Slow Progress

MJS writes that her 10 year old has been using the Malem Ultimate alarm for about 9 months. Initially, the alarm was sounding 2-3 times a night with large wet spots. Over time, he has progressed to having a tiny wet spot once every night or two. He has had up to 8 consecutive nights of dryness but has not made it to the 14 nights that is recommended before he discontinues the alarm. Although he is very compliant with using the alarm most nights, they have observed that on the nights he does not wear it, he has a large wet spot that he sleeps in until morning. What should they do?

Each child develops at a different rate so it can be frustrating when parents observe great progress initially, then it seems to come to a standstill. O

ne technique that I have used when the alarm seems to sound so quickly to one drop is to place the sensor a little higher on the underwear. The alarm will not sound until a few drops have wet a larger area on the underwear. In some cases, this gives the child more time to stop the flow spontaneously before the alarm sounds. This would be considered a dry night, even though one drop of urine came out but the child responded by getting up before the alarm sounded.

The other technique is to use the alarm every other night regularly to see if he can get to the point of staying dry whether the alarm is there or not. If neither of these techniques makes a difference, wearing the alarm consistently for a few more months might be what it takes to get to the consecutive 14 nights.