Wets a Little

JL writes, "What is the best bedwetting monitor for my 9 year old, who doesn't wet every night? She will go 3 or 4 nights dry, and then have a couple wet nights. I keep thinking that this will end soon, but she has had this pattern since she was 7. The frustrating thing is that she is still worried about sleepovers because she never knows what nights she will wet and what nights she will stay dry. I think It's time that we do something to help her. Will a bedwetting monitor work for her?

JL, many kids like your daughter feel frustrated on their wet nights. I assume you have already tried the logical methods of making sure she drinks a lot during the day and little in the evenings, double voiding before bed, making sure she has regular bowel movements and limiting sugary and dairy products before bed. If you haven't looked at those things, see if those changes make any difference.

In spite of any of these changes, it is often difficult to predict when wetting will occur. In most kids with intermittent wetting, the dry nights occur when her bladder can hold all the urine produced that night. Wet nights occur when her bladder needs to empty. She has not developed the ability to wake up and walk to the bathroom when this occurs.

Using a bedwetting alarm (monitor) can help her to develop this ability. Any alarms will work, but the wireless alarms, such as the Rodger and Malem wireless, are particularly well suited for those with intermittent wetting. Once her underwear becomes wet, a sound is emitted from the receiver unit placed across the room. She must get out of bed and walk over to the unit to silence it. Over time, her body will learn to wake her when her bladder is full before the alarm sounds. Once she can do this, she will be dry 100% of the time.