To expect a £120 bedwetting alarm to work

[Eboblah]

Recently bought a v expensive Rodgers bedwetting alarm for DS8 and he's now wet the bed 3 nights running and the alarm hasn't gone off. He's waking up around 6 soaked through and no alarm sounds until he takes off pants and holds near alarm sensor. Everything seems to be set up correctly - green light on receiver thing, and alarm goes off when tested, just not when he wees. Anyone got any ideas what I'm doing wrong? Or is it just faulty? Possibly pants not tight enough, could this be an issue?

My daughter is 10, & we’ve just stopped using her alarm. It was her idea, & at no pint dud she view it as a punishment, because it’s not!

I’m sorry some suffered from using theirs, but that is simply not everyone’s experience.

Lockdown proved to be very beneficial as it meant we could use it when she didn’t have to get up early. I bought one fir about £30, & it worked absolutely fine.

I can’t advise on what you may be doing wrong, OP, but if you feel the alarm is right for you & more importantly, your son, please carry on.

@RunningFromInsanity

The alarm isn’t to punish them, it’s too alert them (and the parents) that they need to change PJs/bedsheets so the child isn’t laying in his urine all night.

The alarm is designed to wake the child as they start urinating, so they can go to the toilet. The bed is not supposed to get wet.

Doesn’t suit all children, my daughter always has a wet pull-up, but no longer wets the bed when not wearing one.

& that is thanks to the alarm,

Consult ERIC, or ask to be referred to the paed Eunuresis team by your GP.

There is a lot of misinformation on this thread. Alarms are a standard part of a treatment plan when a DC is wetting the bed beyond the age of 7-8, and when there are no SEN/ psychological factors.

Alarms are not about shaming; they're about helping the child to get used to waking up before they wee. It's definitely hormonal but there are other factors involved too, including bowel habits and whether they're a deep or light sleeper. They can be used along side or instead of Desmopressin, or other approaches. What is right for each child will depend on how the nurse/Dr assesses their needs.

My DS is now 14, and only just dry at night. It's a complex childhood health/ development issue, and there are lots of valid approaches.

@ariettesmall
Using pull ups is not usually recommended beyond toddlerhood, as they train the child actively that it's ok to wee when they're wearing them. Which is the opposite to what you want them to be doing. They don't help to resolve bed wetting . (SEN excepted)

Wow there’s some over emotional bullshit on this thread .

We have never “shamed” our DS about his bed wetting or dragged him around different doctors . As he got older he became increasingly embarrassed about it and wanted it sorted - we’ve tried everything without success until we used the alarm a few months ago. It sorted the issue within a few weeks. He was so proud of himself and can now go to sleepovers unencumbered with the fear of bed wetting.

If it doesn’t work for your child then so be it but cut the crap about abuse FFS.

Our son slept through his alarm.

@Lemonsole

Consult ERIC, or ask to be referred to the paed Eunuresis team by your GP.

There is a lot of misinformation on this thread. Alarms are a standard part of a treatment plan when a DC is wetting the bed beyond the age of 7-8, and when there are no SEN/ psychological factors.

Alarms are not about shaming; they're about helping the child to get used to waking up before they wee. It's definitely hormonal but there are other factors involved too, including bowel habits and whether they're a deep or light sleeper. They can be used along side or instead of Desmopressin, or other approaches. What is right for each child will depend on how the nurse/Dr assesses their needs.

My DS is now 14, and only just dry at night. It's a complex childhood health/ development issue, and there are lots of valid approaches.

@Lemonsole completely agree with you.

Thanks for all the encouraging and constructive advice. To the rest - I am totally confident my DS8 is not being traumatised, he is very excited about the process and annoyed that it doesn't seem to be working. We've never 'punished' him for bedwetting and are totally aware it is not his 'fault'. I would prefer not to be doing it but leaving him in nappies as an increasingly self-conscious 8 year old, or to sleep the night in his own urine are not ideal alternative options either. As other posters have said this is the recommended pathway by the experts in the field. While hormones are a factor, deep sleep is another and he is an incredibly deep sleeper.

Positive update - one of the pairs of pants worked last night so we're making some progress, unfortunately the other pair now start going off as soon as he puts them on so seems gone from one extreme to the other...

@Eboblah maybe a problem with the contacts on that pair?
We used this one and it worked well for us. My DS was similarly desperate to be dry at night. He was absolutely on board for using it.

I agree that it sounds like a fault. We also used that type of alarm for our deep sleeper and it worked well for us - IIRC, results weren't immediate but there was progress within a week or two.