Bedwetting, or nocturnal enuresis, is a common issue among children, affecting millions worldwide. According to The Royal Children’s Hospital, in Australia almost a third of four-year-olds wet the bed and one in 10 children who are aged 6 wet the bed. Despite how common it is, there is still often stigma attached to bedwetting and many parents don’t talk about it with other parents leaving them feeling uncertain about how to address it. Bedwetting alarms have emerged as a popular solution but do bed wetting alarms work? Let’s dive into the details.
How Do Bed Wetting Alarms Work?
Have you ever woken during the night to go to the toilet? That’s because your bladder was full and it sent a message to your brain to wake you up so you could go and empty it. However in children, this communication signal between the bladder and brain has not been fully developed. Some children will naturally develop this communication with time and growth however other children will need some help to establish this message transferal. And that is exactly what bed wetting alarms do. They help to encourage the bladder and brain to ‘speak’ to each other. The bed wetting alarm wakes the child just after the child begins to wee when the signals of the bladder are the strongest. The alarm helps train their brain to associate the sensation of a full bladder with waking up and when done consistently, over time the child will wake themselves to go to the toilet when their bladder is full.
Promoting independence
Bed wetting alarms also foster independence in kids encouraging self reliance and confidence. With bed wetting alarms like the Oopsie Heroes Plus alarm, children can take ownership of attaching the alarm to their own underwear and pressing ‘sleep’ on the bed wetting alarm app, ready for the night ahead. In the morning, they can turn the app off to reset for the new day and can easily remove the alarm device from their underwear. By allowing children to be involved in the bed wetting training, they build awareness for their own bodies and develop independence for their own journey.
Improving sleep quality
Many children experience anxiety about bedwetting, which can disrupt their sleep. Knowing they have a reliable system in place such as a bed wetting alarm can alleviate this stress, allowing them to sleep more peacefully. As they become more confident in managing their bedwetting, their overall anxiety may decrease. Once children start experiencing fewer accidents, they often enjoy uninterrupted sleep, which can enhance the overall quality of their rest. Fewer disturbances lead to deeper, more restorative sleep, benefiting their mood, focus, and daytime energy levels. Using an alarm can help create a more positive association with sleep. As children experience more dry nights, they may look forward to going to bed rather than feeling anxious about potential accidents.
Support For Parents
While bed wetting alarms are designed for children, we can’t underestimate the involvement of parents in a child’s bed wetting journey. Many parents have so many questions about their child’s bed wetting such as ‘when should my child stop wetting the bed?’, ‘when do I need to intervene?’, ‘is there something medically wrong with my child?’, ‘is it normal for kids this age to wet the bed?’, ‘should I start using a bed wetting alarm?’, ‘what is the best bed wetting alarm?’ and many more. Luckily, as an added and much needed bonus, the oopsie heroes plus bed wetting alarm also comes with a free 12 week bed wetting challenge that includes a weekly newsletter, exclusive VIP access to a FB group filled with support and advice and weekly Facebook Live calls for direct engagement, support, and celebration of progress.
Bedwetting alarms can be a highly effective tool for many families dealing with nocturnal enuresis but they are only one piece of the puzzle. Bed wetting mats will further help your bed wetting journey by reducing the amount of washing caused by middle of the night accidents and will get you back to sleep quicker, eliminating the need to strip the entire bed when an accident happens.
By employing a combination of bed wetting alarms, bed wetting mats and parental support, they can help children achieve dryness and regain confidence. If you're considering this approach, remember to stay positive and patient, as every child's journey is unique. With the right strategies and a little perseverance, many families find success in overcoming this common childhood challenge.
