Bedwetting alarms

[Moxie]

It is time to try the alarm for our 8 1/2 year old. The bedwetting is starting to bother him. I like the Malem starter kit but it is expensive. Is there anything out there that is as good but less expensive?

[JennifersLost]

We used NightHawk. It was expensive, but sooooo worth it. It's a buzz alarm, so no one but my ds woke up. That saved him tons of embarrassment and us from wakeful nights. It worked very quickly. He relapsed once and we used it again for a shorter period. That was it.

 

I wish we'd bought it years sooner.

[redmom3]

What is a good age to try this? My ds is almost 5 and never has had a dry night.

[Moxie]

The web-site I looked at said not to start until age 6.

[lovetobehome]

I bought a Malem for my daughter when she was 5. It took two times of it beeping, and she was trained. It wasn't traumatic for her, she wanted to be dry, and she felt so good about staying dry....but before that we had spent a year trying to get through the night, and she couldn't. For us, it was wonderful. I then resold it and made back almost what I had paid for it. So, if you have the money to temporarily put into it, I would definitely do it...then resell it later on ebay.

[lovetobehome]

Thought I would say, too, that I think using this kind of thing is sooo much better than allowing a child to wet the bed for a long time....even if the parents are totally reassuring and perfectly patient, the child still is going to feel awkward / have self-esteem issues surrounding it. IMO, better to give them the little nudge they need to get them able to stay dry, than to wait it out...

[AngieW in Texas]

I used the SleepDry Alarm from Star Child Labs. It is just $53.

 

It was obvious that the alarm was working by the 2nd week. The first week, it went off 2-3x/night. The 2nd week was 1-2x/night. The 3rd week was no more than 1x/night with at least 2 dry nights (had never been dry more than 1x/month in her 8 years up to that point). She was completely dry by the 5th week.

 

http://www.grogans.com/servlet/shop?cat3=45&cmd=G

Edited September 5, 2009 by AngieW in Texas

[i.love.lucy]

I just wanted to encourage you too, that they work and will be SO worth it. We used the Dri Sleeper, and it's not inexpensive, but wireless. I wound up sleeping in the guest room near my dd's room, with a monitor, so I could hear it go off, help her wake and go, and get resettled again. She was 7. I can't say that I wish I had bought it sooner, because I don't know that she would have been ready sooner, but it worked in a few weeks and she has never relapsed.

 

Good luck to you and be of good cheer! It will work!:D

[Mesa]

It worked wonderfully for my 8 yr old. I wish we had used it sooner. It took a week and he was finally waking up to pee at night. We did have to keep it on him for a solid 2 months to keep him dry. We had stopped using it too early at first and he went back to wetting the bed again.

[AngieW in Texas]

I found it amazing that all three of my girls slept in the same room down the hall from me, yet I was the only one who woke up to the alarm the first few nights. By the end of the first week, my dd was waking up and I met her in the bathroom rather than shaking her awake while she was still in bed. My dh, 5yo, and 3yo never woke up to the alarm, not even once. I was the one who sleeping farther away from her than anyone else, yet I always woke up instantly.

[Guest Tamara01]

I personally have not tried using bedwetting alarms, and I was a little amazed about the things that was said here. They say bedwetting often self corrects, and I was waiting for that moment, which seems like forever. Thanks guys, on my way to buy one!