Good Parenting

Before buying a urine alarm, the first thing parents usually want to know is how successful are they at curing bedwetting in children. Studies have proved that a urine alarm is indeed a successful treatment to stop bedwetting.

A urine alarm is a small moisture detecting device used for children who have primary nocturnal enuresis. Other names for a urine alarm include urination alarm, bedwetting alarm or enuresis alarm. Enuresis is the medical term for involuntary urination. Many children continue to wet the bed after the age of five, the age at which the majority of children have gained night time bladder control.

Many parents try the usual bedwetting advice of limiting fluids a couple of hours before bedtime and ensuring their child visits the bathroom before bed. Some children need a little extra help to master night time dryness and a urination alarm may be the answer.

Urine alarms lead the way as an effective solution to stop bedwetting in children. Studies show that alarms have a 65-75% success rate whilst some manufacturers claim success rates of 90%. Urine alarms have proven more successful at permanently curing bedwetting compared to other bedwetting treatments such as medication.

The average time it takes for a child to achieve night time dryness when using a urine alarm is around twelve weeks. Many families will see an improvement, such as a reduction in the number of bedwetting episodes per night, within the first two weeks of starting with a bedwetting alarm. As the child learns to respond more quickly to the urine alarm, the wet spot should get smaller and smaller. Eventually, the successful child will be able to go through the night without the need to urinate.

As children get older they become more aware of their bedwetting, particularly if they have younger siblings who have already achieved night time dryness. A child may begin to feel ashamed and guilty about their bedwetting and this can lead to low self-esteem. Children who wet the bed at night often suffer because they miss out on sleepovers and camps because of their bedwetting.

If a child is suffering emotionally because of his or her bedwetting, then it may a good time to try a urine alarm. With the advances in technology, bedwetting alarms are not the big chunky contraptions they used to be. They are now very compact and lightweight and come in many different colors which appeal to bedwetting children.

If a child is dry during the day but has never been completely dry at night and has no health concerns, then a bedwetting alarm may be a good solution. It is always advisable to have a child checked out by a doctor before starting any bedwetting treatment to ensure there are no medical reasons for the bedwetting.