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.

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.

This is a very common concern of parents. The general consensus is that nighttime dryness can follow daytime dryness by months or even years. Here are 8 things that you can do to help with night time potty training:

1) Daytime dryness should be established first. Make sure she is reliably dry in the daytime, knows when she needs to use the bathroom and has soft, regular bowel movements.

2) Encourage drinking and frequent toileting during the daytime. Fluids after dinner should be water, not milk or juice, in a small quantity.

3) Double void before bed. This means making sure she tries to go potty 30 minutes before bedtime, then once more as lights go out.

4) Trial of no pull-ups. Especially if you have noticed that her pull-ups are less wet or dry in the morning, try having her wear underwear to bed. Protect the bed with a waterproof cover and protect her sheets with waterproof, washable overlay pads. The ones with the tuck-in sides are the best. If a couple weeks pass with no sign of progress toward dry nights, restart the pull-ups and know that there will be a better time to try this later on.

5) Don’t allow pull-ups to be worn while she is awake. Put it on last thing before lights out and take it off first thing in the morning. Some children will wet the pull-up as they are waking up in the morning, just because they know it is there.

6) Remind your daughter if she wakes up for any reason or if she comes to your room in the night, she should use the bathroom at this time, even if she doesn’t feel she needs to.

7) You can introduce a bedwetting alarm to help her speed up that brain-bladder connection if your daughter gets to 6 and is still having nighttime accidents.

8 ) Walking your daughter to the bathroom before you go to sleep probably does not speed up the development of dry nights but there is one less voiding in the bed.

In most cases, children do not have control over their nighttime wetting and this behavior is not reflective of your parenting skills. There is no need to feel parental guilt; being kind and supportive is much better. Punishment is not warranted and will not speed up the development of dry nights. Be patient and know that each child develops at a different rate.

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.

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.

It can certainly be frustrating when you’re spending all that money on pull-ups and you still have to do daily laundry.  Since your current product isn’t providing the absorbency that your son needs, let’s talk about some alternatives.

Diaper Booster Pads can double the absorbency of a disposable pull-up or diaper.  The thin disposable pad is worn inside the pull-up.  The polymers in these pads absorb and wick away moisture, just like the disposables do.  Your son’s pull-up will be much thicker in the morning so make sure you allow enough room for the booster pad to expand. The regular booster pad holds almost 11 oz.  A regular pull-up holds around 13 oz. so you can see that this almost doubles the absorbency.

Another option is to look at the sizing of the current pull-up.  If the pull-up fits too snuggly, the urine might leak over the top or from the leg openings.  We carry some disposables in larger sizes, such as the Tranquility All Through the Night in XS Adult or the Prevail Underwear in Youth/Small Adult. These provide more absorbency and many have found that correct sizing helps with the leaking problem.  Protective vinyl pants can also be worn over a pull-up to prevent leaking.  These soft pants feature a layer of vinyl sandwiched between two layers of cotton.  They are machine washable and dryable and add another layer of waterproof protection.

A third option is to use a washable mattress overlay over the top of the sheets.  This would protect your son’s sheets and limit your laundry to a small pad instead of the entire set of sheets. The tuck-in style is particularly popular because it prevents the pad from moving around.  These are very absorbent, holding up to 4 cups of liquid.  Disposable pads can also be useful, especially if traveling.

Until your son is ready for a permanent solution, using some of these products may help you with keeping him clean and dry.

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.

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.

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.

It sounds like your daughter will be very motivated to do what it takes to get to dryness. You can give her the tools necessary to make the transition from sleeping through the wetting episode to alerting and getting up to go to the bathroom. It is so frustrating for the kids to sleep through and have no idea when the wetting is occurring. Moisture sensing bedwetting alarms provide a way for your daughter and you to be notified when the wetting occurs. Initially, she may have little urine left to empty in the toilet. Over time, her brain will begin to make the association that the sound of the alarm means to stop the flow of urine in the bed and walk to the bathroom to empty urine in the toilet. This will eventually enable her to wake up and get to the bathroom when the urge to urinate occurs.

I often use the small and comfortable Pink or Purple Malem Ultimate alarm or the Malem Wireless alarm for girls her age. She can look at and listen to the different alarms on-line and choose which she would be most likely to use. Once she begins using the alarm, she can get out of pull-ups and wear regular panties to bed. The Starter Kit, with the alarm, two mattress overlays (which help with middle of the night clean-up), and my book, Seven Steps to Nighttime Dryness, is your best buy.

Giving her some control over her wetting is sure to help with her feelings of frustration and eliminate her tears at bedtime.

We are happy to have some product suggestions for you. These products are not commonly found in stores but are available from us on-line. The extended size selection-youth, extra-small and small- is great for older or larger children. These products are not marketed specifically for youth or children but can provide some beneficial alternatives for keeping kids dry.

General guidelines:
• Products designed for youth have sizes measured in pounds (child’s weight)
• Products designed for small adults/older children have sizes measured in inches (measure waist size)
• Adult sizes are generally cut with a longer rise, but shorter persons can fold the elasticized upper portion inward to customize the fit

Alternative Pull-on Products for Older or Larger Children

Attends Underwear Super Plus Small 22 – 36 in.

Prevail Underwear Youth/Small 20 – 34 in.
Small 22 – 36 in.

Tena Extra Underwear Small 25 – 35 in.

Tranquility Overnight Disposable Underwear Extra Small 17 – 28 in.
Small 22 – 36 in.

Alternative Tape-on Products for Older or Larger Children

Tranquility Slimline Briefs Junior 28 – 42 lb.
Extra Small 18 – 26 in.
Small 24 – 32 in.
Medium 32 – 44 in.

Tena Briefs Youth 17 – 22 in.
Small 22 – 36 in.
Medium 34 – 47 in.

First of all, stock up on protective undergarments. Because they don’t require washing and drying, disposables are ideal for travel. It’s a good idea to buy 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 are 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 more a quart of urine, 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 or hotel’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.

We receive many questions about temporarily stopping the use of the bedwetting alarm during travel. Taking a break for a few nights when your family is not at home is okay. Have a back-up plan using disposables or medication, and resume using the alarm when you return home.

I am frequently asked this question, especially by parents who have more than one child in Good nites or other disposable underwear. Keeping children dry and sheets clean can be frustrating for parents so using disposable pull ups and plastic pants can certainly help with this. Until a child and their family are ready to move to the next step, this can be a huge time saver. Wearing Good Nites and other waterproof protection is certainly important in situations where laundry facilities are not handy or sleepover/ camp situations where being discreet is of utmost importance. It’s a great advantage to have these products available.

If you begin to notice that your child is waking up with a dry pull-up more often, trying a challenge of a couple of weeks without protection is recommended. During this time, using a mattress overlay, which is a waterproof pad that lies on top of the sheet, is prudent. Overlays are a fabulous product for decreasing laundry load and keeping children comfortable. If wetting occurs, you simply remove the overlay, replace it with a clean one, and have your child go back to a dry bed.

When your family is ready to take the next step toward dryness, a great time to transition to cloth underwear is when you begin using a bedwetting alarm. The bedwetting alarm senses the moisture from the underwear, alerting parents and child that wetting is occurring. A bedwetting alarm is an effective tool to help your child’s body make a change in the way it responds to a full bladder. If your son persists in having nightly wetting with the pull ups over the next few months or year, he is a great candidate for using a bedwetting alarm to help him get to dryness.

The ideal situation is where a child can continue to use the alarm each night, even if they are not in their own home. However, alarm use should never be embarrassing to a child. Maybe you could take your daughter’s alarm along to use the first part of vacation and take a back-up such as pull-ups for the second half of vacation. If she’s sensitive to that plan, walking her to the bathroom when you go to bed or if you’re up during the night might prevent any accidents. The fact that she only wets about half the nights right now is very encouraging. Double voiding before bed and choosing water as the after dinner beverage can help, too. Once you get back on schedule in your own home, she can resume regular alarm usage until she has 14 consecutive nights of dryness.

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 intermittent bedwetting children. There are a few choices:

• Wear disposable pants, with a plan for putting them on discreetly and disposal in the morning. Disposable male guards can be secured to regular underwear to catch a small amount of urine.

• 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.

Many families struggle with knowing when to discontinue disposables without having a large increase in the daily laundry. Washable waterproof mattress overlays are a great product for this. Overlays are reusable, waterproof absorbent pads that lie on top of the sheet. When wetting occurs, it’s easy to remove the pad and replace it with a clean one. Since the overlays have a soft, quilted top layer, kids find them very comfortable to sleep on. The overlays with the tuck in sides are the ones I recommend. The extra length of cloth on each side of the pad enables it to be tucked between the mattresses, securing it in place for the entire night.

This is a good time to transition from wearing disposables every night. Not only will you save money, but your daughter will begin to sense what wetness feels like and may begin to experience more dry nights. If she does have a wet night, all you have to wash is the overlay.

Overlays are nice for travel, too. They can be used in hotels for extra protection or inside sleeping bags for kids who are dry most nights but want extra assurance. Overlays are available in several sizes; to fit twin, full or queen sized beds.

In feedback from our customers, we were asked for a “green” washable alternative to nighttime disposable pants. Over years, the amount of money that families were spending on disposables was adding up. The new Bedtime Pants fit this need. Designed to resemble longer length boxer briefs, these are completely waterproof and washable. An absorbent sewn-in pad extends from the front to back waistband. An absorbent disposable pad can be used over this to double the absorbency in those children who produce large amounts of urine. The best fit is one in which the absorbent pad fits close to the body. These pants can be machine washed and dried and used again the next night. They are European sizes and tend to run a little small. Children need to know that these are bulkier than the disposables they are used to using. In order for cloth to be absorbent, there must be more layers and padding. Even though they are bulkier than regular underwear, they are more discreet than disposable pants for children who are doing a sleepover or camp.

We were also asked for daytime alternatives to wearing pull-ups to school. This communication was often from families whose children had developmental difficulties, urologic problems or daytime accidents. They wanted these to be easy access for kids to handle independently. We offer two selections in this category-daytime absorbent briefs and easy-open absorbent briefs. Designed to look like regular cloth underwear, the padded area between the legs catches any leakage. The outside of this area of the underwear is waterproof, so prevents any embarrassing spots on the outside clothing. The original daytime briefs pull on just like regular underwear. The easy-open absorbent briefs have Velcro sides. These are ideal for children who need to do self-catheterizations or who find it difficult to stand to pull underwear up and down. These underwear are designed to be used in the upright position and are not completely waterproof. For this reason, they are not to be used for nighttime wetting.

Lastly, families asked for an alternative to the old-fashioned “rubber pants” to prevent leaking, either from disposables or from absorbent underwear or diapers. In the new protective vinyl pants, the vinyl barrier is sandwiched between two layers of cotton cloth. They come in pretty colors of light blue or navy and appear to be no different from regular underwear. These pull up and down and stand up to repeated washings. It’s best to dry on low heat. These pants do not provide absorbency so should be used in conjunction with an absorbent product or as a backup to prevent a few drops of wetness from leaking through to clothing.

We’re pleased to now carry this full line of washable, reusable and comfortable underwear to meet all of your needs. It’s important to choose the right product, with the right fit. Measure your child’s waist before ordering. Call us if you need help in selecting any waterproof product. 800-214-9605

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 son to wear cloth underwear. Once wetting occurs, he can simply remove the wet overlay and replace it with a clean one. In the morning, just the overlays require washing.

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 son will become more aware of the feeling of wetting if disposables are not used in conjunction with the alarm.

In just a few weeks, you’ll be glad about all the money you’re saving by not buying disposables and your son will be glad to see only tiny wet spots as he gets up to go to the bathroom. 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.