A Child Who Wets the Bed Can Dampen Your Travel Plans
Tips and ideas for traveling with a child who bedwets. Including the use of disposable garments, sleepingbags, medication, and enuresis alarms. Based on information from the TRY for DRY Program at Children's Memorial Hospital.
(PRWEB) June 6, 2003
Wet pants, wet hotel beds and ruining Aunt Helen's mattress can put a lot of stress on a family vacation. Bedwetting can keep many children from a variety of social opportunities that involve overnight stays, and for parents who like to travel, a child who wets can dampen your plans as well. Because of these concerns many parents might decide that travelling is not worth the hassle and resolve to spend vacation time close to home. Although this solution may be okay for some people, the good news is that bedwetting can be overcome.
It's important to note that bedwetting or "pediatric nocturnal enuresis," is not a result of a "lazy child" or bad parenting. Most likely your child's wetting has a genetic basis. Therefore she is no more responsible for her wetting then she is for choosing the color of her eyes. Also, you are not alone. According to the National Kidney Foundation approximately 5 million children wet the bed every night.
Simply stated, it is believed that the underlying reason a child with enuresis wets at night is that the brain and bladder do not communicate well when her or she is sleeping. A contributing factor to this miscommunication is the fact that nearly all children who wet are deep sleepers. The TRY for DRY team based at Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago offers this advice. In order to effect a permanent long-term "cure" for bedwetting, your child's best option is the use of an enuresis alarm. This is a small battery operated device that the child wears while asleep.
There are several enuresis alarm models available on the market, the price is generally under one hundred dollars and all work essentially the same way. A moisture sensor attached to a small alarm or buzzer is attached to the child's undergarment. When the sensor detects the first drop of moisture the alarm sounds. Over a period of typically 3 to 8 weeks the child begins to get "in tune" with the signals from their bladder and the alarm is no longer needed. Through the proper use of an enuresis alarm nearly all children who wet can easily learn to overcome their bedwetting.
It is suggested that the alarm be worn every night until your child has achieved fourteen consecutive dry days and nights. This short investment in time now may allow you to hit the road for that perfect stress free family road trip and save you from years of future wet nights. Annually about 3% of children will become dry on their own, but why wait and see. Statistically about 15% of eight year-olds wet the bed nightly and about 3% of fifteen year-olds have never been dry. So consider taking action sooner than later.
Ideally you will begin the use of an enuresis alarm about 6 to 10 weeks before any planned trip or vacation, but if you do not have that luxury there are still some things you can do. Begin the use of the alarm at home before you leave, even if it is just for a few weeks. You can consider the continued use of the alarm while you are staying in a hotel if it is just your own family in the room. Since teasing may have a negative affect your child's self-esteem we do not encourage the use of the alarm when at overnight camp or sleeping at other people's homes, particularly if there is a chance that he or she might be ridiculed for bedwetting.
There is a pharmaceutical alternative called desmopressin that may be effective for some children. It often has immediate results but is generally useful only as long as the child continues its use. For this reason it is recommended that children who exercise this option discontinue the medication and continue the alarm therapy once they return home. To learn more read the book "Getting to Dry - How to help your child overcome bedwetting" authored by Dr. Max Maizels, Professor of Urology at Northwestern University Medical School. The book is available online at www. TRYforDRY. com or at your local bookstore or library.
Other tips that may make your travel more comfortable are the use of pull-ups or other disposable undergarments as well as an ample supply of disposable bed liners. The continued use of these items is not encouraged as they are expensive over time and may have a tendency to make older children feel infantile. Another approach is to travel with a sleeping bag. Older children have good success discreetly slipping in and out of their disposable undergarments while inside the bag. The disposable can then be put into a plastic bag and trashed. For smaller children a sleeping bag is also helpful as it can further protect other people's mattresses from potentially leaky diapers and can be easily laundered.
If you have a child that wets during the day, be sure to schedule plenty of rest stops and potty breaks. Bring extra pants and undergarments in a tote bag or backpack so they are easily accessible and can be carried along when you are on foot. Be sure to have some plastic bags for the wet clothes. Many hotels and motels have coin operated laundries. You might even inquire in advance to be sure that your hotel has this convenience and request a room nearby. Laundry detergent with borax will significantly reduce odors associated with wetting.
Planning ahead will help to make wetting incidents minimally disruptive to your family's fun. These can be frustratiing but resist chastising your child, particularly in public. Remember that shaming your child will not help and may only have the result of making him feel bad about himself.
If you follow these tips you will see that there are several things you can do to be prepared, so have a great vacation and don't let a wet bed dampen your family's travel plans.
Reno Lovison is the marketing director and educational coordinator for the TRY for DRY program and has lent editorial assistance to the writing of the book "Getting to Dry."
Contact: Reno Lovison
Marketing Director
TRY for DRY
773-989-1960
Email reno@tryfordry. com
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