Archive for the ‘Disposables’ Category

Bed Wetting Mat

Wednesday, July 21st, 2010

My daughter is 4. She has been dry in the daytime for over a year but she isn’t completely dry at night yet. She wears pullups but the majority of the time, they are dry in the morning. I am reluctant to stop the pullups until she is dry every night because I don’t want to have to change sheets several times a week. But I think the pullups might be a crutch for her. What about a bed wetting mat?

It sounds like your daughter is making great progress toward achieving dryness in the nighttime. Often getting to nighttime dryness is a process that may take a year or two after daytime dryness is achieved. Since your daughter is having many dry pullups, this is a good time to take the next step of having her wear underwear to bed. I recommend using a waterproof, washable pad (overlay) on top of the sheet. These are soft and comfortable and can be ordered in a pretty print. If she does have an accident, it’s easy to remove this type of bedwetting mat and replace it with a clean one. In the morning, you’ll just have a small pad to wash.

When some people ask about a bed wetting mat, they are inquiring about a moisture sensing alarm mat that their child sleeps on. This type of bedwetting mat is plastic or vinyl with a moisture sensor that sounds an alarm when it gets wet. Your daughter probably doesn’t need this type of mat alarm yet. If she is still wetting in a year, using a moisture sensing alarm is a good way to help her achieve complete dryness.

Summer Camp and Bedwetting

Friday, June 18th, 2010

My 10 year old is leaving in a month for a week of summer camp. He really wants to go but I am worried because he wets 2 or 3 times a week. What should we do?

This is a common question this time of year. I am re-posting some suggestions that I wrote last year about this time. Parents wonder what to do??

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.

Secondly, a back up plan should be in place, even for kids who wet intermittently. There are a few choices:

• Wear disposable pants, with a plan for putting them on discreetly and 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. The new blue cloud overlays are colorful and look like a regular piece of bedding.

• 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.

Alarms and Pull-ups

Friday, June 4th, 2010

I am looking for a bedwetting alarm for my 6 year old daughter, and am wondering if any of these alarms can be used with a pull up. We do plan to move her to panties during the process, but was hoping to start out in the pull-ups she is used to.

First, this is the perfect time to transition to cloth underwear. There are a few children who are aware that a disposable back-up is in place and use this as a “crutch”. Using waterproof washable mattress overlays over the sheet make middle-of-the-night and morning cleanup easier and still allow your daughter to wear cloth underwear. Once wetting occurs, you can simply remove the wet overlay and replace it with a clean one. In the morning, just the overlays require washing. Overlays, in sizes that fit a twin, full or queen bed, are available on the bedwettingstore.com. These are specially made for us and are not readily available in retail stores. The ones with the tuck-in flaps on the sides are best for children who move around a lot when they sleep.

Secondly, the alarms are all designed to be used to detect a small amount of wetness from cloth. Most of you know how quickly disposable pants wick moisture away from the skin. Alarms sense the moisture more quickly and your daughter will become more aware of the feeling of wetting if disposables are not used in conjunction with the alarm.

In special situations, such as lack of laundry facilities or working with a special needs child, using a disposable pull-up with the alarm may be the only option. The Malem alarm company does make a Standard Sensor that can sense moisture from a disposable product. A small slit is cut in the pull-up and the flat sensor is slid into the pull-up at the spot where you expect the first drop of moisture. This sensor can be purchased as an accessory with any of the Malem alarms. Another option is to use a pull-up over the Rodger underwear that come with the Rodger wireless alarm. The pull-up should not cover the transmitter that is attached on the waistband. The underwear would still need to be laundered once it becomes wet.

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