Interrupting Alarm Use for Vacation

Questions about Vacation

TS wants to know what to do while their family in on winter vacation. Her son, age 9, is doing very well with using the alarm and is dry about half the nights.  The other half of the time, he hears the alarm and gets up to finish urinating in the toilet. 

They will be gone for a week; part of the time will be with grandparents in their own room of the house and part of the time will be with friends in a rental house.  He will be sharing a room with two same age boys who are not aware of his bedwetting.  What should their plan be?

Back-up Plan

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 son’s alarm along to use the first part of vacation and take a back-up such as disposable pants for the second half of vacation.

If he’s sensitive to that plan, walking him to the bathroom when you go to bed or if you’re up during the night might prevent any accidents.  The fact that he 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. Using washable or disposable waterproof pads over his sheets can help keep them dry and clean.

Resume Alarm Use

Once you get back on schedule in your own home, he should resume regular alarm usage until he has 14 consecutive nights of dryness.  Even if he has regressed without the alarm to remind him,  it should not be like “starting over”.  Most likely, his brain will remember the learning that has already taken place.