You need a bedwetting solution that’s cost effective, easy enough to incorporate into your routine, and that actually works! Solutions range from products to behavioural modifications to medications.
If your child wets the bed past the point when it’s considered normal, first make sure you rule out any underlying medical conditions. If they don’t have any medical issues, then it’s likely just a matter of time before their bodies produce enough ADH (antidiuretic hormone) to inhibit urine production or that they learn the triggers, even while sleeping, to get up when they feel the need to urinate.
It might take a few years for bedwetting to stop, so in the meantime, here's some info to help keep your mattress dry and your child comfortable.
Diapers
It goes without saying, diapers are a great bedwetting solution for children of any age. Diapers or other types of disposable incontinence underwear can be used in place of regular underwear while your child sleeps. This is an easy solution since it’s something children are already used to wearing from their potty training days, and manufacturers make a wide range of sizes and fits for any age.
Pros
Easy to use
Effective
Cons
Environmental impact
Recurring cost
Uncomfortable or noisy
Emotional toll (child feels like they’re not “grown up,” maybe they can’t attend sleepovers)
Medication
Our research tells us that there are currently two drugs the FDA has approved for treating bedwetting – DDAVP and Tofranil. These medications can help prevent bedwetting, but they do come with side effects and unfortunately, they don’t work for every child. Talk to your child’s doctor if this interests you, and you’ll learn more about the right dose and frequency, but a good tip we’ve learned from some parents is to limit these medications for sleepovers or travel.
Pros
Effective
Cons
Not a long-term cure
Significant side effects
Doesn’t work for all children
Limit Fluids Before Bedtime
Of course, the easiest bedwetting solution is to limit fluids for an hour or two before bed and make sure your child uses the washroom before they go to sleep. This isn’t always practical, but it can help stop your child from urinating during the night.
Pros
Simple
Cost effective
Cons
Impractical
Dehydration can irritate the bladder
Bedwetting Alarm
A bedwetting alarm is a device designed to wake you or your child if they start urinating in the night. The idea is that the alarm wakes them up as soon as they start to pee, then they can hold it and get to the bathroom before finishing. It can take a few weeks before the alarm starts to wake up your child in time, so that’s why it’s also designed to wake the parent.
Pros
Trains your child to wake up when bedwetting happens
Cons
Takes a few weeks to start waking the child
Uncomfortable - holding in pee mid-stream is not always possible
Doesn’t always work for younger children
Bedwetting Mats
The bedwetting solution that is safe for the environment, cost effective, easy to use, and comes with no side effects is a bedwetting mat placed on the bed. The PeapodMat will collect all the urine, preventing it from leaking through onto the sheet or mattress. This makes for a quick and easy clean up – simply whisk the mat away, replace if needed, and throw it in the washing machine. They can be washed with a regular cycle and placed in the dryer as well.
PeapodMats are designed with POD-TEX™ technology to have minimal interference with the normal sleep or bedwetting cycle, meaning that it will not in itself wake you or your child, it doesn’t require any behavioural modifications, medications, or changes in your routine.
Bedwetting mats are totally non-invasive–just a flat mat placed on the bed that doesn’t bunch or move as your child wiggles around in their sleep.
Pros
Cost effective
Simple
Easy to use
Keeps mattress and sheets dry
No side effects
Can be used for short or long-term
Environmentally friendly
Cons
Doesn’t solve the issue, only helps with managing
If your child wets the bed for a medical reason, this issue needs to be treated. Talk to their doctor. But if instead, it’s just a matter of time before your child stops wetting the bed, then the PeapodMat is an easy, cost effective, environmentally friendly bedwetting solution. What’s not to like?