can't have friends over to sleep or have sleepovers at their homes.

[Donna]

Yes sleepovers could be a problem - my daughter had her 14year old friend sleep over who wets the bed... I had no warning from the mother or the child or my daughter (who knew) and she soaked the bed. I was not happy.

If I had been warned I could of made provisions and cut the drinks out beforehand.

Thankfully my daughter is no longer friends with the girl!

[Kim]

My foster lad still wets the bed and he is 14 on Tuesday. He is on medication for it, and we are gradually trying to wean him off of it, but he just wets the bed again. He has attended an enuresis clinic and apparently it has nothing to do with having drinks before bed time, in fact experts believe that cutting down on liquid adds to the problem. We have also tried waking him in the night with limited success.

Yola, my nephew was a late bed wetter and my sister attended an enuresis clinic and was loaned an alarm, it was extremely successful In the meantime you could try using a kylie (bed pad) on the bed, under the sheet, which absorbs the urine, I paid about £10 for mine from the health clinic, it does help save the bedding, but I don't iron them anymore! The enuresis nurse gave me details of a good web site, but I can't find the details at the mo, will get back to you!

[Kim]

Originally Posted by Donna

Yes sleepovers could be a problem - my daughter had her 14year old friend sleep over who wets the bed... I had no warning from the mother or the child or my daughter (who knew) and she soaked the bed. I was not happy.

If I had been warned I could of made provisions and cut the drinks out beforehand.

Thankfully my daughter is no longer friends with the girl!

What a shame for the girl, it is quite a common problem in teenagers, more common that I thought. Very embarrassing for her and I'm sure she didn't want to tell you, but her mother should have. I doubt cutting out on drinks beforehand would have made any difference though, hasn't in my experience with our foster lad anyway. Teenagers have enough angst at their age without bedwetting too.

[Fran]

My daughter was diagnosed with an irritable bladder at quite a young age, not only was night time wetting a prob but she couldn't hold in the day, if she needed to go then she had to go straight away. She took medication for years and luckily she is now off mediacation and the irritable bladder problem has settled. She was under a specialist at the Children's hospital, Sheffield for years and one of his major advice tips was NO fluids at all after 6pm. She was also not allowed fizzy pop and when I enquired about a bed wetting alarm, he actually said they were more or less useless

Dominik is still quite young Yola, I wouldn't stress too much about this. You'd be surprised at how many other children in his class still have this problem too The family that we went on holiday with this year have a 5 rising 6 year old boy still in nappy pants at night, yet their 3 year old little girl is dry most nights. I do believe it can take boys longer than girls to fully train in this area. Good luck!