Bedwetting - do alarms work?

[ellieboo9]

Hello.. I know there are numerous threads on this but I'm also sure that advice changes over time so I'm starting a new thread to ask for thoughts, experiences etc. with bedwetting alarms. My DD is 7, extremely heavy sleeper, has only ever had one or two dry nights ever. I don't have a problem with continuing with pullups at night until it happens naturally (and neither does she) but just found out there is usually a residential trip in Year 4 and I'm worried she'll be embarrassed if she's the only one still wearing them. There's a family history of bedwetting up to the age of 10/11 so I imagine that's what we might be looking at if we decide to let nature take its course.

Have you had her hormone levels checked yet?

Contact GP there is medication you can take until hormone comes naturally. I have looked into it for my 5 year old but holding off as he isn't bothered.

I would avoid sending her to residential in pull ups if at all possible, kids can be so mean.

My dd had the alarm that connects to pants and when it gets wet it starts going. Me and husband were fast asleep in bed heard this ringing getting louder and louder and went rushing through to see my daughter still fast asleep 🙄 so alarm didn't work for us. My dd is 9 and takes medication to stop the wetting but it seems like we have one dry week then one wet. My dd has day wetting also. It's very frustrating. If you haven't already ask to be referred to the enuresis clinic and they can provide the alarm for you to try.

It depends, if it's a genetic thing or if her body is not yet ready probably the alarm doesn't work. It's useful to break something like a "habit", like she is potentially able to be dry at night and she just need to associate the urge to pee with waking up, otherwise it's useless and the result is only disturbed sleep for her and you.
If the cause is deep sleeping, genetic or something related to her natural physical growth, the time will solve everything. We tried many things, alarm included, and nothing worked, it's a natural thing and most likely she will be not the only one with bedwetting in year 4. Pull-ups are quite discreet, I would invest in a good pyjamas that safely hides them.

Sort of! My don hated wearing it and as a result got dry! Battle on together, try not to get frustrated or cross.

We used the alarm on out then 7 year old. She went from being wet through to dry with no accidents since in 12 weeks. She was really happy to do it and it was well worth it. She's so happy to be allowed a water bottle in bed!!

The alarm worked for my ds, really quickly actually as he’d never been dry at night. It only took a couple of nights of him (and the whole house ) being woken up, for him to break the habit

What have you tried to get her out of the pull-ups? We had the same experience but it turns out ours was just lazy and didn’t want to get up to wee during the night. So the never being dry wasn’t for any physiological reasons. Waking to wee before we went to bed cracked it. Went from never having a dry night at nearly 8 to completely fine just because we took the pull ups away and woke her to use the toilet when we came up to bed.

I don't see why going to the residential in pull-ups would be a problem - who would know? She just gets changed in the bathroom, puts them on under her PJs and does the same in the morning, surely?

Dryness at night is hormonal, and the NHS is unlikely to want to do anything about it til she's 8 or 9.

Thanks for all the replies.. she's my only child so I don't have any prior experience of how residentials work - perhaps you're right and it wouldn't be an issue. I've just read on the NHS site that constipation could be an underlying cause, which she does suffer with due to milk allergy. Think I will start with visit to the GP just to rule that out and ask to have hormone levels checked at same time. Thanks again.