Vacation with a bed wetter...

[LegoMom3]

My 6-yr. old DS wets the bed now and then. He's a hard sleeper and if he's really tired, he just doesn't wake up to pee! Now we've got our WDW trip coming up in September for a week. We all know he's gonna be tired!!

Knowing there must be more of you out there who also deal with this, has anyone used the "Goodnights" pants? Are they just like a Pull-up but for bigger kids? I don't know what other recourse I have but if it looks like a diaper/Pull-up I'm afraid my DS won't have anything to do with them. At home I have his mattress covered and just wash his sheets, but obviously I can't do that in a hotel!

I'd love to hear your experiences & suggestions!

 

[islandbeachnut]

My DS6 & DD5 had the same problem at the time of our last visit. They both wore Goodnights. I didn't want them risking waking up wet in the morning & the Goodnights worked out great.

I don't understand if he's not around his friends why he would have a problem wearing them at 6. Would he rather wake up soaked with pee? I know mine hated that & preferred to wear the Goodnights until they outgrew it. Good luck.

 

[dylansmom1]

Good nights are great and I don't think he would object especially if it was a stipulation on being able to go to disney.

I do recommend that you might want to buy a bed wetting waterproof mattress overlay. It will help you at home too, so you don't have to wash his sheets everyday.

Try this website.

http://www.bedwettingstore.com

Also I recommend doing this to minimize his accidents

1. No liquids 1 hour before bedtime
2. Must always go to the bathroom before bed, even if he says he doesn't have to go. They almost always do.
3. Praise him when he wakes up dry
4. Don't scold him or make him feel as if he's doing anything bad when he wets the bed. It will just make him more anxious.
5. If the bedwetting contuinues past age 7 ask your pediatrician for advice. It's possible that his bladder development is behind. It's more common in boys too, since girls develop faster.

Good luck,
Jane

 

[fakereadhed]

At home I have his mattress covered and just wash his sheets, but obviously I can't do that in a hotel!

I'd love to hear your experiences & suggestions!

When traveling and staying w/relatives, I have brought along a vinyl tablecloth to put under the sheets as a waterproof layer. They have them at the $1 store, and we can throw it away after. I would call your resort and see if they have a waterproof pad they could put on the bed? As far as the sheets go...at least you get a break from washing them! I would bring a couple trash bags along and remover them for housekeeping out of courtesy. The only problem will be laundering PJs while on vacation...

Not to fear...this too shall pass

 

[Hannathy]

He should wear the good night they look as much like underwear as they can. It really isn't fair to the next person to be in the bed to let him wet the mattress when there is an easy way to prevent it. I don't understand the problem either he is with his family and it is unavoidable. You aren't asking him to wear them to the park and even then no one would know. He is old enough to understand the situation if you explain it and say it is either this or we can't go which would you prefer? I would bet I know the answer.

 

[bugbugmom]

You can also buy those disposable pads called Assurance. I would use those for my elderly father to keep the bed clean and dry. You can purchase them from Walmart. Also, you might want to bring some plastic bags to dispose of any soiled pads.

 

[murcor]

Waterproof Mattress Overlays pad.

A large square pad is made of cloth with the waterproof material inside. You place it on the sheet, if an accident happens, it only wets the pad not the sheets. Then toss in the washer and dryer and its good to use again. They fold up small and tossed in your suitcase to take anywhere. I also just read on this thread about the disposable pads, good idea for travelling.

We found when using plastic/vinyl over or under the sheets, it retains heat, get very warm and made it uncomfortable for sleeping. (they always woke sweating)

I agree with Jane (dylansmom1) tips on minimizing accidents. I would also like to add that we get the kids up to use the bathroom one last time when we go to bed. This helps alot.

Good Luck

Angela

 

[Wickedmom75]

Go for the goodnights and the assurance pads for the beds. The good nights are plain and don't attract a lot of attention . Pack extra jammies and a big ziplock bag to throw the wet ones in until you can wash them. When DS was going through this he slept in plain boxers and white tshirts made it easier to wash them and less expensive then regular jammies. Oh and bring some shopping bags for the goodnights and the bed pads if you decide to go that route. Good luck

 

[SueM in MN]

Housekeeping at all the WDW resorts (and most other hotels) have rubber sheets that you can request to protect the bed. Just call
housekeeping when you get to your room. They will bring a rubber sheet plus an extra set of sheets so you can change the bed in the middle of the night of you have to.
Even with rubber sheets, I'd still recommend Goodnights. My youngest DD who is disabled wears them to bed. She's usually dry at night, but wears them just in case. Using Goodnights might save you from having to wash PJs and take care of wet sheets during the night.

 

[In Luv with Disney]

I have the same problem with my 4 1/2 y ear old. I have been putting Pull Ups on him at night, but he still wakes up wet with them!!! Should I be trying Good Nights????????? Do they hold more urine?? I hate wasting money on Pull Ups or Easy Ups if they aren't going to work!!!

 

[mlwear]

My 8 year old special needs DS wears Goodnights. For some reason he decided that pull-ups are for babies. I don't see the difference except that the Goodnights come in sizes to accomodate larger/older children. The biggest size I think is 70-120 pounds (I think would have to go check to be 100% sure). They also have older kid designs on them--probably why the pull-ups seem more babyish. I found erring on the side of getting them too large will result in leaks. You may want to try them at home before vacation.

My older son was late at keeping his bed dry and when we went on vacation or visited relatives, I just told him that he had to wear it. I was as kind as I could be. (The pediatric urologist told him that he shouldn't feel like he is the only one (this was one he was in first grade). He assured him that there was at least one other kid in his class that had the same issue. He gave him some statistics in a way he could understand. That helped a lot.) But, back to the point, I just told him that the Goodnights are made because a lot of kids go through this and wearing one was not like wearing a diaper. He didn't like the embarrassment of a wet bed and that too helped him feel more comfortable about wearing the Goodnight.

I agree with an earlier post. Be sure to have some extra plastic bags or an extra wastebasket liner in your room. You will want to tie the bag off after disposing the Goodnight. They can really be smelly. Much, much more than a wet diaper, IMO, plus in a small enclosed area.

With Goodnights we don't have to use any other protective sheets or coverings. I do have a waterproof matterss pad on his bed at home (not the vinyl kind, though--too hot and uncomfortable). His bed doesn't get wet. If you try the Goodnights before you leave, you will see if this is the case for you as well.

 

[mlwear]

I have the same problem with my 4 1/2 y ear old. I have been putting Pull Ups on him at night, but he still wakes up wet with them!!! Should I be trying Good Nights????????? Do they hold more urine?? I hate wasting money on Pull Ups or Easy Ups if they aren't going to work!!!

Do the boy pull-ups have a front and back? I didn't write in my last post, but if DS mistakenly puts his on backward he will leak. I haven't bought pull-ups in a long time, so I don't remember much--is your son over or under the weight guidelnies?
I briefly wrote about weight guildelines. When I bought a larger size before DS was ready (he was maybe 5 pounds too small for the larger size), he leaked.
Doesn't the same company make pull-ups that makes Goodnights? I would give them a call (probably a number on the bag) and ask. You might even get a few coupons!
One tip I haven't read yet, is limiting Dairy product intake in the evening. Sounds weird, but we noticed a big difference with this one.
There is a good book called Getting to Dry by Maizels, Rosenbaum and Keating.

 

[DW2006]

Hi! One of my children is an extended bedwetter. He has been in a goodnight at night for years. Yes they in essence are a pull up. They are cut larger for bigger kids and don't have as much ''bulk'' so that they are more trimline. The boys currently have ATVs and riders on them. They have saved us. My son has no issue with them. But they have been a part of his life for a very long time. He has his own system and all for taking it off and getting it own...and it just isn't somthing that draws a lot of attention to him. KWIM. IN my opinion it would be well worth it, if you son would wear them. I know my parents just visited us here a month or so ago. My son forgot his goodnight and the hotel charged $100 for damage!!! Over at goodnights website you can also print out a coupon.

 

[LegoMom3]

Thanks for all the input, encouragement and kind words! We are definitely going to try the Goodnights; camping this summer will be a good opportunity for that. I would never dream of just taking my chances at the hotel! That's why I'm looking for a solution now. I did mention the Goodnights to my DS and he understood fine. He had some issues with potty training in the first place and we went through some rough emotional times, that's why I'm sensitive to his feelings on the matter (heck you ought to be anyway!).

To the poster who suggested bags for disposal of these things, thank you!! Great idea I wouldn't have thought of. I've always got extra grocery bags around and they squish down real small for packing!

 

[dotnang]

Hi-- my 6yr DS still wets the bed occassionally too. We've recently went to the Goodnites and/or pull ups for 5T + I think he's has less accident's because he's not stressed out before going to bed at night. I"m sure he'll grow out of it but for now pull ups are the way to go. They have Boy prints on them and do not look like diapers. Good luck!

 

[SueM in MN]

With Goodnights we don't have to use any other protective sheets or coverings. I do have a waterproof matterss pad on his bed at home (not the vinyl kind, though--too hot and uncomfortable). His bed doesn't get wet. If you try the Goodnights before you leave, you will see if this is the case for you as well.

I would recommend still getting waterproof sheets from Housekeeping even if he does use Goodnights.
My youngest DD who has special needs does wear Goodnights. She is usually dry in the morning, but sometimes wets and occasionally she does get the bed wet because of how she is laying or how wet she was.

 

[TallyLassie]

Good Nights are great. A woman at Target saw them in my cart once and told me they sell them on Ebay cheaper. I looked and some of the listings are cheaper, even with the shipping.

If you search for them on Ebay they are actually spelled "Goodnites" or "Good nites"

 

[joanchris]

The goodnights are great, and if you have a CVS store near you they have a store brand that I think works even better, and cheaper, especially when on sale! Same sizing etc as goodnights. I have a 10 yr old special needs daughter who wears these daily and they are a lifesaver!

 

[daisyduck123]

The goodnights are great, and if you have a CVS store near you they have a store brand that I think works even better

That's funny you should mention that.
10 years ago, when my DD was in diapers, she was our first, so we tried every diaper on the market to find the best.

Well, back then, the CVS stores around us were all "Peoples Drug Stores" & their "store brand" diapers won!! They were better than all other brands we tried.

 

[isla bonita]

My sons best friend has the same problem sometimes. I keep them in a cupboard in my bath for when he is over. They have worked like a charm.