Posts Tagged ‘timing’

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.

School Wetting

Tuesday, August 18th, 2009

EP writes about her 7 year old daughter who will be starting 2nd grade soon. In first grade, there were times that she waited until the last minute and didn’t make it to the bathroom in time. This resulted in wet pants, sometimes requiring a complete change of clothes. She has been checked out by her doctor and there does not seem to be any associated problems. Mom wonders what she can do to prevent this from happening this school year.

Urologists around the country agree that this can be a common and frustrating problem that is best handled by frequent urination on a regular basis. Emptying the bladder regularly eliminates the urgent messages that sometimes result in urine leakage. The difficulty arises when children get busy with other activities and lose track of time. Telling a child to go potty every 2 or 3 hours is a hard concept to grasp. Even remembering to go to the bathroom before lunch or recess can be difficult. A discreet vibrating wrist watch is a reliable tool for providing a reminder to go to the bathroom.

We carry several vibrating wrist watches that are perfect for this purpose. Our top selling watch is the Vibrowatch. Up to 12 specific times can be programmed to coordinate with your daughter’s schedule. The watch vibrates for about 20 seconds and is difficult to ignore. It comes in several different colors and has a durable plastic band. Vibrating watches are generally a little larger than time telling watches to accommodate the larger battery.

Starting the new school year off with a reminder watch is likely to eliminate many of the embarrassing accidents she had last year. You can consult her teacher about the best toileting times and make sure she has free access to the bathroom when her watch reminds her to go.

New Year’s Resolution

Monday, January 5th, 2009

Welcome to 2009! Today, I want to talk about finding the right time to begin treatment for bedwetting. I know that families are busy, with many commitments, and that carving out a good time for a new routine and a few possibly sleepless nights is never easy. That said, I think this is a perfect time of the year to tackle bedwetting. With holidays and travel behind us, most families are getting back in the school routine with a predictable schedule. Well-rested children with a regular bedtime seem to make better progress when using a bedwetting alarm.

The first two weeks of using a bedwetting alarm are the most difficult for parents, when your involvement is needed to make sure your child is getting out of bed and walking to the bathroom when the alarm sounds. Since the kids go back to sleep immediately when returning to bed, they do not feel sleep deprived. Parents may lay awake for awhile, however, depending on where you are in your own sleep cycle. Knowing that this disturbance in your sleep is only for a couple of weeks allows most families to make it through this challenging time. Working on conquering bedwetting at this time of the year before work and travel commitments are in full swing is easier for many families.

Another advantage of treating bedwetting this time of the year is that summer camps and other vacation plans are still a few months away. The average child takes 10-12 weeks to get to dryness when using an alarm. Some children stop wetting more quickly and some take a little longer. By beginning now, your child will have ample time to get to dryness and build up the confidence necessary before sleep away situations present themselves.

Make a New Year’s Resolution and let 2009 be the last year that your child has to face waking up in a wet bed. Call the Customer Care Team at the Bedwetting Store (800-214-9605) to get your questions answered or for product recommendations specially suited to your own child.