Bed wetting alarm suggestions?

[disprincessatheart]

My ds is only two so I don't have first hand experience, but wanted to share one thing. My nephew had bed wetting issues. My sister tried cutting off liquids, the alarm, and waking him to go to the bathroom and nothing worked. He also snored really loudly. They removed his adenoids and the snoring and bed wetting were cured. I don't know the details on what lead to the surgery, but thought that might be something to look into for anyone with both of those issues.

 

[LisaR]

We used the Malem alarm for my son and it worked like a charm.

For those that say it didn't wake their child up, remember that it is a process and the child needs to be retrained. Most bed wetters are deep sleepers. The alarm wakes up the parent who wakes up the child. Eventually, the child is sleeping lighter because the parent has broken their pattern of sleeping through everything.

The alarm we had vibrated, had the flashing lights, and the loud, obnoxious noise and my son didn't hear it at all. It took time and patience but he got there and has been cured for years. You really have to give it more than a few nights or even a few weeks. It is a big commitment on the part of the parent because they will likely be sleep deprived, too!

 

[brymolmom]

We used Malem with ds (now 10) when he just turned 8. It did help a lot. He went about 3 months completely dry. However, over time he has fallen back into bad 'bouts' where he'll be wet 2 - 3 times in a week or two...Then maybe another couple/few weeks dry. Just a heads-up for those who think you're out of the woods completely...sometimes they start up again. It's MUCH better than it used to be and I can handle it now - where before I was about to pull my own hair out I was so sick of the laundry, etc.

Also - for those afraid it might not wake up your child - if he/she's a sound sleeper - it likely will not (at least the one I had). I slept in the guest room right next to ds's room for the 2 months we used it. I would wake up from it and go and immediately wake him up and have him go use the potty. I would layer his sheets on his bed - strip off the top(wet) layer while he was using the potty and then he'd get back in bed. It was a huge pain and I was quite sick of it myself after the first couple of weeks. So it is a commitment for the parent in some cases.

I am glad we did it as I think it got us on the right track a lot sooner. Likely going to ask the ped. for some of the medicine for when he does sleepovers.

 

[Chelley00]

Just wanted to ask...do these not shock the skin? I just want to make sure it's a vibration, and not a shock of any kind. BTW-as much as we spend on pull-ups, the device will eventually pay for itself anyway.

Some don't even vibrate, just alarm. Ours vibrates and alarms and flashes. There's no way to shock anything. You clip a sensor on their underwear and then safety pin the alarm on their shirt.

They removed his adenoids and the snoring and bed wetting were cured. .

My DS had his adenoids out at age 2. He was still a bedwetter until this spring at age 7. DH was too, and our pediatrician said it's very common for it to run in families.

I slept in the guest room right next to ds's room for the 2 months we used it. I would wake up from it and go and immediately wake him up and have him go use the potty. I would layer his sheets on his bed - strip off the top(wet) layer while he was using the potty and then he'd get back in bed. It was a huge pain and I was quite sick of it myself after the first couple of weeks. So it is a commitment for the parent in some cases. .

This is why we used pullups over the underwear. I wasn't about to do laundry. We started over Christmas break and DS and I had sleepovers downstairs when we started the alarm so I was there to wake him up for the first week.

 

[DisneyAndRedSox]

From the time our DD was potty trained she never got up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, so she always had to wear Underjams. Her doctor said to wait until 6 to try the alarm, but a few months after she turned 5 she wanted to try something to get rid of the pullups. The final straw (for her... not us) was when we were flying home from Orlando and she fell asleep on the plane and had an accident. As soon as we got home DH let her pick out the color Malem alarm and tried it out as soon as we got it. It was worth every penny! We ordered from a company called Bedwetting Stopped. They have a buy back program that when you are finished, they refund 50% so they can sell it as refurbished.

First night alarm went off and DD didn't make it to the bathroom- she was she very groggy and confused. Second night she almost made it. Third night it started to work and by end of the week no more accidents. She continued to wear it for a few weeks, but it never went off. DD is so happy she doesn't have to wear Underjams and I don't have to worry about accidents if she falls asleep in the car, etc... Plus I have saved a small fortune in Underjams!

 

[OSUmouse]

I also believe that Malem alarms are fantastic. My son was 9 and a deep sleeper. We talked about the alarms and worked with Ds to pick the one he thought would be most successful. We had the lights, sound, and vibration. It worked and within 2 weeks he was dry95% of the time. He also lost his grandpa during this time so the added stress did not affect it.

We bought the alarm new from bedwettingstore.com. We sold it used on ebay for 75% of what we paid. I was surprised! We bought a kit with the alarm with the waterproof pad and that made the few accidents easy it cLean up.

Meds did not work for him.

Good luck!

 

[jodifla]

I thought we might have to go the alarm route, but we did this when DC was 8:

Use the bathroom before bedtime at around 8, then took him again to the bathroom about midnight (he was half sleep). We kept the lights off, just a nightlight, and he didn't really fully week up from his sleep, so it was easy to put him back to bed. We did have to sort of direct him by the shoulders down the hall to the bathroom, or he would have just walked into the walls.

That worked like a charm. We did take him for about 6 months, then decided to stop...and he was fine.

 

[LisaR]

I thought we might have to go the alarm route, but we did this when DC was 8:

Use the bathroom before bedtime at around 8, then took him again to the bathroom about midnight (he was half sleep). We kept the lights off, just a nightlight, and he didn't really fully week up from his sleep, so it was easy to put him back to bed. We did have to sort of direct him by the shoulders down the hall to the bathroom, or he would have just walked into the walls.

That worked like a charm. We did take him for about 6 months, then decided to stop...and he was fine.

Honestly, I'd say you got lucky. Most people that I know have tried something very similar. I could take my son to the bathroom at midnight and he would wet the bed at 3am. If I planned to take him at 3am the next night, he would have wet the bed by 2am. I couldn't win.

The key is for the child to wake up when they feel like they need to go. If they don't need to go at midnight, you really aren't training them to feel that sensation and wake up to relieve themselves. You are simply training their body to get up at midnight. I'm glad it worked for you! I'm am certainly for doing whatever works. But from what I read on the subject back when my son was having this issue and from my own personal experience, waking them up at a set time doesn't work for most.

 

[LMN]

I would highly recommend using the Starry alarm. It is less than $55 and worked like magic for our son when he was 5. Google "Starry bedwetting alarm" and you'll get to their website. We had consistent success within the first week of trying it, but our pediatrician said to use if for 6 months. We did and ds was cured of his bedwetting. I would definitely recommend going this route instead of medicating your child. That would be a very last resort if it were me. Good luck!

 

[cvrapclark]

My ds is only two so I don't have first hand experience, but wanted to share one thing. My nephew had bed wetting issues. My sister tried cutting off liquids, the alarm, and waking him to go to the bathroom and nothing worked. He also snored really loudly. They removed his adenoids and the snoring and bed wetting were cured. I don't know the details on what lead to the surgery, but thought that might be something to look into for anyone with both of those issues.

I just finished reading thru this thread and looking for a specific post like this or I was going to post it myself.

Although my son is now 23, we went thru this. If we didn't sleepwalk my son to the bathroom at night, we'd have problems. We were at the dr. at age 6 1/2 to get his tonsils and adenoids removed due to chronic strep throat. The dr. mentioned "did he wet the bed" and said this might cure it. Well, after the surgery, never a single problem!! I thought the doc was crazy, but he was so right!

 

[Mary Walker]

Have you tried to buy a bedwetting alarm? One Stop Bedwetting has the best bedwetting alarms for children, teens and adults. Plus they give free shipping!

 

[barkley]

Have you tried to buy a bedwetting alarm? One Stop Bedwetting has the best bedwetting alarms for children, teens and adults. Plus they give free shipping!

this thread is almost 6 years old-ideally it's a non issue.


ZOMBIE THREAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[bdcp]

this thread is almost 6 years old-ideally it's a non issue.


ZOMBIE THREAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Looks like an ad to me. One post and it has a link to another page.

 

[Donna M]

My son used an alarm when he was about 9. He would wear a pair of regular underwear which it was attached to and then the Goodnights over that to keep everything dry. It seemed to work within days (he's 27 now so I forget.) No problems after that. Those Goodnights were a godsend.

 

[EveDallas]

http://bedwettingstore.com/

Before trying meds, you should really try an alarm. Alarms do work if you give them a chance. They are annoying - but that is the point! It is conditioning the child to not sleep so deeply - so they can get up and go empty the bladder.

This website (above) has some really fancy alarms that you can use. These alarms above can be wireless and easily hidden, can have music, vibration. Very interesting. I've seen them demonstrated and I have recommended them to families and I have gotten good feedback. The biggest complaint I hear is cost, but usually people who proceed with the purchase tell me it is worth it.


Another brand is the Wet-stop. It is a simpler and cheaper alarm, but I have had patients who have had good results. It is really a basic alarm but that may be all you need. This brand has been around for a long time, and I've seen it demonstrated and it seems simple and efficient.

Good luck! I always feel bad for families because this is a sensitive topic. But give the alarms a chance... they do have a pretty good success rate!

Alarms don't always work. That's just a fact. My DS slept through every alarm we tried. We finally just had to wait until he outgrew it (around 12).

 

[tcherjen]

Our first ped suggested an alarm. We tried this did not work for our son. When we got a new ped she had researched bedwetting in children and prescribed an meds he could take when he spent the night away or if he had friends over. It was so helpful. Changed his life. He stopped having the issue by the time teen years hit. He also found that if he drank anything with caffeine it would make the wetting worse.

 

[g-mama]

We used the DDAVP medication for DD. This was years ago, she was about 8 or 9 I think. (she is 20 now).

We tried the alarm, but it scared her and was really stressful. I think it messed with her head, she would not be able to fall asleep, because she was so afraid of the alarm. I know this sounds nuts, but it seemed cruel to continue.

The medication was a miracle, like flipping a switch in her case. I think she took it for only a few months. I know, it sounds extreme to use a chemical when an alarm could also do the same thing. But the alarm did not work, so we tried the meds. (OP, I understand meds did not work in your case)

we did the alarm thing with no luck (DD wet the bed nightly) At age 9 doc put her on DDAVP for 6 months and it worked. She never had a problem with it again. She is now in her 30s.

 

[MickeyP]

I understand a lot of people are responding to this and I don't want to discourage you from the support offered here, however, can this be moved to maybe a different board? I fail to see how this fits on a budget board without stretching.

 

[PatMcDuck]

My daughter wore pull-ups until age 8. We tried the alarm first. I know this will sound ridiculous, but it scared and upset her too much. It added so much stress she had trouble getting to sleep, and staying asleep. I am aware this is not the typical reaction. We did use the medication, (DDAVP? This was 15+ years ago). It worked very quickly in our case. She may have used it for a couple of months, tops. No longer than that.

But I would say try the alarm first, it seems to help most kids.

 

[g-mama]

I understand a lot of people are responding to this and I don't want to discourage you from the support offered here, however, can this be moved to maybe a different board? I fail to see how this fits on a budget board without stretching.

i think somewhere above, the original question relating to saving money had to do with the cost of the bed alarm, but yeah, it took went down a rabbit trail for sure.