10 yr old bedwetting - can anyone advise on type of alarm to buy? Thanks in advance

[Noodle6]

My 10 yr old (11 in July) isn't dry at night and never has been. We saw specialist at hospital who told us not to try alarms til he was completely dry in the day. So we have not even tried them yet! He occasionally wets in the day but usually when he has been too engrossed with something (TV or Computer normally!) to recognise he needs a wee and go, not sure if he doesn't realise or if he being lazy! The daytime wetting is decreasing and rare these days though, so I'm about to try an alarm. He has school trip in Sept 2017 and would be fab if he was out of pullups by then. He went on a trip a year ago and the teachers were great and kept it very discreet and helped him with his nighttime/morning routine but it was stressful for him and I don't think he would want to go on school trip again if he has to go through it all again. (also will be at secondary school with teachers he has only just met!)

He is a very heavy sleeper and I'm wondering the best alarm to get. I've read about a wireless type that sounds appealing as the least intrusive for him the better I think. I have just read comments about one that you can record voices on - does it do normal alarm sounds as well? As they are pretty pricey I would like to think that the one I buy does the trick and I don't need to keep buying different types. I know everyone is different and I'm not expecting a magical formula but can people recommend ones to me? I think Malem are the best types ?? That's what the hospital told us anyway - can anyone give me some advice please? I would really appreciate it.

(Note he has tried desmopressin but it had no affect whatsover!)

Thanks in advance

[Georgina1475]

Just wanted to say hi. Haven't had experience of alarms myself but have you tried the ERIC website yet?

[Noodle6 in reply to Georgina1475]

Hi - thankyou for your reply. Yes I am aware of it, I will take another look. Thanks again.

[Rica17]

Hello there, I hope you still check in here

I just signed up having a 10 year old boy who is exactly same position as your son from reading your original post.

We are given desmopressin as well but I'm reluctant to start using it as don't really see it as a long term solution for us.

Just spent the last our looking at the alarms and like the look of the wireless Malem one (M012). Just wondering if you using an alarm and how you/your ds finding it?

My son is a very heavy sleeper as well and I cant recall ever having a dry night, but here's to hoping

Good luck to us!

[Noodle6]

Hello. Sorry I've not replied before. We decided in the end to buy the M04 - that has 8 random sounds, but not able to record your own voice. I decided that the part that they clip onto the PJ top looked too big with that sort. We have only just started to use it - one week in. Some nights he has not been wet at all - I think thats just a co-incidence as sometimes he doesn't drink enough during the day overall so we're going to step up the fluid intake during the day to help with this. On the occasions when it has gone off - first time he didn't wake at all and I had to wake him. He went to the loo and I changed the bed but in the morning he said he couldn't remember any of it! The second time he woke up himself and we followed the same procedure. It's too early to tell if this is going to work but we are very hopeful!! I decided against the wireless alarm in the end as I read the mat they sleep on can be noisy and so I didn't want to risk him now being able to get to sleep. Also it can take longer for the wet to reach the mat than if the sensor is attached to pants. Good luck to you and your son. Let me know how you get on.

[Maybilly25]

Hi I was in the same position with my 10 yr old, desmopressin didn't help at all, she was mostly dry in the day with the odd dribbles but night time had no rhyme or reason dry for days then wet for days. School trips are coming up and she has been on sleepovers but only with friends of ours children.

Anyway we didn't go down the alarm route, she has been seeing a chiropractor for about 5 weeks and has now been dry for 3 weeks🎉 He said she had muscle tension in her lower spine which was blocking signals to her brain that would alert her that her bladder was full. We have now actually heard her getting up through the night and she is a really deep sleeper too.

Just thought I'd share my experience as my story was similar.

Good luck with it all

[Noodle6 in reply to Maybilly25]

Hello Maybilly25. Thank you for replying and I'm sorry I haven't responded - how rude! I didn't seem to get a notification that I had received any more replies for my question.

Anyway, we are now about 5 weeks into using an alarm and for the last 5 nights he has been dry and not woken up to go to the loo in the night. I thought they were supposed to wake them just before they started to wee so that they could go to the toilet in the night ? but he hasn't been waking at all. I'm happy with the progress so far but we just need to keep up with it as I can't quite believe it's starting to work after wearing pullups for almost 10 years and always being wet by the the morning!

I really appreciate you sharing your experience of a chiropractor...how did you find out that that might help? Really pleased to hear it's working for you so far and I hope since you writing your post that things have continued to go well. I'm not convinced we have turned a corner yet so knowing about your situation has given me another line of enquiry should we need it! Thanks and good luck.