Why Alarms Work

Bedwetting children have no idea when they are wetting during the night. Their brain and bladder are not communicating so their urine is released in bed before they are awake. The best way to speed up this communication is through using a bedwetting alarm. Bedwetting alarms sense wetness and sound an alert to notify the child and their parents that wetting is occurring. Parents make sure their child wakes up and walks to the bathroom.

In the beginning, children are alerted when they are peeing. Then they begin waking earlier, to just a drop or two of urine. They subconsciously stop the flow of urine and hold it until they get into the bathroom.

Over time, the brain begins to make the connection with the sound and the feeling that comes with it. This is a type of conditioning, learning to react to a feeling without having to “think” about it. Now they will wake to the feeling of a full bladder, before any wetting occurs.

Once a child can wake up before they need to use the bathroom or hold it until morning, they no longer wet the bed and are permanently dry. The bedwetting alarm should be used until 14 consecutive dry nights are achieved.

This is a predictable process that takes around 8-12 weeks on average. A child will go from having floods every night, to smaller wets in the bed and occasional dry nights. As conditioning takes place, fewer alarms happen and strings of dry nights are seen. Using a comfortable and easy-to-use alarm makes this entire process easier for kids and their parents.