an occasional bedwetter--what to do?

[hilltopfamily]

Anyone know if they mattresses are covered in plastic, or a protective "wrap"!? One of my kiddos has an accident once in a while and with all the excitement, food, and drink around the clock, I can see where we might run into problems on the ship that we probably would not have at home. I may just bring pull-ups and use these during our time, but was wondering what others have done as we haven't used pull-ups in quite a while. With the high numbers of kids on DCL, surely there have been many kids on board with similar problems. Any previous experiences relayed would be appreciated.

 

[Buckaroo's Dad]

an occasional bedwetter--what to do?

Sleep in a separate bed...





All joking aside (momentarily) why not just bring along a twin-size protective cover? You can give it to your room steward(ess) and explain the reason. Just tell them which bed the child will be using. It shouldn't pose a problem.

 

[FOJMO]

I would probably do some kind of pull-up type pants for overnights just while on the cruise. No one has to know about it except you and your family. Good luck.

 

[rae519]

Bedwetting is often caused by a maladjustment of the hips/spine -the nerve becomes blocked and the child can not feel the sensation of a full bladder and impending release.

It's an easy adjustment and simple fix to a common problem for people that doesn't require medication or equipment.

Good luck,
Rae

 

[mariamard]

YOU DIDN'T MENTION HOW OLD YOUR CHILD IS, BUT IF THEY ARE UNDER 4 ,PULL UPS. HUGGIES ALSO MAKE GOODNIGHTS(I AM PRETTY SURE ON THE NAME,BUT POSITIVE ON THE BRAND)FOR CHILDREN 4-10. ON A CAMPING TRIP THAT WE TOOK MY DAUGHTER'S FRIEND ALONG, HIS MOTHER PULLED ME ASIDE AND TOLD ME HE STILL HAS SOME ACCIDENTS AND GAVE ME THE HUGGIES FOR HIM. HE WAS 7 AT THE TIME AND THEY LOOK JUST LIKE UNDERWEAR!

 

[jgalecpa]

I agree with BD to (Discreetly) talk to your room steward. I remember years ago travelling with my little brother when this was an issue.

If something was put down, it seemed the knowledge that something there made him relax and not have a problem so often.

Also, the room steward being aware of the situation can eliminate awkward explanations, later.

This would definitely be one of those times to have a little somthing extra for the steward to deliver at the time of the "talk"

 

[starwood]

I would discuss it with your child and see if they have a problem wearing the Goodnights. This would eliminate any possible problem or embarrasment on their part.

 

[dclwdwlover]

I think the advice you got is good, but you didn't state the age of your child & that matters in the decision.
I know for my son - who wet from birth to age 12 1/2 - we did several things on vacations.
1) Either brought one of those 'rubber' pads & then just washed it out & hung it
2) Brought extra sheets & garbage bags (which can be a bit noisy, but works) & then just threw out the bag in the morning if it was wet & washed out the sheet in the shower, dried it & stuck it in a bag. Works with towels that can be laundered, too. Also, we would hold onto old sheets knowing vacation was coming & then throw those out, too.
3) Plastic underwear will work ONLY if he/she is young & won't be embarassed by using them
I agree that it could be a phsyical - or psychological - issue. I tried EVERYTHING with my son - for months at a time - for years, but it stopped when the two above things were solely addressed - no matter how much he had to drink or eat before bedtime OR what time he had it up until.

 

[TootyJane]

You can purchase from your local drugstore or medical supply store what they call "underpads" to use. They use these in hospitals in maternity and also for the elderly that are incontinent and they are disposable. HTH

 

[trishy]

A little something to add to these wonderful suggestions. When we cruised the first time with kids, my dd was only 5 and NOT a bedwetter. However, the sound and powerful suction of the DCL toilet scared the cr@p out of her. It took coaxing to get her to *go* and we had to flush for her (sounded like a shopvac). Anyway, have this in mind when you're there - I would be extra extra gentle in handling the toilet thing with your child. It would've helped us knowing this the first time we took her.

 

[ducklite]

As an FYI--There is actually a medical condition in older pre-teen boys which causes bedwetting. The bladder doesn't grow fast enough to keep up with the body, and the urethra is too short as well. There is an effective prescription treatment available through your pediatrician.

Anne

 

[justmestace]

My son was a bedwetter until the age of 7, when the doctor said he was old enough for the prescription to help him stop. Until then, we used Pull-ups. I saw no point in going to all the trouble of dragging along extra pads & sheets, especially on what is supposed to be a vacation. He knew that the "problem" wasn't his fault, and that sometimes he needed the protection. I did take small plastic, scented trash bags to dispose of the pull-ups discreetly. The prescription worked wonders, by the way, and I'm sorry I don't remember the name of it for you.

 

[tpseller]

We actually had this problem on the Wonder in May.

My daughter was 4 (just turned 5) and does not wet the bed. We picked her up from the kids club late the first night and she was SO tired.

We asked her if she needed to go to the bathroom and she said she had just gone at the kids club. We never thought anything about it.

The next morning we woke up and she said her jammies were wet. I went to the bed and WOW - she had really had an accident.

We notified the stateroom attendant - who totally understood. I am sure it happens a lot! I took off the sheets and put them in a bag he provided. He took the mattress and shampooed and dried it. We had it back that evening for bedtime.

Needless to say we always made sure she went to the bathroom before bed after that!

I would just bring a plastic sheet from home and advise the room steward when you get on board that the sheets may need changing. Ask for some plastic bags to have on hand, so you can take the sheets off yourself. Then they can wash the sheets for you.

With so many kids on board, I am sure this is something they deal with often.

 

[kmc33]

I was wondering if this is something that they are used to dealing with.

When we went in April, my son wasn't quite 4 yet. For some time he had been dry through the night with an occasional accident. Just to be safe, I took pull-ups for overnight and he didn't mind wearing them (it helped that Mickey was on the pull-ups ) They were dry every morning, but it was extra reassurance. Well, our next trip is next January and he will be 4-1/2. Lately he is telling me what a big boy he is, so it crossed my mind that he won't want to wear pull-ups at night by then. Yet at that age an accident isn't out of the question. I guess I will decide what to do when it gets closer. We do have a plastic sheet that folds up pretty small; I might take that just in case.

 

[sitchu2]

I would deffinately go with the goodnights. They are made to look and feel like underwear, and they do not leak. Pads usually leak or become displaced.

It is much less embarassing for your son and much cleaner all the way around to use the goodnights just in case. Nobody will ever know.

I went thru this with 2 sons. My daughter did not have the problem. The goodnights were invented while I was in the middle of this peroid with them and they were a godsend. My sons as predicted grew out of the problem before 10 years of age. I was told that some boys are very slow to matrue, especially their nervous systems.

Good luck and please re assure your son that what happens to him happens to many many others and he will grow out of it, Today my oldest is going on 17 and we can laugh about it.

 

[hilltopfamily]

You were all so positive, I really appreciate it. Sorry about not mentioning the age---he is 9 and we have been to the pediatrician about it a couple times. Seems he (the MD) doesn't think it's a medical concern (after examining him of course) and his advice to us was we can do the bed alarms, we can wake him up during the night, we can try the prescription, or we can just wait a little longer and be patient. According to MD, the vast majority of boys outgrow this by 10-12 years old and we should not worry, should not make him worry, just try to wait it out.

Well, we have made some progress in the past year, only having about 1 accident a week, when up to a year ago he had never had a dry night in his life! I knew this might not be the case on board (so much to drink, not on our regular schedule). I will take the advice of many here and talk to DS about it, see how he would feel about using the Goodnights, and warn the cabin steward ahead of time. Will also bring along the mattress cover just to be safe. Question--does standard twin size fit the beds o.k.? What about the bed that comes down from the ceiling (as he may choose this one for himself). I'll use the suggestion of washing out sheets, if needed, in the shower and drying them if the Goodnights aren't sufficient.

Again, thanks so much to all of you for all the carefully thought out advice and for taking the time and interest to respond. It is much appreciated by myself (and my DS!). I certainly didn't want to "leave our mark" on a mattress that other people would have to use.

 

[jfis1020]

The Goodnights hold an amazing amount of urine. I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't have any accidents in the bed if you use them. I have used them for all three children with great success.

 

[lbgraves]

I hope your entire family has a great time & your son enjoys the cruise. Reading this makes me wish that they had the goodnights when I was a kid. I had a problem until age 9 that required 3 surgeries to correct before I stopped the bed wetting & even day time accidents. It was so embarrassing. I remember taking the sheets off the bed & putting them in the tub thinking that noone would notice if I pulled the curtain. (((HUGS))) to your son.

 

[ohioMickey]

I usually try to avoid dispensing medical advice on these boards, but in this case I couldn't resist...

I am a board-certified pediatrician and see lots of boys (and girls) who wet the bed. In MOST cases, the problem runs in families and is caused by a small bladder capacity in a child who is a deep sleeper. As they get older (sometimes as late as 14-15 years of age), their bladder gets bigger, they become lighter sleepers, and they wet the bed less often.

Personally, for the cruise, I think your best approach would be a plastic mattress cover AND the super-absorbant chux pad. I doubt your 9 year old would like the idea of wearing a pull-up... but that is another option if he doesn't mind.

I would be careful about using medication. Two medications are often prescribed for bed-wetting (I do not use either of these). One is actually an anti-depression medicine which can effect the heart if the blood level becomes too high. The other is a hormone that causes water retention. This can make blood sodium go low, and I have seen kids have seizures because of it. In the end, you have to ask yourself, is the risk of potentially life-threatening side effects worth the elimination of the bed-wetting. Personally, I do not believe that they are.

The moisture alarms are great in theory, but in the real world what often happens is that the alarm wakes everyone up in the house EXCEPT the deep sleeper, who still wets the bed and keeps snoring even though the crazy thing is buzzing right next to his ear.

Let me also just mention... if you have a bed-wetter, definitely talk to your doctor about it. There are some other causes of bed wetting that are RARE but serious.

hope that helps...

and now I'll resume the role of normal citizen...

 

[ohiominnie]

Originally posted by ohioMickey
Two medications are often prescribed for bed-wetting (I do not use either of these).

And yet his side of the bed is always dry, even without the meds