I don’t think there is anything “wrong”. I frequently see this pattern of wetting, especially in children who have just begun using a bedwetting alarm. Since parents now know when the wetting is occurring, they are surprised and amazed that it occurs so early in the sleep cycle. In children with bedwetting, it seems that their bladder and pelvic floor muscles relax and let the urine flow out when their body relaxes and falls into deep sleep. Their bladder isn’t so full that it can’t hold any more urine; their body just lets the accumulated urine out at the wrong time. Two hours into the sleep cycle is when we are all very groggy, can’t make sense of where we are, and have very little memory of this sleep interruption. Parents observe a disoriented child, who may be combative or resistant, who do not remember the alarm at all in the morning.

When your son is ready to stop bedwetting, he will make great progress with a bedwetting alarm. Initially, the alarm will sound early in the sleep cycle, when he wets. Help him turn off the alarm and get up to the bathroom. He may not cooperate at all in the beginning (that will come later). Reattach the alarm because he may wet a second time later that night. Over the first few weeks, you will begin to see his pattern of wetting change. Instead of wetting in two hours, the wetting will happen later. His body will begin to learn that letting the urine flow out when in the deep sleep phase isn’t the best time to respond. He’ll begin to “hold it” longer and will respond more appropriately when the alarm sounds four to six hours into his sleep cycle. Eventually, he’ll get up before he wets or hold it until morning.

Continue to have him urinate twice before bed, about 30 minutes apart and limit evening fluids to water. Drinking a lot throughout the day will prevent him from being thirsty in the evening. Stopping disposable pants once he begins using a bedwetting alarm is a good time to transition to regular underwear in the nighttime. Using a waterproof mattress overlay on top of his sheet helps with clean-up.

But the best part about this alarm is that your child can choose the skin for a customized look. Most parents know that children are more excited about something that “looks good” and appeals to their interest. Putting the alarm on each night before bed is fun when you can use something that looks like a soccer ball, basketball, or pink flowers. You can choose one free skin when you buy the alarm and shop for additional ones anytime.

This economically priced alarm is well suited for a child who likes to play a role in choosing their own toys, clothes, school supplies, etc. Having a say in what style of alarm skin to get may make a huge difference in the level of cooperation, and ultimately, their level of success. The Clippo Starter Kit includes 2 mattress overlays and the book “Seven Steps to Nighttime Dryness” to help guide you on the journey to dryness.

My son usually wets once a night, gets up within a minute or so and turns off the receiver plugged into the wall. He takes off the wet underwear, usually leaves them on the floor and changes into dry underwear. He doesn’t wet a second time so does not reattach the alarm. We know when the battery needs to be replaced because the unit in the wall doesn’t sound when his underwear get wet. It works perfectly when the battery is fresh.

My guess is that your son is leaving the transmitter attached to the wet underwear that is lying on his floor. Even though he turns off the receiver (wall unit), the transmitter continues to try to send signals when it senses wetness. If it sends signals the rest of the night and next day (until it is removed from the underwear), the battery will wear out quickly. This applies to any of the wireless alarms.

A better practice is to remove the transmitter from the wet underwear immediately when the alarm sounds and you turn off the receiver. When removed from wetness, the transmitter sends no further signals and uses no energy. The battery will last much longer when your son begins doing this. If you do need a new battery, both the Rodger and Malem wireless alarms use an A23 battery.

This alarm features both sound and strong, steady vibration. 8 different, loud sounds are randomly played when urine is sensed. This prevents the child from getting used to the same sound. The alarm is set to both sound and vibrate, but can be changed to sound only or vibrate only, if that is preferred.

The sturdy sensor clip attaches to the outside of your child’s underwear, where you would expect the first drop of urine to be detected. This clip opens wide enough to accommodate cloth of any thickness.

Once the alarm is triggered, remove the sensor from the underwear, and turn it off by pushing the reset button on the side of the unit. This alarm takes AAA batteries, which are included. This alarm is a great value, at only $49.95 and can be ordered as part of a starter kit, for additional savings. For the same cost as a few bags of pull-ups, your child can become permanently dry.

Bedtime bathroom alarms, better known as bedwetting alarms, do speed up that process of getting to dryness. For girls in her age group, we recommend the Malem Ultimate Wearable Bedwetting Alarm or the Rodger Wireless Bedwetting Alarm. Read a description of these alarms and why they are well suited to your daughter.

Bedwetting alarms sense wetness and sound exactly when your daughter needs to go to the bathroom. Some parents worry that this is “too late” and the wetting has already happened. This is how behavioral conditioning works. The brain begins to make the association between the sound/vibration and the bladder emptying. Over a few nights or weeks, the urine flow is quickly stopped at the sound of the alarm. This allows the remaining urine in the bladder to be emptied into the toilet, instead of the bed.

Your “sound sleeping” daughter will begin to be aware of what a full bladder feels like and what to do next. Using a bedwetting alarm is much different than setting an alarm clock or walking her to the bathroom when you go to bed. She actually learns the proper response so she can begin to do it independently. The average child takes 8-12 weeks to get to dryness so it is important to be patient. Having dry nights is well worth the effort, though.

That sounds like great news for your son. We recommend that he wear the alarm every night until he has 14 consecutive nights of dryness, then use the alarm every other night until he has an additional 2 weeks of dryness. Have him use the alarm until he achieves the 14 dry nights in a row. If he has a wet night, he should start the 14 night countdown again. By using the alarm long enough now, the chances of relapse after he stops the alarm are much less.

We’re excited to be able to answer your question with our unique Alarm Chooser. After years of experience and feedback from our customers, we help you pick the best alarm for your child, based on their sex and age. We tell you why we recommend that particular alarm, too. You can pull down the correct information for your child on this page.

Or you can view our selections by clicking on the following categories:

Alarms for Female Age 5-6
Alarms for Female Age 7-12
Alarms for Female Teen
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Alarms for Male Special Situations

It sounds like you and your son are very motivated to solve his bed wetting. I know he sleeps through the wetting episode and would like to know when he should get up and go to the bathroom. Some children develop this ability quickly, when they are getting day toilet trained. Others, like your son, need some help in getting that brain-bladder connection when they are asleep. Using a tool like a bedwetting alarm will speed up the process of learning how to wake up to a full bladder.

Bedwetting alarms sense wetness, and then sound at precisely the moment that wetting occurs. Initially, you may need to help him wake to the alarm and remind him to get up and walk to the bathroom. Over time, his bladder will stop the urine stream in response to the sound. Then you’ll notice that he has urine left to empty in the toilet. Eventually, he’ll learn to wake up before he wets or hold his urine until morning. The average time to dryness is about 8-12 weeks, so it is important to be patient. However, a few weeks is much better than waiting a few years for him to spontaneously learn how to wake up before wetting.

The best thing about using a bedwetting alarm is that it’s a permanent solution. Once he learns how to wake up if he needs to urinate in the night, he’s just like you and me. A full bladder triggers your body to wake up and walk to the bathroom, not let it out in bed. He can then stay dry, no matter how much or what he has had to drink.

Everyone starts like this. The alarm detects the first drop of urine and immediately sounds. It pinpoints the actual time that the bladder needs to empty, not a few minutes before or a few minutes too late. There is no way to know precisely the time of the wetting until it begins to happen.

Initially, the urine comes flooding out of the bladder, just as it has always done. Even though the alarm sounds at the first drop, your son has not learned to stop the flow yet.

Over time, his bladder and brain will work together to stop the urine quickly so he can get out of bed and walk to the bathroom to empty the rest in the toilet. This is a new conditioned response and takes some time to learn.

Eventually, his brain will begin to recognize what a full bladder feels like and that he must be awake before the urine is released. He’ll learn to get up before the alarm sounds.

The first few weeks are the hardest and the messiest. Using mattress overlays (waterproof pads on top of the sheet) make your job much easier. Put one on top of his sheet before he goes to sleep. When the alarm sounds, have him walk to the bathroom and empty any urine left into the toilet. Simply replace the wet pad with a clean one and he can immediately go back to a dry bed. In the morning, just wash the overlays. The Starter Kit has two overlays in it, as well as the bedwetting alarm and the book.

The missing piece for most children with bed wetting is the ability to independently arouse from sleep to the feeling of a full bladder. Some children can do this from the time they are day toilet trained; others take longer and might need a little assistance. Bedwetting alarms speed up this development and provide a long lasting cure to the bedwetting problem.

Bedwetting alarms sense the wetness and sound to alert you and your son that he needs to wake up and walk to the bathroom. Over an average of 10-12 weeks, he will develop the ability to do this by himself. The first two weeks are the hardest and he may not even respond to the loud alarm. You should go to his room when you hear his alarm, remind him what is happening and assist him to the bathroom. He may have no urine left to empty in the toilet in the beginning. Over time, he will start having smaller wet spots in his bed and urine left to empty out when he uses the toilet. Ultimately, his body will learn to wake up to the feeling of a full bladder or hold the urine until he wakes in the morning,

Providing your son with the right “tool” to permanently stop his bedwetting in a few weeks will be a step in the right direction. Most kids are cooperative and so grateful to have something that will make a difference. The Malem Ultimate alarm, which is a wearable alarm that sounds and vibrates, is popular with boys his age. The Rodger wireless is also a great choice. The sound unit is located across the room, which encourages him to get out of bed to turn it off. You might let him look at the different options, look at the alarm videos and select the color and style he would most like to use.

While bedwetting affects up to 12% of 6 year olds, it becomes less common as kids get older (2% of 14 year olds, 1% of 16 year olds). When your child is the 1 or 2 out of 100 that continues to wet, you can begin to feel very alone and hopeless.

The good news is that bedwetting alarms work as effectively in teens as they do in younger children. It usually takes teens a little longer to get to complete dryness, but a few extra weeks to change a behavior that has been going on for years is quite manageable. I’ve found that the key to success for teens and older children is to use an alarm that is easy to use and acceptable to them.

The wireless alarms (such as the Rodger and Malem Wireless) are my recommendation for teens. A positive feature of wireless alarms is that your son must get out of bed to turn off the alarm. Since the receiver is located in an outlet or on a dresser, it will continue to sound from that location until it is turned off. Many tech savvy teens quickly disconnect the sensor from alarms that are worn on the shoulder, then roll over and go back to sleep. They rarely remember this is the morning and wonder why their alarm is disconnected but their bed is wet and they don’t remember getting up.

Another reason that wireless alarms are recommended is that there are few steps to attach them. The Rodger alarm comes with two pair of specialized briefs. (More can be purchased). Your teenage son simply puts these on when getting ready for bed. The receiver stays plugged in the wall or on the nightstand. This alarm also has a bedshaker option, which is a vibratory cushion that lies on the bed and vibrates when the alarm sounds. The Malem wireless alarm fastens to underwear he already owns (close fitting, not boxers) and can be an advantage if your family doesn’t do laundry very often. If there is no wetting, the underwear go back in the drawer. If wetting occurred, the underwear is laundered with the sheets.

Even with teens, your role is important initially. Listen for the alarm and make sure that your son is getting out of bed and walking to the bathroom as the correct response. The quicker he learns how to respond to the bedwetting alarm, the more quickly he will be on the road to dryness. If your room is far away, either of the wireless alarms can be ordered with two receivers, one for your son’s room and one for your room.

One last point is to make sure the alarm is worn long enough. Having 14 consecutive nights of dryness is important before beginning to use the alarm every other night for 14 nights. Often, my teen patients are so excited to have 4 or 5 dry nights in a row that they stop their alarm use prematurely. Wet nights begin occurring sporadically and further progress is delayed.

Wireless bedwetting alarms can be used for any age child but they are particularly well-suited for teens. Persistence and patience will help insure success.

You are describing most children. Even children who do not have bed wetting exhibit sound sleep patterns and are not easily alerted to sounds. In a study that was done by the fire department, up to 89% of all children tested (non-bed wetting) were not awakened to the sound of a smoke detector of 85 decibels. All of the adults in these households were awakened and the children were finally alerted by their parents’ voices.

This same phenomenon often occurs when using bed wetting alarms initially. Even though most of our bed wetting alarms sound at about 80 decibels, many children will not arouse independently when the alarm sounds. In the beginning, the alarm is for the parents. When you hear your son’s alarm sound, go to his room and remind him what is happening and what he should do. We know that children can be conditioned to respond to familiar sounds and eventually know how to respond to that sound. Over time, your son will understand that the sound he is hearing is important and means that he should stop the flow of urine and get out of bed to go to the bathroom. Of course, if he hears the alarm and knows what to do from the first night on, that makes your job a little easier.

Our wireless alarms, the Rodger and Malem wireless, can both be ordered with dual receivers, one for your son’s room and one for your room. This works well for homes where the bedrooms are far apart. Both of these wireless alarms have a volume control dial on the receiver so the volume can be adjusted to be louder than the shoulder worn models. Another feature unique to the wireless alarms is that your son must get out of bed to turn the alarm off and stop the noise. Wireless alarms are great for those older children who are good at reaching for the alarm on their shoulder, turning it off and rolling over.

The wearable alarms, like the Malem Ultimate or Malem auditory, have a strong constant tone of about 80 decibels. If you cannot hear this alarm from your room, you could use a baby monitor in your son’s room. The Malem Selectable alarm and the wireless alarms all offer a choice of 8 different tones. In some situations, one tone is more likely to alert your son than others. You could experiment with different sounds to see what works best.

(I get this question so frequently that I am re-posting some information from last year).

The components are:
1) The bedwetting alarm of your choice. You can choose a wearable alarm like the Malem Ultimate, or a wireless alarm like the Rodger wireless.
2) Two waterproof washable mattress overlays. These are essential for the children who are transitioning from disposable pants to cloth underwear. (Recommended when you begin using an alarm). Middle of the night clean-up is so much easier when you just remove the soiled pad and quickly replace it with a clean one. Morning laundry is just a pad or two, rather than entire sets of sheets. I recommend the overlays with the tuck in flaps, which stay in place even with a child’s movement.
3) The book “Seven Steps to Nighttime Dryness”. This book guides you with using the alarm, what to expect, what the parents’ role is, and how long things take. Knowing what to expect makes using a bedwetting alarm easier for everyone. “Unrealistic expectations” is the number one reason that families fail to be successful when using an alarm.

Call us (800-214-9605) if you have any questions about the Alarm Starter Kits. If there is an alarm that you want, but it’s not offered in a Starter Kit, call us and we will create a Starter Kit just for you.

“Our daughter was interested in using the potty by herself in the daytime at a young age and she was fully day trained before she was 2. We did not worry about night time dryness, assuming it would sort out spontaneously, but it frustrated her a great deal by the time she was 3 and 4. Her frustration mounted over time, with many morning tantrums over waking up wet. We then tried all of the standard approaches, including setting alarms for us and trying to wake her at assorted times during the night. Basically, she slept so deeply it was impossible to wake her up, and so all failed.

At 5, she informed us that her friends slept dry, and this was not fair. We did some research and talked with her about using an alarm; we explained how they work, and that she would have to decide to listen to her body in the middle of the night, and get up to use the bathroom until her bladder learned to hold all night long. Several weeks later she announced that she would like to have the alarm. I purchased the Rodger wireless alarm, as she often does not like to wear a shirt to sleep in at night, and we did not want to add any additional stress. Based on advice in the other reviews, we also purchased 3 pads and 2 addition sets of alarm underwear (a total of 3 changes all around), the remote alarm for our room, and the vibration alarm for under her pillow since she was such a deep sleeper. We unpacked together, set everything up, let her pick the alarm tone, and practiced several times before bedtime – she pretended to sleep, we set off the alarm artificially, and she had to get up, turn it off herself, and walk to the bathroom with us, sit on the toilet, and at least try to pee.

She was so enthusiastic we were concerned that it might not work, or could take several months, increasing her frustration instead of getting to a solution – so we made sure to talk about how her body might take some time to learn, and she would have to be patient, and tried to set her sights on success in a month or two and not in a few days. The first night, we were up three times, with full floods, and I was very glad of the extra changes for everything – it made getting though possible for all of us. The second night, one flood, and one partial wet. The third night, one partial wet, and one drop, The fourth night, one drop. The fifth night, nothing.

Her ability to wake up changed dramatically as well, the first time the alarm went off, she didn’t budge for several minutes (and believe me, it is LOUD), however, we followed the instructions to the letter, and encouraged her but made sure that she was the one to sit up and turn it off, and walk to the bathroom on her own, etc. By the second night, we were able to encourage her more, because the volume of urine was so clearly so much less, which really resonated with her. By the third night it was clear to all of us it was working, and her enthusiasm for the project, already extremely high, only increased – and the rest is history.

We stayed with the system until she was fully dry for 14 days, as suggested – she did have a few in between lapses, aka she would go totally dry for a week, and then have an alarm for a tiny tiny leak. In all, it was one month from start to finish. It’s now been four months, and not even an accident. I can’t say enough about how well this worked, or recommend it highly enough. Finally, there were no issues with the purchase, everything arrived promptly and in good conditions, and the quality was excellent. Hope this helps anyone on the fence – it was a big investment, but well worth alleviating this incredible frustration for our daughter and empowering her to participate in a solution”.

How Common Is Bed-Wetting in Children

Yes, bedwetting is common in children. As many as 1-in-10 7 year olds continue to wet every night. That means in your child’s second or third grade class, at least 1 or 2 other kids are affected. As children get older, bedwetting does decrease so that only 1 % of teens are affected.

What’s “Normal” When It Comes to Bed-Wetting

There is a wide range of normal and we don’t exactly know why one child continues to wet while another quickly gets dry. It could be due to development and having a bladder that can’t store urine for the entire night. Sometimes the ability to recognize when the bladder is full and get up has not developed. Often a parent or other family member was similarly affected so heredity does play a role. Since the majority of children have achieved dryness by school age, children who are 6 or so and still wetting are considered to have bedwetting. Before this age, nighttime wetness can be a normal pattern.

When Should We Talk to our Health Care Provider about Bed-Wetting

If your child is school age and continues to wet most nights, it should be discussed with your doctor or health care provider. Research has found that many parents of 9 year olds with bedwetting have not mentioned it to anyone. If your doctor does not ask about nighttime wetting, bring it up yourself. Remind your child that this is no different than mentioning other conditions like constipation or diarrhea. Even though it is embarrassing, a confidential office visit is the perfect place to seek help. Many parents assume that there is nothing that can be done or that their child’s wetting has to do with their parenting skills. These assumptions are not true!

Treatment

Most pediatricians and urologists recognize that bedwetting alarms are the most effective and long lasting way for kids to become dry in a few weeks. Although bedwetting alarms take effort from the parents and children in the beginning, the results are worth it. If your health care provider does not recommend any treatment, it may be because they haven’t learned much about bedwetting alarms. Bedwetting alarms sense wetness from the underwear and sound and vibrate to alert the user that wetting is occurring. Over time, the child’s brain begins to recognize when the bladder is full and coordinates the waking and walking to the bathroom. The biggest benefit is that the time to get to dryness can be shortened from a few years to a few weeks.

Each year, 15% of bedwetters spontaneously become dry. The other 85% will continue to wet for another year or until parents do something to speed up the progress. It sounds like your 8 year old is ready for that help to stop her bedwetting. It is frustrating for kids who sleep right through the episode of wetting. In the morning, the bed or pull-up is wet and she doesn’t know when it happened.

Bedwetting alarms are the solution! The moisture sensor detects the wetness and lets you know when the wetting is occurring. The alarm sounds and/or vibrates to alert you to make sure your daughter gets up to walk to the bathroom. Over time, her brain begins to make the connection of the loud sound, a full bladder and walking to the bathroom.

Take time to read a few of the reviews that other parents have written about their experience with the Malem Ultimate or the Rodger wireless or Malem wireless alarms. Many of these parents commented that they wished they had tried the alarm sooner or that they were skeptical, but the alarms worked so well. Bedwetting alarms are an effective type of behavioral conditioning and work well for even the heaviest sleepers. The best part is that this is a permanent solution with a low relapse rate. Once your daughter learns to wake up when she has a full bladder, she can walk herself to the bathroom and be free to accept sleepover invitations whenever she wants.

Since you’re writing to ask this question, I assume that both you and your son are ready to tackle this problem. I will also assume that he wets most nights and now wears disposables or that you do daily laundry. Since invitations to sleepovers with friends will most likely be popping up in the next year or so, this is a great age to help him stop wetting.

The equipment that you need consists of a bedwetting alarm, some waterproof bed protection and some guidance. There are many bedwetting alarms to choose from and they all function to sense moisture and alert your son (and you) that wetting is occurring. Our most popular alarm is the Malem Ultimate, which sounds and vibrates both in response to the wetness. The small sensor fastens to the outside of his underwear and the sensor cord goes under his shirt. The alarm unit fastens to his shoulder and stays put while he moves about in the night. The Malem alarm series also features a wireless model, in which the sound unit sits on a bedside table across the room. This is a great choice for kids who roll over and go back to sleep at the sound of the alarm. The Malem wireless alarm requires that your son walk over to the alarm to turn it off. It can be ordered with an optional receiver for your room as well. If these alarms don’t seem to be the best fit for your son, look at the many others that we carry. Choosing a dependable and comfortable alarm that he will easily and reliably wear each night is important.

The next piece of equipment is waterproof bed protection. When he begins using the alarm, he should transition out of disposable pants and wear regular underwear to bed. You will now be alerted when he wets and you want him to quickly go back to a dry bed after he has walked to the bathroom. My patients love waterproof mattress overlays, which are absorbent waterproof pads that lie on top of the sheet. The ones with the tuck in sides stay in place and protect the sheets from getting wet. In the morning, only the pads need to be laundered. Encasing his mattress in a zippered vinyl cover further protects it from any leaking or wetness.

Lastly, guidance to know that you are doing things correctly is important. Children with bedwetting are all very sound sleepers and many do not hear the alarm by themselves. Your role to wake him when you hear the alarm is important to his success. The first couple weeks can be difficult for parents but knowing what to expect can make it easier. My book, Seven Steps to Nighttime Dryness, describes the process and what to expect at each phase.

The equipment that I’ve described can be purchased individually or bought together, as a Bedwetting Starter Kit. The Starter kit includes my book, and you can decide which alarm and overlays you would like included. This kit saves you money over buying the components individually and includes the bed wetting equipment that your son needs to be successful.

This mother also mentions that she wished she had used this method sooner, a sentiment that I hear frequently. If your child is school age and wetting most nights, I highly recommend trying a bedwetting alarm. Your child should be cooperative and excited to find a solution. If you aren’t seeing that yet, it’s okay to offer helpful suggestions until he or she is ready for a permanent cure. Bedwetting alarms are not scary–they are small, colorful, make lots of cool sounds and help kids make rapid progress toward dry nights. It may be the best money you’ll spend this summer. Solving this problem lets your child have a worry-free summer: going to camp, spending the night with friends and relatives and looking forward to the next school year.

This question brings up an important point. When using a bedwetting alarm, the type of alarm and correct positioning are very important to achieving success.

I have successfully used several types of alarms for girls. One recommendation is the Malem Ultimate or the Malem wireless alarm. Both of these alarms use a small easy-clip sensor which is comfortably placed on the outside of underwear in the crotch area. Because this sensor is small (1/2 by 1 inch) and on the outside of the underwear, the girls can easily position it where they expect the first drops of urine to come through. The advantage of the Malem alarms with the easy clip sensor is that your daughter can use her own underwear at night. The Malem Ultimate alarm unit sounds and vibrates and is located on the shoulder. With the wireless Malem alarm, the receiver is placed on the dresser so she would have to get out of bed to turn it off. Over time, she would become adept at exactly the right placement for her. (In girls who have gone through puberty, the correct sensor placement during menses would be beyond the edge of the sanitary napkin. During this time of the month, the overflow urine would be detected and the teen alerted that she needs to get up). If you begin using the right alarm for your 7 year old daughter now, though, I doubt that you will have any worries by the time she’s a teen.

Another recommendation is the Rodger bedwetting alarm, which comes with two pair of specialized briefs. These briefs have moisture detecting threads woven from the front to the back of the briefs. The briefs are comfortable cotton and feel no different to the wearer than their regular underwear. No matter what position your daughter is in when the urination begins, the briefs are there to detect the first drops of moisture. Once moisture is detected, a small transmitter on the waistband sends a message to the receiver that is plugged into the wall. The receiver sounds to alert the child and parents that wetting is occurring. Your daughter would have to get out of bed and walk over to turn off the alarm. (If your daughter wets more than once a night or you are not able to get laundry done every day, I recommend that you purchase extra underwear so that clean, dry pants are always available. Either a white or turquoise color is available.)

First, if your child is currently using an alarm, we would not expect him or her to take it to camp with them. They can interrupt usage and restart when they come home. If your family is traveling together and using the alarm could be handled discreetly, continuing alarm use while on vacation would be great.

Secondly, a backup plan should be in place, even for children who wet intermittently. Here are a few suggestions:

• Wear disposable pants, with a plan for putting them on discreetly and for disposal in the morning. Disposables come in all sizes, even small through extra large adult sizes. If your child has outgrown traditional children’s pull-ups, there are still many options. Disposable male guards or women’s incontinence pads can be secured to regular underwear to catch a small amount of urine. Disposable underpads that lie on a sheet or in a sleeping bag have tape strips to hold them in place.

• Use washable bedtime pants to preserve dignity. These can be a nice back-up for kids who are dry most nights but want to make sure there is no leakage onto bedding.

• Waterproof sleeping bag liners fit into a regular sleeping bag. They provide a comfortable, waterproof surface for sleeping without raising questions from other campers.

• Mattress overlays can be used on top of a sheet or used inside a sleeping bag. The overlays can be discreetly pulled into place when your child is ready to go to sleep.

• Make arrangements with the camp counselor to have toileting twice before bedtime and to continue a lifting routine if this is used successfully at home. (Lifting is when a caregiver walks the child to the bathroom at a designated time.)

• Medication, such as desmopressin, can be used temporarily to decrease the amount of urine produced that night. The correct dosage should be determined a week or two before camp begins. Only a small amount of liquid (2-4 ounces) should be ingested once this medication is used. It is best dosed shortly before actually going to sleep.

Lastly, make sure that your child knows that they are not alone and most camps are very helpful in discreetly handling any wetting episodes. Fluid of choice after dinner is water. Double voiding before going to sleep is helpful. Staying well hydrated during the day is helpful so the kids are not so thirsty later in the day.

I can honestly tell you that my patients do not describe this alarm as being uncomfortable. Some of the kids mention that wearing a smaller, closer fitting shirt is best so the alarm unit doesn’t move around as much when they move in their sleep. The sensor cord is attached to the alarm unit with a plastic “phone jack” and does not pull out with movement. Since the sensor cord is situated under the shirt, it moves as your child moves, with little chance of it being tugged on with movement.

If your child is concerned about the placement on the shoulder, a wireless alarm, such as the Rodger wireless or Malem wireless would be a good choice. With the wireless alarms, nothing is situated on the shoulder. The transmitter is snapped on the waistband (Rodger) or magnetically clips to the waistband (Malem). The alarm that sounds is located across the room. With the DRI Eclipse alarm, a small wafer like transmitter is placed inside a pull-up or pantyliner. Again, the alarm is across the room, not on the shoulder.

There are so many comfortable bedwetting alarm options that you and your child should be able to choose what will work best for your situation. If you have additional questions, call our helpful Customer Service team at 800-214-9605.

Congratulations to your son on the great progress that he has made! Readiness for sleepovers often depends on the child, the comfort level with the family he’ll be staying with and the child’s confidence. If he wants to give it a try, he’ll probably do just fine. Often the kids are more careful about the fluid intake, double voiding before bed and don’t sleep as long or as deeply as they do at home. (You can gently remind him of those things before he goes). Some kids take their own sleeping bag with a waterproof pad pinned on the inside, or use a waterproof sleeping bag liner, as a back up. Have you ever seen him get up to urinate on his dry nights, before the alarm sounds? Once he can do this regularly, he will be totally dry.
After he is successful at the sleepover, I would still recommend that he wear the alarm until he has 14 consecutive nights of dryness.

As you’ve experienced, your son cannot make progress getting to dryness when he is doing the wrong behavior in response to the alarm. He’s not alone; tech savvy kids can pick up on quickly unplugging the cord to turn off the sound (sometimes in their sleep).

I do have some tips to correct this:

1) Review with him that the purpose of the alarm sounding is to remind him to get out of bed and walk to the bathroom. He won’t be successful in staying dry if he doesn’t learn to do this.
2) Make it more difficult to turn the alarm off. Use electrical or masking tape to secure the sensor cord into the alarm box.
3) Have him wear two pair of underwear to bed. The alarm sensor should be attached to the underwear closest to his body. Then put on a second pair of briefs over the top. This makes it more difficult to remove the sensor and causes the alarm to sound a little longer.
4) With the alarm sounding longer, you will have more of an opportunity to hear the alarm and go to his room to remind him of the right response. Use a baby monitor so that you can help him with his response.
5) Know that for the next couple weeks, your job will be important. Enforce the response of your son getting out of bed and walking to the bathroom when the alarm sounds. Be persistent, remind him, “That is your alarm. You have to get up and walk to the bathroom.”
6) Review the proper way to turn the alarm off. First lift the sensor tab that attaches to the underwear, and then push the reset button on the side of the alarm. The phone jack should not be touched.
7) If these tips don’t give you results, you may consider getting a wireless alarm. With the Malem wireless or Rodger wireless alarms, the sound comes from across the room. Your son has to get out of bed to turn of the alarm.

By insuring the right response to his alarm, your son should resume making progress toward having dry nights.

Occasionally, parents will forget to buy replacement batteries, forget to have the underwear laundered or their alarm unit will break or malfunction. These events can be frustrating, but a short interruption should not impact the overall progress. Just restart alarm use once the problem is corrected.

If it was an interruption of a few weeks, it would resemble starting over. Occasionally a long interruption will be necessary in a family. Just know that even if this occurs, restarting the alarm consistently will provide renewed progress.

On some occasions, a family’s out-of-town sleeping arrangements will be private. If this is the case, taking the alarm along is recommended. Using an overlay over the sheet would prevent any wetness on the mattress.

After your daughter has achieved 14 consecutive nights of dryness, followed by 14 nights of using the alarm every other night, she can discontinue alarm use. More weeks of dryness translate to more confidence about sleepover situations. You might do a trial sleepover in which she invites a friend to your home. She will begin to see that she can stay dry in any situation.

I’m so glad that you are looking for a bed wetting solution now so he has time to stop bed wetting before summer comes. Since the average child takes about 10-12 weeks to get to dryness using a bed wetting alarm, starting now will most likely enable him to be dry by his summer campout. Bed wetting alarms speed up the ability of the brain and bladder to make their connection in the nighttime. Waiting without doing anything would probably find him still wetting by the time summer comes. As you can read in our product reviews, most families are overjoyed at the success that bed wetting alarms bring to their children and often wish they had used the alarm sooner.

The two most popular alarms for his age group are the Malem Ultimate Selectable alarm in the Camouflage or Royal Blue color or the Malem wireless alarm, if he does not wear a shirt to bed. The Malem Ultimate Selectable alarm unit fastens to his shoulder, where the sound and vigorous vibration come from. This alarm allows him to pick his “ringtone”, which many of the kids enjoy doing. If he gets used to one tone and doesn’t respond as quickly, he can select another of 8 tones. The small Easy-clip sensor securely fastens to the outside of his own underwear.

The Malem wireless alarm is well suited for kids who prefer not to have the alarm unit on their shoulder. The wireless receiver, where the sound comes from, should be placed on his dresser so that he has to get out of bed and walk over to it to turn the sound off. If your son has begun waking to an alarm clock to get ready for school, this might be a good choice. Since his brain has connected the importance of waking to his alarm clock, he should be able to connect the importance of waking to his bed wetting alarm sound. This alarm also allows the choice of one of 8 sounds, so he could choose one similar to his alarm clock. This alarm does not vibrate. Another wireless option that does have an optional vibrating cushion is the Rodger wireless alarm. The vibrating cushion is activated at the same time as the sound and would be placed near his body.

You may want to have him choose which of these alarms he is most likely to use. Any of them will be effective in helping him get to dryness before his summer camp out. The Starter Kit, with any of these alarms included, also features the book “Seven Steps to Nighttime Dryness”, which walks you through what to expect when using an alarm and two waterproof overlays which lie on top of his sheet. Overlays make middle of the night changes quicker and save on laundering sheets every day. The best part is that you save over $20 when you order these essential items together.

The DRI Eclipse is a small, wireless alarm with a firm plastic moisture sensor (Urosensor) that is placed into a slit cut in the pull-up or panty liner. There are no wires anywhere on this alarm. Once moisture is sensed, a signal is transmitted to the small (3 inches) receiver, which could be located on a nightstand or dresser. A loud chirping sound comes from this receiver and it should be switched off by getting out of bed and turning it off. To reattach, simply use a fresh pull-up or panty liner. For children who are too large for pull-ups, a disposable panty liner can be adhered to their own underwear. The Urosensor should be positioned so that it is close to the top layer of the liner.

The DRI Excel is a small battery operated wearable alarm that is attached to the pajama top with a Velcro strip that is sewn or pinned in place. A thin cord runs down the inside of the shirt to the urine detector, which is placed inside the pull-up or mini pad. The flexible plastic urine detector should be situated so that it detects the first few drops of urine. Once moisture is sensed, the alarm on the shoulder makes a loud chirping sound. The alarm is turned off by disconnecting the sensor cord from it.

Either the wireless or wearable model work well to alert child and parents that wetting is occurring when they are wearing a pull-up. As with any bedwetting alarm, you should insure that your child gets up and walks to the bathroom when the alarm sounds. Turning the alarm off and going back to sleep in the wet pull-up is counter productive to the conditioning process. Assist your child to change into a dry pull-up or underwear with a panty liner when they return from the bathroom. Having a supply of disposables ready (with the slit cut in them) at the bedside makes middle of the night changing much quicker.

Deciding when your family and your child are both ready to work on achieving nighttime dryness is very individual.
6 things to consider are:
• your child’s temperament
• family stressors-pick a low stress time to begin
• your child’s goals and motivators-wanting to work on becoming dry is important
• your child’s age
• whether they have had any dry nights-a 4-5 year old child with many dry nights may continue to get to dryness without much intervention, a 6-7 year old who has never had a dry night might need a little more help
• ability to be reliably dry during the day-day dryness should be achieved before tackling nighttime dryness

Parents know their own children and their own family dynamics better than anyone else. There is not an absolute “right age” for everyone so you will have to be the judge of that. Remember that you do not have to wait for your child “to grow out of it” because there are such effective steps you can take to end bedwetting within a few weeks or months.

You can compare treating bedwetting to treating acne in teenagers. When your teen is bothered by acne, you can intervene and begin some treatment. Products will not be consistently used when they are not motivated or bothered by their complexion. When your teen is concerned about acne, you certainly would not want to say, “Don’t worry, in a few years, this will be over. We don’t need to do anything”. You would provide the most effective products that are available to shorten the years that he or she would have to deal with it. Both children with bedwetting and teens with acne are thankful for parents who help them through these rough phases of growing up.

Flexible spending accounts can certainly be used for items such as bedwetting alarms. More families are setting aside pre-tax dollars for Durable Medical Equipment (DME) items that are not reimbursable by insurers. Using this money for a bedwetting alarm to stop your child’s bedwetting will save you many dollars in the long run. In terms of medical devices, bedwetting alarms are relatively inexpensive. The cost of disposable pants and laundry do add up over time, not to mention medication co-pays and your child’s self-esteem.

It is always a pleasant surprise to find that a product that your child needs is indeed reimbursable by your insurer. Bedwetting (Enuresis) alarms fall into the category of Durable Medical Equipment (DME). Your insurance policy should specify your coverage for DME or you can contact your insurer for this information for your own policy. If the customer service representative wants to know the code for a bedwetting alarm, the HCPCS code for Enuresis Alarms is S8270. (Enuresis and bedwetting mean the same thing). If your bedwetting alarm is reimbursable, submit your sales receipt to your own insurer and they send you the check. The Bedwetting Store does not participate directly with the insurance companies or do the paperwork involved. This allows us to keep our costs lower than going through a pharmacy.

It sounds like your son is very motivated to get to dryness. You have pinpointed several reasons why setting an alarm clock to sound at an arbitrary time is not an effective method for helping your son get to dryness. Because you are unable to predict exactly when your son will need to urinate, you are unable to set the clock to alert him precisely at the right time.

Because bedwetting alarms sense wetness, they do not sound until the precise time that wetting is occurring. If he doesn’t wet or need to go to the bathroom that night, the alarm won’t sound. If he needs to go twice, the alarm will alert him twice. This precise timing is what allows the brain and bladder to make that important connection. Your son will begin to be alerted when he is wetting and conditioned to wake up to a full bladder.

Parents often ask, “Isn’t it too late to be alerted if the urine is already coming out?” In the beginning, the bladder may completely empty before your son or you can respond. Over the first few weeks, however, the usual response is that the urine flow stops at the sound of the alarm. Instead of a large wet spot on the bed, the spot is reduced to a quarter sized spot on the underwear. Urine remains in the bladder and can be emptied in the toilet. Ultimately, his brain will alert your son to wake up before urination happens.

Kids typically are not scared by the sounds the alarms make in the nighttime. Remember that kids are sound sleepers and often are not alerted by sounds that are not important to them. The sound the alarm makes should be loud enough for parents to hear from their room. Parents’ voices are often the best alert for children. When you hear the alarm sound, go to your son’s room and remind him to get up and walk to the bathroom. Over time, he will begin to make the association between the sound, wetting and getting up to walk to the bathroom. Two of our alarms, the Malem wireless and the Rodger wireless alarms can be ordered with 2 receivers, one for your room and one for your son’s room.

Play with the bed wetting alarm when you receive it. Let your son see how it sounds when it comes in contact with wetness. Have him turn it off and review what he will do in the middle of the night. Bedwetting alarms continue to be the most effective tool to help condition children to wake up instead of wetting in their bed.

Stock up on protective undergarments. Because they don’t require washing and drying, disposables are ideal for travel. It’s a good idea to take more than you think your child will need, just in case. In addition to what you can find in the grocery stores, we carry several styles of pull-ups available in sizes to fit larger or older kids. For example, the Tranquility Overnight Disposable Underwear, are available in an XS Adult (17-28” waist) and S Adult (22-36” waist) and absorb 2-1/2 cups, about a cup more than GoodNites.

Disposable underpads are also a great product to have when traveling. They have an absorbent layer and a waterproof layer and can be placed right on top of the fitted sheet. The most popular ones are the underpads with the adhesive strips on the back. These pads stay in place, even if your child is a restless sleeper. They can also be used with moisture-sensing alarms, so they’re a good option if you intend to use your alarm through the vacation. Again, it’s a good idea to pack more than you think you need, especially since these aren’t available in most stores.

If your child is mostly dry, but you want to ensure that your host’s bedding stays as clean as when you found it, take along a precautionary waterproof overlay. This can be discreetly placed on top of the sheet at bedtime and removed when the bed is made up the next day.

If your son has previous experience with a short-term medication such as desmopressin, he could use it during your vacation. This medication works by decreasing the amount of urine produced the night it is taken. Taking it enables some kids to have a dry night. When you return home and your son resumes using his bedwetting alarm, discontinue the medication.

Your son is exactly the type of child that bedwetting alarms work so well for. You don’t have to wait for years for his brain and bladder to make that connection. The alarm will sense the wetness and alert him and you that the wetting is occurring. Help him get up and walk to the bathroom, even though initially, most of the urine will come out in the bed. (Washable, waterproof overlays that lie on top of the sheet are very helpful at this stage). Over time, his body will begin to stop the flow of urine at the sound of the alarm and he will have urine left to empty in the toilet. Eventually, his body will alert him before the wetting occurs and he will wake up to urinate in the toilet or hold it until morning. Juice may trigger bedwetting in some children. The book, Seven Steps to Nighttime Dryness, that comes with the Starter Kit (along with the alarm and
overlays), has a complete list of foods that may affect the frequency and amount wetting. Temporarily stopping the juice and restarting after a couple of weeks of using the alarm will help you see if it makes any difference in how frequently the alarm sounds.

Parents worry that the bedwetting alarm sound will wake siblings but this usually is not the case. Siblings quickly learn that the alarm is of no concern to them so they roll over and go back to sleep if they do hear it at all. The wearable and wireless alarms all stay attached to your child’s underwear so move as he moves in the nighttime. I would not recommend a pad type alarm because he could roll off of the pad and the urine wouldn’t be detected. I would recommend our Malem Ultimate alarm, with sound and vibration, or the Malem Wireless alarm, if he prefers not to have the sound come from the unit on his shoulder. The sound comes from a receiver that can be placed on his dresser. Both attach to the outside of his own underwear with a durable easy-clip sensor.

All of the bedwetting alarms that we carry work well to detect wetness and then sound and/or vibrate to alert the user that wetting is happening. The way that wetness is sensed varies with the style of alarm. The Malem wearable alarms, the Malem wireless alarm and the WetStop3 alarm have a small sensor that is clipped to the outside of the underwear. The position of the sensor clip is important so that the first drop of urine is detected. If the sensor is placed too high or low, it takes a larger spot of urine before the sensor gets wet. Paying attention when attaching the sensor is easy to do.

The Rodger wireless alarm detects wetness through the built-in sensors in the specialized briefs. The built-in sensor extends from the mid front to the mid back of the underwear so any wetting in this area will quickly be detected.

The pad style alarms, such as the Malem Bedside or WetCall, feature pads that the child lies on to detect the moisture. The more quickly the urine comes in contact with the sensor pad, the more quickly the alarm will sound. A wetting episode when your child is sleeping on his stomach may trigger the alarm more quickly than one in which your child wets while sleeping on his back.

The wearable and wireless alarms detect moisture most quickly but all of the alarms do sound to provide an alert when wetting occurs. Over time, the brain-bladder connection develops so your child can wake up to go to the bathroom or hold it until morning.

For those of you who are trying to decide which alarm to buy or wondering if alarms really work, read the reviews!! For those who have a bedwetting alarm story to share, take a minute and write a review or submit a blog post.

Have a very happy Thanksgiving.

In the daytime, she is able to hold in her urine until she gets to the bathroom. She will learn to do this in the nighttime, too. Continue making sure that she gets out of bed and to the bathroom when the alarm sounds. She will eventually learn to get up before the alarm sounds or to hold her urine until morning.

Congratulations to your son, JS. The response that your son had is typical of many of the kids who have failed to get dry through the use of medications. There was an interesting study published last month in Urology. It was a retrospective study of about 100 children who had partial or no response to the medications that your son used, and/or kids who had begun wetting again after stopping the medication. Of these children, more than half got to dryness when enuresis alarms were started and importantly, up to 88.9% did not have relapse 6 months after stopping the use of the alarm. This study was reported from Samsung Medical Center in Seoul, Korea, and the conclusion was that enuresis alarms were an effective therapy for children with pharmacotherapy-resistant nocturnal enuresis.

I want to emphasize that bedwetting alarms are very effective cures for bedwetting, even in kids who have tried medication and failed. With the possible side effects and high relapse rate of medications, enuresis alarms are a much safer and more permanent cure, as well. They should be the first-line treatment for bedwetting.

This section of the Post is geared toward the young readers. In his article today, Dr. Bennett makes several great points for kids.
• Millions of kids have bedwetting, it’s just not talked about that much
• Bedwetting is hardly ever caused by a serious medical problem
• Kids who wet just don’t get the signal to wake up when they have to go
• The process of learning to stay dry can be sped up, and there’s no reason to wait
• A small device (bedwetting alarm) wakes you up when you start to pee when you’re asleep
• No one wets the bed on purpose

You might want to share this article with your child. I also encourage you to buy Dr. Bennett’s book. When checking out on bedwettingstore.com, enter the promotion code SVWAK to save $2.00. Expires 11/30/2010.

I want to share this feedback from a mother of a child with special needs. I am happy that she chose the right alarm for her son. The reason that we carry such a wide variety of bedwetting alarms is that one style of alarm may work better than another, given your child and family’s situation.

Malem has designed two types of Recordable alarms. One is the wearable model and one is the pad style model that this mother describes. A recorded message, instead of an alarm, is a gentle solution for those who are frightened by loud sounds.

The Malem Bed Side alarm comes with a plastic mat that lies under the child. It should be covered with a towel or sheet to hold it in place and make it comfortable to sleep on. When the pad senses moisture, it plays a sound or recorded message to alert kids and parents that wetting is occurring. A pad style alarm works well if children prefer no clothing at bedtime or if the feeling of an alarm attached to clothing would not be tolerated.

If your child has a special situation and you want advice on the best products for him/her, please call (800-214-9605) or email us. We want to help and we know alot about the different solutions available.

JL, many kids like your daughter feel frustrated on their wet nights. I assume you have already tried the logical methods of making sure she drinks a lot during the day and little in the evenings, double voiding before bed, making sure she has regular bowel movements and limiting sugary and dairy products before bed. If you haven’t looked at those things, see if those changes make any difference.

In spite of any of these changes, it is often difficult to predict when wetting will occur. In most kids with intermittent wetting, the dry nights occur when her bladder can hold all the urine produced that night. Wet nights occur when her bladder needs to empty. She has not developed the ability to wake up and walk to the bathroom when this occurs. Using a bedwetting alarm (monitor) can help her to develop this ability.

Any alarms will work, but the wireless alarms, such as the Rodger and Malem wireless, are particularly well suited for those with intermittent wetting. Once her underwear becomes wet, a sound is emitted from the receiver unit placed across the room. She must get out of bed and walk over to the unit to silence it. Over time, her body will learn to wake her when her bladder is full before the alarm sounds. Once she can do this, she will be dry 100% of the time.

By far, these doctors recommended bedwetting alarms as the first line of treatment for children and families who are ready to get to dryness. Most were familiar with the on-going research that proves that bedwetting alarms are the most effective cure for bedwetting. Some had concerns about the cost and safety of medications which could be prescribed for bedwetting. All were dismayed about the fact that health insurance often covers expensive medications but frequently does not reimburse for inexpensive bedwetting alarms. Two doctors stated that they had written appeals to their insurers about this situation. Even though it might take less time to write a prescription, many doctors offered information about bedwetting alarms and how effective they are to their patients. They told their patients that it is not a quick fix but a permanent cure that pays off in the whole picture.

Many of the physicians had used alarms for their own children with bedwetting and stated that they share this knowledge and experience with their patients. At least 6 came to our exhibit and thanked us for speaking with them last year about their own children. Their success stories were fun to hear about. About a third of the health care providers had never seen or touched an alarm, even though they recommended them.

We had working samples of different styles of bedwetting alarms for them to learn about. Comments we heard were, “Wow, this is much smaller than I thought it would be.” “This is easy enough for the kids to hook up themselves.” “The ones with the receiver for the parents’ room are a great idea”. “This looks and sounds like a toy- I can see why kids wouldn’t mind using this”. We enjoyed talking to new doctors in their residency and medical school, who were eager to see current products. Their lectures on urine and stool problems did not cover much about treatment and types of bedwetting alarms.

My goal was to remind the medical community that using a bedwetting alarm can effectively eliminate years of embarrassing wetting episodes. Any school-aged child who suffers from nighttime wetting can benefit from this simple device.

This same phenomenon often occurs when using bedwetting alarms initially. Even though most of our bedwetting alarms sound at about 80 decibels, many children will not arouse independently when the alarm sounds. In the beginning, the alarm is for the parents. When you hear your son’s alarm sound, go to his room and remind him what is happening and what he should do. We know that children can be conditioned to respond to familiar sounds and eventually know how to respond to that sound. Over time, your son will understand that the sound he is hearing is important and means that he should stop the flow of urine and get out of bed to go to the bathroom. Of course, if he hears the alarm and knows what to do from the first night on, that makes your job a little easier.

Our wireless alarms, the Rodger and Malem wireless, can both be ordered with dual receivers, one for your son’s room and one for your room. This works well for homes where the bedrooms are far apart. The wearable alarms, like the Malem Ultimate or Malem auditory, have a strong constant tone of about 80 decibels. If you cannot hear this alarm from your room, you could use a baby monitor in your son’s room. The Malem Selectable alarm and the wireless alarms all offer a choice of 8 different tones. In some situations, one tone is more likely to alert your son than others. You could experiment with different sounds to see what works best.

Taking your son to the toilet every 30 minutes must be a tremendous challenge. The difficult part of this is that it doesn’t pinpoint when he really needs to empty his bladder, which probably is less frequently than this. A moisture sensing alarm can pinpoint exactly when the wetting is occurring so you can help him to the toilet at the right time. When your son wets, the Malem Recordable Alarm (M05R) senses moisture and plays a message that you have recorded. Your message could be something like, “It’s time to go to the bathroom now”. Instead of a loud alarm, your voice or any sound that you choose would be played. This is also more acceptable in a small group or school setting.

The small Easy Clip moisture sensor is fastened to the outside of his underwear where you would expect the first drop of urine. The alarm unit can be clipped or pinned to his waistband, pocket or other convenient location. Once urine is sensed, the message will alert him (and you) that he needs to go to the bathroom. In many cases, the children learn to stop the flow quickly and ultimately head to the bathroom when the feeling is present.

Once your son has achieved daytime dryness, you can use the same alarm to help with nighttime dryness. If the recorded voice isn’t enough to alert him, this alarm also has 8 pre-recorded sounds and vibration that can be used.

Many families have similar concerns.  After adjusting to the new school schedule for six weeks or so, this should be a fine time to begin using an alarm.  Having a regular nighttime routine, as most families do during the school year, is good when beginning alarm use.  You could start the alarm on a Friday night or over a long weekend so you can see what his initial response will be.  Even though his sleep will be interrupted by the alarm when the wetting occurs, most children go back to sleep immediately after getting up to go to the bathroom.  Many have little memory of this in the morning.  Using the waterproof mattress overlays (that come in the Starter Kit or can be purchased separately) on top of his sheet make middle of the night clean-up very easy and quick.  Because the alarm goes off only when his bladder needs to empty, it’s actually less tiring than setting an alarm clock or parents walking their child to the bathroom.

The parents are the ones who may feel a little sleep deprived during this initial phase.  Because your son may need your assistance, you should respond when the alarm sounds.  Insuring that he responds correctly by getting out of bed after turning off the alarm helps him to make faster progress.  Once he can do this independently, you no longer have to respond.  Some parents find that it can be difficult to go back to sleep.  Knowing that the worst will be over in two or three weeks is helpful.  Some parents take turns getting up to the alarm or alternate nights.

Getting to bed on time and being well rested is as important for doing well in school as it is for learning to become dry in the nighttime.  Remind him to double void, about 20-30 minutes apart, before bed and help him to get homework done early so he can have a regular bedtime.  He can be successful in school as well as in conquering bedwetting.

I think the Malem Wireless system would work fine for your daughter. The sensor for the wireless system is exactly the same as the wearable system and I can honestly tell you that we have not had complaints from parents that the alarm is sensing sweat instead of urine. You can experiment with placement of the sensor. If she sweats the most between her legs, you could fasten the sensor a little higher in the front of her underwear. It usually takes an actual drop or two of urine to set off the alarm and I don’t believe that overall moistness would be sensed in the same way.

I think your idea of restarting an alarm is a good one. For some reason, he is now sleeping through the signal that he needs to wake up and walk to the bathroom. Finding an alarm that is acceptable to him is important. Both the wireless models are popular with kids in his age group. The Malem wireless and the Rodger wireless have multiple sounds to choose from. He can pick a tone that he likes (kind of like picking your ring tone for your phone) and that he most easily alerts to. The Malem wireless attaches to his briefs and the Rodger wireless comes with two pair of special briefs with the sensor built in. You might ask him which style he would prefer. Remind him that the sound will be coming from a unit across the room and not from a unit on the shoulder. This will require him to get out of bed to turn it off and he can walk to the bathroom at the same time. This should enable him to re-develop the ability to wake up and walk to the bathroom when he needs to.

Enuresis is the medical term for bedwetting and is defined as the involuntary passage of urine in the night by children older than 5 or 6 who should have developed nighttime dryness. About 90% of children have always had bedwetting, also know as primary enuresis. The other 10% have had at least 6 months of dryness, then resume wetting, which is known as secondary enuresis. We know that bedwetting is inherited and that the chance of a child bedwetting is 44% if one parent had bedwetting, up to 77% if both parents had bedwetting.

There is no single, simple cause for enuresis. Some factors that play a role in bedwetting are:
-Decreased arousal from sleep in response to a full bladder
-Small bladder capacity
-High nighttime urine production
-Constipation
-Other factors, such as evening fluid loading, medications, attention problems, urinary problems, sleep apnea

Since there no single cause, looking at multiple factors is important. Bedwetting alarms address the decreased arousal from sleep by helping your child to develop the ability to wake to a full bladder. Small bladder capacity may change as your child grows older but bladder “stretching” exercises do not seem to speed up this process. High nighttime urine production may be adjusted by drinking earlier in the day. The other factors listed above can be looked at by your health care provider if you have concerns for your child.

The biggest thing to remember is that your child is not wetting on purpose and primary enuresis is seldom due to emotional or psychological issues. Being supportive and offering a solution such as a bedwetting alarm when your child is ready is a good way for parents to help their child stop bedwetting.

Our most popular moisture alarms (bedwetting alarms) are the wearable models, such as the Malem Ultimate or Malem Wireless. The moisture sensor is attached to the outside of your son’s own underwear. The Rodger Wireless has specialized briefs that sense the moisture. We also carry a couple pad type alarms, although these are a little less sensitive to small amounts of moisture.

Moisture alarms work by sounding and/or vibrating to alert you that the wetting is occurring. The next step is to turn off the alarm and walk to the bathroom. Over time, the brain begins to make the association to stop the flow of urine and get out of bed to urinate. Eventually, your son will be alerted to the feeling of a full bladder and get up before the alarm sounds or hold his urine until morning.

This whole process is quite amazing and it can end bedwetting in a matter of weeks instead of years of waiting for him to “grow out of it”.