Does a bedwetting alarm really help?

Bedwetting is not a topic that is easily talked about. Neither by the child who still wets the bed, nor by the parent(s). Bedwetting is still treated as a taboo, unfortunately. That is weird and unnecessary, because over 100,000 (!) children older than 5 years still wet the bed several times a week. It is therefore much more common than you might think.

When discussing bedwetting, the bedwetting alarm is often mentioned. People read and hear differing stories. From becoming dry within a couple of nights to weeks of sleepless nights with a frustrated child that still wets the bed in the end. That is why many parents ask us the question: does the bedwetting alarm really work?

As we've mentioned in the previous blog, the bedwetting alarm is certainly not the right solution for every child that wets the bed. If you suspect a physical cause, for instance because your child wets their pants often during the day as well, we recommend contacting your GP first.

But very often there is no physical cause. Your child is a deep sleeper and is not aware of what is happening. It has a so-called high wake-up threshold. As a result, the feeling of a full bladder is not recognised (in time) when sleeping. With wetting the bed as a consequence.

Scientific research proves that in this situation, the bedwetting alarm is the best method for quickly ending the bedwetting.  

However, the bedwetting alarm is not a cure-all! The problem won't be solved just by getting the bedwetting alarm. But the bedwetting alarm is a tool that enables you to tackle the problem of bedwetting seriously.

The bedwetting alarm gives off an alarm when your child begins to wet the bed. Your child should wake up from this alarm, stop urinating in a reflex and go to the bathroom to finish it. By consistently responding to the alarm quickly, the child develops a wake-up reflex from the feeling of a full bladder.

But as we've mentioned, the bedwetting alarm is not a cure-all. The following points are crucial for a short, successful bedwetting alarm training:

Use the bedwetting alarm on a daily basis. And by daily basis, we mean every night. Alternating between the bedwetting alarm and diapers is not a good idea. We want to teach your child a wake-up reflex, and that is not possible if it's wearing a diaper. Are you going on a holiday or a weekend away? From a training perspective, we prefer that the bedwetting alarm comes along. If you want to bring a more discreet alarm, we have bedwetting alarms with a (silent) vibrating element. Are you divorced and does your child sleep in more than one house? Consult with your ex-partner if they want to participate in the training. Training only half the time really makes it less effective.

Push through! The first 2 weeks are often the toughest. Everyone has to get used to the sound. The broken nights are hard, sometimes also for brothers or sisters who wake up from the alarm too. But this is usually only the first few nights. It can become exhausting if your child has to go to the bathroom multiple times a night, and therefore is woken up multiple times a night too. In that case, please make use of our guidance. We have tailored advice that helps to reduce the amount of times of going to the bathroom at night for many children. This makes it easier to keep up with the training.

This guidance is also important if your child is not responding to the alarm. We implore you to contact us if your child is not responding to the alarm after a couple of nights. The training can only begin if it does. It's a waste of your sleep and motivation if you wait too long with this.

Mentor your child in a positive way. Each bedwetting alarm comes with a motivating score card with stickers. Points can be earned every night and rewarded with a sticker in the morning. Many children benefit from this and love updating the card together with you.

It also provides you with a chance to discuss the progress with your child. And please make sure that this always happens positively and constructively. Your child didn't choose to wet the bed. It can't help it.

Make use of the FREE personal and professional support of Urifoon! Anyone who has rented or bought a new bedwetting alarm from us can use this free of charge.

Nobody likes to be woken up in the middle of the night. So being awoken by a bedwetting alarm must be experienced as worthwhile. Each moment of being woken up is a step towards being cured of bedwetting. Our guidance really helps to make the training go as effectively and efficiently as possible. This means that the training won't take unnecessarily long, your child will respond to the alarm quickly, the number of bathroom moments a night will be limited, and your child will remain motivated to finish the training.

Don't quit the training too early. Be wary of declaring a success prematurely. Your child is probably not potty-trained after just 1 dry week. Our advice is to use the bedwetting alarm until your child has slept dry for 3 weeks in a row or has woken up to go to the bathroom without the help of the alarm. If it is still going well 2 weeks after stopping with the alarm, we consider the training a success.

We therefore really recommend that you finish these 5 weeks. The earlier you stop, the greater the chance of a relapse. And we know from experience that children have a harder time starting the training again after a couple of months than to just continue the training a little longer.

Finally, the motivation of your child. This isn't always as easily influenced as the previous points, but just as important. Motivated children complete the training much more easily and more successful. Over 90% of motivated children is cured of bedwetting within 3 months.

It is therefore important to determine beforehand what a good time is for you and your child to start the bedwetting alarm training. It is a training that requires a lot of attention. If everyone takes it seriously, the results can be surprising. The other way around can lead to disappointments. After all, the bedwetting alarm is not a cure-all...

And make use of our guidance! Are you training without the help of a GP, the Municipal Health Service (GGD) and/or an outpatient clinic? We will be happy to offer guidance during the entire training. Very often, this makes the difference between a completed or an unsuccessful training.