Dr. Greene’s Answer:
How frustrating! His sleeping through the alarm, though, is a sign that treatments aimed at making it easier for him to wake up are likely to be particularly effective for him.
Bedwetting Treatment
All rational treatments for primary nocturnal enuresis, the most common form of bedwetting, are aimed at either teaching the child to wake up when the bladder is full or at decreasing the need for nighttime urination. I will discuss with you several ways to teach children to wake up. Any child beyond the sixth birthday, though, should have a medical evaluation to rule out other underlying problems before instituting any therapy for bedwetting.
Bedwetting Alarms
Bedwetting alarms are among the safest and most effective of all therapies. The alarms have a simple moisture-sensor that snaps into your son’s pajamas. A small speaker attaches up on the shoulder with Velcro. At the first drop of urine, a piercing alarm goes off, that sounds similar to a smoke alarm. Instantly, the child reflexly stops urinating. Next, the household awakes, EXCEPT for the deep sleeper who wets the bed. Precisely those children who sleep through the alarm are most likely to be helped by it.
For the alarm to be effective, someone else must wake your son up (the most trying part — I’m sure he’s difficult to awaken), walk him to the bathroom, and get him to finish urinating in the toilet — all before resetting that annoying alarm. If this ritual is continued, the alarm will likely begin to wake him up directly within 4 to 6 weeks. Within twelve weeks, your son will very likely master nighttime bladder control, and no longer need the alarm. Relapses after alarm therapy are uncommon.
I participated in a conference on enuresis where one of the speakers described the use in Africa of frogs strapped to the child as a ‘natural’ alarm. Today’s electronic alarms are more effective, and I dare say, more comfortable (for the frog as well as the child). Many good alarms are available. The technology for bedwetting alarms changes, with new models coming out faster than I can review. I recommend going to a trusted source, that provides reviews from parents, to research the best alarm for your child. When researching consider the following:
- Rating
- Number of reviews
- Features
- Cost
Two sources to consider when doing your research are the Bedwetting Store and Amazon.com.
Star Charts as Positive Reinforcement
Star charts prove very beneficial to some children, used either alone or with a bedwetting alarm. As you know from experience, you wake up more easily when the day holds promise and excitement. On holiday mornings it is easier to get out of bed; on dreary mornings it is easier to hit the snooze-alarm. Star charts use this to advantage. A child is offered a star on the calendar for each dry night. When the child collects a predetermined number of stars (usually 3-7), he is given a small reward. When he collects 21 in a row, he gets a larger, looked-forward-to, prize. This puts the reticular activating system of the brain in a more heightened state of readiness to wake up when the bladder signals that it is full. For some children, this is enough to make them responsive to nighttime bladder fullness. If no improvement occurs within 2 weeks, however, it should not continue to be used without an alarm or some other therapy.
Hypnotherapy
Hypnotherapy and guided imagery are other techniques available to help deep sleepers gain nighttime bladder control. Hypnotherapy requires a trained therapist, but guided imagery can be employed by anyone. Have your son relax, close his eyes, and listen to what you say. Tell him that his kidneys are a pee factory, making urine day and night. His bladder is a storage tank where the pee is kept until he is ready to put it in the toilet. There is a gate or muscle that holds the pee in the bladder until he is ready. During the day, he is in control of the gate, but at night some of the pee has been sneaking out. When he sleeps, he is going to begin taking control. When the bladder starts to fill up, he will control the gate when he is asleep, just like when he is awake. He will pee in the toilet when he is ready. Messages like this help put his brain in a state of readiness to receive the bladder’s signals. As with star charts, this should not be continued as the only therapy for longer than 2 weeks with no noticeable improvement.
Many advantages result from being a deep sleeper. Sound sleep restores and refreshes the body and the mind. (Children who wet the bed do not sleep as soundly after they wet each night as they did before.) The frustration you’ve had of your son’s sleeping through the alarm is not a reason to give up, but a sign that with perseverance he will stay dry and enjoy sound sleep all night long.
Alessa
I am a regular reader of your site and love all your articles. Very informative. However, in additionl to the two sites to purchase bedwetting alarms, I also recommend One Stop Bedwetting as possibly the best resource for bedwetting alarms and waterproof bedding. I have personal experience with the products and highly recommend them
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Lhr
I have used a bedwetting alarm for my 10 year old for 2 months so far. At the beginning we were very positive when we noticed that he was able to wake up on the alarm by himself with minimum spotting, use the toilet and get back to bed. After 3 weeks he woke up dry for 2 weeks, and we were hoping that this will continue progressing.
After those 2 dry weeks, he started going back to spotting, still responding to the alarm. Now that we completed 2 months we are starting to lose hope. No progress is noticed at all! Actually we feel that he is getting used to the sound of alarm and one night he actually stopped the alarm and urinated completely on his bed.
I know that the period that should be given is 3 months but was expecting that during that period we should notice signs of improvement. Should we consider that it is a failure or should we continue?
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Cheryl Greene
Lhr,
You might consider changing brands so there is a different noise. You may have to do this a few times.
Sorry!
@MsGreene
Co-founder & Executive Producer DrGreene.com, Mom
Added:
Elizabeth
You can try a bedwetting alarm with multiple tones. The number 1 reason a bedwetting alarm stops working is because of what they call auditory accommodation – Child getting used to one sound.
A milti-tone bedwetting alarm is useful there.
Good luck!
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Mike
Hello guys!
I am quite embarrassed but can these alarms be used by adults as well? According to this website [LINK DELETED AS POTENTIAL SPAM] as looking at [BRAND DELETED AS POSSIBLE SPAM] and although it is a more expensive option it seems to be what I need really.
Would appreciate any replies. :)
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Elizabeth
I can’t endorse a specific brand of alarms. You can search for One Stop Bedwetting in Google and visit their site. They have alarms for adults as well. Some with plastic mat sensors, others with cloth mat sensors. Should help.
Good luck!
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Deborah R. Holliman
The information is really necessary, this is an issue that parents are concerned for their children
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Riz
Wonderful article. I wasn’t even aware that bedwetting is a problem that can be treated. I read up on the comments and visited https://onestopbedwetting.com
I purchased a Smart bedwetting alarm for my 7 year old boy and am happy to say that after 2 months, my son isn’t wetting the bed anymore. Brilliant product.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
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NEHA GUPTA
NEHA GUPTA
I am a son of 8 and a half years and every night he is doing bed wetting. We put him to alarm system at night but so many times the alarm doesn’t beep, why is it so. How does the alarm work I don’t get it properly. Can u please help me understand why the alarm don’t beep, or do we need to clean it everyday or after every time at night when it beep and child goes to pee. The alarm is of good quality and we are consulting to a doctor also, but I want your help also.
7/03/2016
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mrs.svl
Hai I have ten-year old daughter she is still bed wetts every day evening and night time.when she went out in deep sleep. When I try to wake up;she did not get. Pls give me some suggestions to cure this problem. We are not going anywhere for this problem.
Added:
Steve Miller
Great post. There are many alarms available today. In addition to the two sites Dr. Greene mentioned, there is a new site I found – http://onestopbedwetting.com
It has a large selction of bedwetting alarms and comes with personalized advice from specialists.
Steve
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Steve
My son finally stopped when he was 14 years old. We used the alarm product “Chummy” which has a very loud alarm. When the alarm went off I would get out of bed and lead my son to the bathroom and provide verbal reinforcement about how to recognize the signs that you have to pee when you are asleep.
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Jenny C
My son just turned 8 and is still wetting the bed, actually soaking it. He is not to ashamed of it, as he knows that it is not his fault. Thank goodness GoodNites came out with the Tru-Fit underwear, as they have been wonderful. Sometimes he still leaks through, but we use Lenny Pads underneath him and he takes one with him if he goes for a sleep over. We are about to try the Bedwetting alarm and was curious if anyone has found one that works better than another?
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Christy
Dr. Greene, I desperately need some help for my 13 year old son. We have tried everything from alarms to medication …..he is such a deep sleeper, as seems to be the norm when reading on your website. I get up every night now at 1:00am, and if I can get him to get up and use the bathroom, then he is fine….but half the time, I end up screaming to get him up and then we are all awake and can’t go back to sleep.
Last spring…we got into a routine, where he was dry for about 5 nights in a row consistently, but it only lasted a couple months and he is back being wet every night. He has started puberty and I keep hoping things will change. He plays ice hockey and is very involved in the training…so he does drink a lot of water. He is getting offers to go play different places and attend different camps and he is not able to go. I am starting to really worry that this problem will never go away. Feel so bad for him and I know he is down in the dumps because of it.
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erica
Hi, I just found your post. My son is 12 years old and has the same problem. Did you ever got any answers? What to do? Or have you found anything what’s works?
Thank you.
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Melissa
I have a fourteen year-old who has been wetting the bed every night since he has been born. We have tried every type of bed wetting alarm from wet stop 2, wet stop 3, Roger Wireless alarms, and most recently, Chummie. Chummie worked well but we went through five mats!
We have been to Children’s Hospital and a hypnotist who then sent us to a therapist. He has had two sleep studies. He has been prescribed desmopression and imipramine. Neither worked and had many bad side effects.
He was diagnosed with celiac disease last year. We were at the Cleveland Clinic today.
They put him on oxybutynin today and think he might have another allergy to either artificial sweeteners or red dye.
I am writing to see if there is anyone out there that has had any success with anything with bedwetting.
My son is in ninth grade, but not the typical size. He about 6’3, 224 pounds, and wears a size 15 shoe. He plays football, basketball, and baseball. Because of his size and athletic ability, he has been asked to play with traveling sports teams. He can’t stay in hotels with the team. He can’t even share a room with other athletes. He broke down into tears today, he just wants to be able to wake up dry and be like other kids.
My husband and I have followed all the advice given to us, including shifting his liquids, putting him on Metimucill, and countless bed wetting alarms. If anyone has any advice on what to do next, please post!
We are desperate for advice from others that have solved this problem!
Added:
Amy
Hi Melissa,
Your son’s story reminded me very much of a close relative, he had the same problem and eventually in his late teens it just stopped, it was like a switch, I think he was 17. We are now having the problem with my daughter and because I saw all the intervention this relative’s parents went through with no success I’m reluctant to start down that path with my daughter.
From a very early age I have been teaching her to own the problem and not be ashamed of it, as we can’t always control our body. She is 8 now, and wears the big kid pull ups, with a plastic mattress cover. There are so many devices available now, the pull ups, mattress covers, bed pads.
She has regular sleep overs at friends house’s and I send her with her “I wet the bed kit”, including her own inflatable mattress, her own bedding, pull ups, mattress cover and large black garbage bag in case it’s a Niagara Falls night.
What I have found is that she doesn’t sleep as deeply in other places and rarely has as many accidents, as she does at home. She has even been away to sleep over camp for two weeks.
If you have tried everything and nothing works, perhaps it’s time to give in to the problem and not be ashamed. My relative eventually went on to a normal adulthood accident free, but he missed a lot in life waiting for that time to come.
Good luck. Amy
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Farrah
I agree, I have a 12 year old daughter who still wets at night. It is heredity and it usually just goes away when the child fully developes and the brain listens at night to wake up. I have done all the testing, just to make sure that nothing else was going on. I am trying the alarm again. The dr said you should try it for 6 weeks, if it does not work then wait a year and try again. We just started this process again. Her friends that she is close with know about it and it is important to not let then feel ashamed. There are more kids then we would think with the same issue. W also have a 2 year old who is dry all the time, night and day. She gets very excited for him and it does not faze her. Hope this helps, good luck to us all.
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Lisa
After many failures with various bedwetting alarms, our 8 year old son had success with “bedwetting Therapee”. They have an amazing system. I was skeptical at the beginning but it was worth every penny.
Added:
Pepperly
Hi Lisa, I’ve just found out about Therapee for the first time and have sent them a couple of questions (as my 7 year old son still has problems with day time wetting and is soaking every night. he still fits pull-ups, but I am wanting to stop those as I’ve read they can cause other problems). Can you please share a little more about how you found Therapee to use? and how the company was to deal with? I don’t suppose you had any daytime wetting issues?
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Carrie Carlson
We have been using this for about three weeks and I have not noticed a difference. My heavy sleeper sleeps right through the alarm and then doesn’t go in the toilet when we get him to the bathroom. Both he and I are exhausted from 1-3 awakenings a night. Is this normal? He is asking not to wear the sleep dry alarm because it is loud when it goes off. He would sleep right through wetting himself if it didn’t go off and I woke him up.
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Anon
My son will not wake up, even after I wake him up he still sits in his bed and looks at me like he doesn’t understand anything I say. It’s beyond frustrating. He’s 7 and I am over the smell and the laundry. I am about to have two in diapers, a 7 year old still wetting the bed with no medical problems is really starting to make me furious!
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momof2
I wanted to add a quick comment about the sleep dry alarm. My daughter is 7 1/2. We have been using this alarm for about 1.5 months (maybe 2). She went from having night time accidents about 5 times per week, down to MAYBE one every 2 weeks, even less. I swear by this alarm. It has not only been a lifesaver for my washing machine but also for my daughters self-esteem. The price was right. I would strongly recommend this to anyone whose child is having this trouble. BTW – It was this site that directed me to the alarm so THANK YOU!!
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Lorrence Scott Mahaffy
I have purchased and used the DryBuddy system. There are a lot of conveniences with this product. It worked great for our first child. However toward the end of our training with our first child, the sensor part of the device seemed to become less stable, not ‘alarming’ every time. After conversations with the Company, and at their direction, I was told to check the battery, which requires breaking the seal on the sensor. I confirmed with the company. After doing so, I found the sensor seal had leaked. When I returned it to the company, at their direction, they informed me that I had voided the warrantee by opening the sensor and they would not replace. The sensor system seemed a bit low quality, but it did work for our first child.
Added:
Nicole
Hi Elena,
We have been using the Sleep Dry alarm for 2 weeks. It wakes my son up and he is able to put it on himself. As Dr Greene mentioned, it’s half the price of other popular alarms. I will add that their customer service department is responsive and courteous. I am very satisfied and happy Dr. Greene mentioned the alarm in his column.
Nicole
Added:
Alan Greene
Elena, I notice your email address is a DryBuddy address, so this topic is clearly something you care a lot about. I have no direct experience with the DryBuddy, though it looks good on its website.
I’ve never had a financial or personal interest in any of the alarms — or in TheBedWettingStore.com, a great resource that sells many types of alarms – and has helpful reviews from parents. I like that store because even though current alarm brands and models change from year to year, there it’s easy for parents to find the both their most popular and their highest rated alarms at the moment.
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