Bed wetting is a common but embarrassing problem. You want to do what you can to help, and a bed wetting alarm might be precisely what you need. For a child who has passed the age where nighttime accidents are acceptable, bed wetting can be frustrating and socially debilitating. Bed wetting can affect sleepovers with friends, vacations and camps.
A bed wetting alarm is a small buzzer that attaches to the underwear, setting off a signal when it gets wet. There are also bed wetting alarm pads that sound an alarm when touched by moisture.
Before deciding to use a bed wetting alarm, make sure that your child wants to use it. If she feels forced to use the alarm, positive results may not follow. Bed wetting alarms can be used beginning at the age of five.
Once you have purchased a bed wetting alarm, teach your child how to use it. Explain that the alarm is there to help her to use the bathroom at night instead of sleeping through an accident. Encourage her to get up as soon as she hears the alarm-or sooner, as her body adapts.
Showing your child how it works can help to ease her fears, especially if she's young. Practice setting off the alarm with a wet finger and then going into the bathroom. This way she'll see the alarm is not going to hurt her and is there for her benefit.
Before bed, explain how it works one more time. Be positive; this is a good thing! You can make it a sort of game, trying to beat the alarm.
Your child may need help using the alarm. Perhaps she doesn't wake up when the alarm goes off. If this is the case, you should get out of bed when you hear the alarm, go to her room and tell her to get out of bed and stand up. Never turn the alarm off for your child; she needs to get used to being responsible for the accident.
Other things to consider are the child's room. If it is dark, get a night light so that your child can easily see the path to the bathroom. A fear of the dark may cause some children to stay in bed even when they have to use the toilet, causing them to pee themselves. A calendar marking wet nights versus dry nights can help your child to see her progress. Continue using the bed wetting alarm until your child can go three to four weeks without an accident. Remind your child when she has an accident that it's only a minor setback. It can take several months to be able to make it three to four weeks without an accident. Eventually her body will get used to waking up to a full bladder, and it will be natural.
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