Archive for the ‘Potty Training’ 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.

Live Radio Show, “Childhood Matters”

Friday, June 11th, 2010

I have been busy lately, getting the word out about bedwetting. On May 30, I had the pleasure of being a guest on Childhood Matters, a live radio talk show for parents and all who care about kids. The topic was Potty Training and Nighttime Dryness and I shared the hour with Helen Neville, a pediatric nurse, parent educator, and the author of Mommy! I Have to Go Potty. The dynamic and caring personality of the show’s host, Rona Renner, made the hour fly by. Callers received a free copy of my book, Seven Steps to Nighttime Dryness.

Taking calls from the listening audience was interesting because you didn’t know what question would come in next. Although many of the questions centered on toilet training, one concerned parent of an 8 year old daughter with nightly wetting called in. To listen to the broadcast, simply click here.

I highly recommend listening to 98.1 KISS-FM, in the San Francisco Bay Area on Sundays from 7-8 am or you can listen to any of the past shows by going to the website, http://www.childhoodmatters.org/index.html.

Potty Alarms for Kids

Monday, May 10th, 2010

“I have a son who is 4yrs and 3 mo old and we are not making any headway in toilet training. He seems to be too pre-occupied with playing, occasionally he does tell us when he has to pee. He informs us of stooling after it has occurred. Would the alarm help speed up the toilet training process? Have you used it on any children for toilet training?”

I have used a moisture sensing alarm for children who need some help putting together the feeling that happens before wetting occurs with the actual wetting episode. No matter how often the parent or teacher checks their pull-up, they inevitably wet the minute they pull the pants back up. The type of alarm that I commonly use is the Malem recordable alarm, because the parent can record a message, such as “You need to go to the bathroom now”, which is triggered by the first sign of wetness. (This alarm also makes 8 different pre-recorded sounds that you can choose from). Initially, you can reward cooperation, that is going to the potty when the alarm sounds. Then you can begin using the reward for “beating the alarm”, going potty before the alarm is triggered. If your son isn’t frightened by sounds, you could also use a less expensive Malem auditory alarm, which just makes one loud sound at the onset of wetting. (You would have to role play what the sound means a few times so he could make that association). I recommend that he wear regular underwear when using the alarm. The small sensor is fastened to the outside of his underwear where you expect the first drops of moisture to appear.

Training of stool continence is often a separate experience, especially in boys. If you train him to sit when urinating, letting go of stool might be easier. Sitting long enough, playing a game or looking at books is important for bowel training. If you see him posturing before having a BM, encourage him to sit on the potty.

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