I am looking for some advice from those who have experience or know someone who has used a bedwetting alarm for a child. My son is 6 and wets the bed. We cut out the liquids and DH gets him up during the night to go to the bathroom. He will remain dry then. At times, we try to just wait and get him up at 5:30 when DH leaves for work. Some days he will be dry then and some days wet. IT is just not any consistency. Some nights he goes to bed earlier, would have had something to drink and we don't get him and he is dry and some nights we do everything right and then he is wet. The doctor said that bedwetting is hereditary and many boys on my DH side of the family experience this. However, my son just turn 6 and I want to know that I have done everything possible to help him. We dont' embarrass him by no means. At age 5, the doctor said she would monitor. At his 6 year check up, she gave me a brochure for a bedwetting alarm. My husband is hesistant about this. I just don't want my son to be 10 and still wetting the bed of not be able to go to a sleepover because of this. Any advice from those who know about bedwetting alarms will be appreciated.
OT/ bedwetting alarm??
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Calico
Cathlete
Ok I have had 3 bedwetting boys. The oldest was 10+ years when he stopped maybe even into 11, the 9 yr old stopped with one type of alarm then resumed and is now using the alarm that the oldest one used. The youngest is 7 and still wears Goodnites to bed and is too immature for the alarm to work as of yet. I will link you the website on which we purchased the alarm from. Realize that it is a behavioral problem and until they realize that they need to go to the bathroom getting them up and taking them does no good. It is also a sleep problem where they sleep too deeply for them to be aware that their bladdars are full and they need to go to the bathroom. With the pad alarm it teaches them to get up when the alarm sounds( the smaller the amount on the pad(pillowcase over the pad actually) the sooner they woke up from the deep sleep. They are to go to the bathroom, pee, change pj(no underwear is worn), change the wet pillowcase, dry the pad, put new one on and replug in alarm and go back to sleep. The parents have to get up with them in the beginning to make sure all steps are followed and especially with a young child. It took my oldest son a good 6 months on the alarm before he was consistently dry. http://www.bedwettingstore.com/bedwetting-malembedside.htm
This is the one we bought little pricey but compared to other actual "programs" that will monitor your child with you this is cheap.
Hope this helps some. Feel free to e-mail me or PM me for further advice.
This is the one we bought little pricey but compared to other actual "programs" that will monitor your child with you this is cheap.
Hope this helps some. Feel free to e-mail me or PM me for further advice.
My friend tried everything, including the alarm, with her son. Nothing workied and he eventually grew out of it (around 8 or 9). When he would sleep over, she sent him with pull-ups and the other children were unaware of it. It must be very frustrating for you, as I know it was for her. She didn't think she would EVER get a good night's sleep again, and she was of course very worried for her son. The ironic thing is all the money and time she invested in different "gadgets, books, etc." and his body just grew out of it when he was ready. I'm sure your son will also grow out of it. I'll ask my friend if she has any specific thoughts on the alarm and get back to you. She is out of town until next week so it will be a few days.
Blessings,
Denise
Blessings,
Denise
My brother used one several years ago and it worked great for him. He had a lot of sleep issues like sleep walking, night terrors and bedwetting. This was about 20 years ago so I cant give you any information about pricing or what type of alarm he used but I can tell you that it stopped his bedwetting in a few months. He was about 7 years old at the time.
Dawn
Dawn
I had a bed wetter, I'm pretty sure he was six when we got him a bed wetting alarm per the doctor's orders. In our case it was miraculous, no kidding. He went from wetting the bed every single night to no accidents whatsoever in three days. It was actually weird how quickly it worked. I wouldn't expect results that quickly, but that is my experience, and I'm definitely keeping the alarm until my youngest is out of diapers, just in case!
Kelly
Kelly
Thank you for your responses. I know I am not alone in this situation,however, I feel helpless. You know as a mother, all you want to do is help your child and I am not sure what to do. As I said, my husband is hesistant about the alarm, but I am open to the suggestion. The doctor gave me a brochure for the sleepdry alarm. It cost$60, which I think is an okay price. I think I am going to just go ahead and order it today.
candi
Cathlete
Affirm
Why is your husband hesitant about the alarm? As he was a bed wetter and having experienced this himself, he must have his reasons.
Sometimes calling too much attention to a situation like this can make the situation worse. And sometimes, we as parents, unknowingly project our own fears onto our children. Let me tell you, just because he's only 6 doesn't mean he's not aware of his parents feelings regarding the situation. Children absorb words and feelings like a sponge.
My DH was a bed wetter until he was about 8. He said he remembered waking up one night as he was peeing and then told himself he wasn't going to do it anymore and didn't. But he still feels very senstive about the subject. I can tell by the way he talks about it.
Maybe patience should prevail here rather than over reacting to the situation. I have read it's not unusual for boys to have this problem.
Just a thought.
Why is your husband hesitant about the alarm? As he was a bed wetter and having experienced this himself, he must have his reasons.
Sometimes calling too much attention to a situation like this can make the situation worse. And sometimes, we as parents, unknowingly project our own fears onto our children. Let me tell you, just because he's only 6 doesn't mean he's not aware of his parents feelings regarding the situation. Children absorb words and feelings like a sponge.
My DH was a bed wetter until he was about 8. He said he remembered waking up one night as he was peeing and then told himself he wasn't going to do it anymore and didn't. But he still feels very senstive about the subject. I can tell by the way he talks about it.
Maybe patience should prevail here rather than over reacting to the situation. I have read it's not unusual for boys to have this problem.
Just a thought.
I don't call my concern about my child "over reacting to the situation" nor am focusing to much on the situation. I am very much sensitive to the needs of my child. His doctor recommended that we explore an alarm and I wanted input from others as for how it may have worked for them.
shakeubooty
Cathlete
Have you talked to your son's doctor?
I suggest talking to your son's pediatrician. My daughter is 9 nine years old and still wets the bed about once a week. Since she's at the age where kids start having sleepovers it became very important to help her solve this and prevent embarassment in front of her friends. We've tried behavioral things with her since she was 6 - no drinking after dinner, setting her alarm in the middle of the night to get her to go the bathroom (didn't wake her up), setting my alarm so I could physically take her to the bathroom (too hard on me). We put her on DDAVP for several months and when the prescription ran out tried doing without it. Worked okay for awhile but now she's wetting the bed again so she's back on it and is dry again.
From what I understand it's more than a behavioral thing but a physical thing as well (at least with girls) which is why they outgrow it. I'm not in the medical field so I can't explain it. I know some people think we overmedicate our kids but believe me, we tried the other options first. By the way, we were told bedwetting alarms don't work.
Everyone has different experiences so just wanted to share mine. Also, a urinary tract infection could be causing the bedwetting also so you may want to rule out that possibility as well.
Good luck to you and your son.
Sue
I suggest talking to your son's pediatrician. My daughter is 9 nine years old and still wets the bed about once a week. Since she's at the age where kids start having sleepovers it became very important to help her solve this and prevent embarassment in front of her friends. We've tried behavioral things with her since she was 6 - no drinking after dinner, setting her alarm in the middle of the night to get her to go the bathroom (didn't wake her up), setting my alarm so I could physically take her to the bathroom (too hard on me). We put her on DDAVP for several months and when the prescription ran out tried doing without it. Worked okay for awhile but now she's wetting the bed again so she's back on it and is dry again.
From what I understand it's more than a behavioral thing but a physical thing as well (at least with girls) which is why they outgrow it. I'm not in the medical field so I can't explain it. I know some people think we overmedicate our kids but believe me, we tried the other options first. By the way, we were told bedwetting alarms don't work.
Everyone has different experiences so just wanted to share mine. Also, a urinary tract infection could be causing the bedwetting also so you may want to rule out that possibility as well.
Good luck to you and your son.
Sue
MRSchultz
Cathlete
RE: Have you talked to your son's doctor?
We had to get one for my son, too, and it worked great. In fact, now that it's been a few years and he actually had a small relapse and wet the bed a few times we told him that we'd have to go back to the alarm and WHAM! he hasn't wet since.
Beware - it's loud!!! The first couple of times we used it it scared the crap out of me and him. I think that's why he didn't want to have to go back to it because it wakes him up and is so loud.
GOOD LUCK, we know how frustrating it is and you are not alone.
Marcia.
We had to get one for my son, too, and it worked great. In fact, now that it's been a few years and he actually had a small relapse and wet the bed a few times we told him that we'd have to go back to the alarm and WHAM! he hasn't wet since.
Beware - it's loud!!! The first couple of times we used it it scared the crap out of me and him. I think that's why he didn't want to have to go back to it because it wakes him up and is so loud.
GOOD LUCK, we know how frustrating it is and you are not alone.
Marcia.
I am 44, and I had a bedwetting problem till I was almost 10 and my brother had the same problem he is 3 yrs younger than me. Don't be so frustrated, he will get thru this. I think the more pressure a parent puts on a child the harder it is, it was embarassing for me as it was that I wet the bed, I woke up in the middle of the night and changed clothes and I didn't want to tell anyone so I would try to find a dry place in the bed to lay. Its terrible for the child. Just be patient with him. Rhonda:7
Don't get too worked up about the bedwetting thing. Your son will definitely outgrow it. Did your father wet the bed? I know this sounds strange, but I read an article a few years back about the genetics of bed wetting. It seems that there is something in the brain that is triggered in most people telling them to wake up when they have to pee. Unfortunately, in some people, this is not triggered until they hit puberty. It is usually passed through the mother's side, and it usually affects boys more often then girls (although girls can also wet the bed). My husband wet the bed until he was 12 years old, and then it miraculously went away. When we read this article, he asked his grandfather (mother's father) if he wet the bed, and it turns out that he did. It does seriously go away after a while. The best thing is to allow him to wear those pull-ups or those other things they have now for kids who wet the bed. Make sure he knows that he is not weird and it does not bother you that he does this. Make sure he knows that others do this also. Good luck with everything, and I hope he outgrows it soon. Just don't lose too much sleep over it!
Jen
Jen
RE: Have you talked to your son's doctor?
Hi Sue,
Glad to know that I am not the only one with a daughter that's wetting the bed. She is also 9. We have also tried the DDAVP with her. It seemed to help some, but when we try to take her off, it seems to come back. It still seems to be happening around once a week, or so. The doctor explained to me that it is because the bladder is not mature, and it is not sending a signal to the brain to wake her up to go to the bathroom. I do believe it is also hereditary because I was a bedwetter. However, I can't remember when I outgrew it.
Hang in there!
Sandra
Hi Sue,
Glad to know that I am not the only one with a daughter that's wetting the bed. She is also 9. We have also tried the DDAVP with her. It seemed to help some, but when we try to take her off, it seems to come back. It still seems to be happening around once a week, or so. The doctor explained to me that it is because the bladder is not mature, and it is not sending a signal to the brain to wake her up to go to the bathroom. I do believe it is also hereditary because I was a bedwetter. However, I can't remember when I outgrew it.
Hang in there!
Sandra
JAFitMama
Cathlete
I know you feel helpless, I have had two boys who took until age 9-10 to stay dry at night.
The alarm can work; we used it or the first child. How ever he was only 5 or 6 and when we stopped he regressed.
Bedwetrting is actually quite common. Our pediatrician gave us the statistic that at age 5, about 25% of all boys are bed wetters. I have an aunt that always told me don't worry, they will grow out of it before they get married! ( her favorite line was- " just go with the flow!) She herself was a bed wetter until age 17. And, she cautioned me to always be upbeat about it and matter of fact. Some people have immature bladders and just take longer to learn the message to wake up and empty their bladder. Her advice proved helpful for our family.
Having said that I know it can be very inconvenient to wait this out. Your patience in this will be quite valuable to your child. I have been in your situation, and it does get better. keep up the good parenting.
The alarm can work; we used it or the first child. How ever he was only 5 or 6 and when we stopped he regressed.
Bedwetrting is actually quite common. Our pediatrician gave us the statistic that at age 5, about 25% of all boys are bed wetters. I have an aunt that always told me don't worry, they will grow out of it before they get married! ( her favorite line was- " just go with the flow!) She herself was a bed wetter until age 17. And, she cautioned me to always be upbeat about it and matter of fact. Some people have immature bladders and just take longer to learn the message to wake up and empty their bladder. Her advice proved helpful for our family.
Having said that I know it can be very inconvenient to wait this out. Your patience in this will be quite valuable to your child. I have been in your situation, and it does get better. keep up the good parenting.