Girl's alarms

JB writes that her daughter used a potty alarm inserted into her underwear but that it was never in the position to detect the moisture. Her daughter sleeps on her back and tends to wet the back of her underwear rather than the front. She asks which alarm(s) are best suited for girls?

JB's question brings up an important point. When using a bedwetting alarm, the type of alarm and correct positioning are very important to achieving success. The type of alarm that she used in the past was as large as a deck of cards and impossible to comfortably position where the urine would most likely begin flowing. I have successfully used several types of alarms for girls.

One 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 (or son) 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 everyday, I recommend that you purchase extra underwear so that clean, dry pants are always available).

Other recommendations include the Malem alarms: the auditory, Ultimate or wireless models. The Malem easy-clip sensor is about a half inch wide and an inch long and can be comfortably placed on the outside of underwear in the crotch area. Because this sensor is small 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. Over time, she would become adept at exactly the right placement for her. (In girls who have gone through puberty, the correct sensor placment 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 8 year old daughter now, though, I doubt that you will have any worries by the time she's a teen.