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White Oak Adventures
Mar. 13, 2009
A Potty Training Diary...nights 1-7 (Week 1)
Rebekah (5.5) and Noah (almost 7) are bed-wetters. My first two boys were potty-trained (day and night) by three years old, yet, I've had NO luck with my youngest two. Noah is an extremely deep sleeper and I do think that's most of his problem. Rebekah has me stumped. She not a deep sleeper and she's not taking any medications. Anyway, I'm at my wits end! I keep them in underwear rather than pull-ups in hopes that the "I don't like being wet when I wake up" message will eventually sink in. It's been a few months and the message has not been received by either child. So, in the meantime, I'm doing a lot of laundry.
I read really good reviews about a bedtime alarm called the Malem Ultimate Bedwetting Alarm and Ryan and I decided to give it a try, It's a nifty little device that detects the tiniest drop of wetness and immediately vibrates, lights, and sounds an alarm. The idea is that the brain will learn (very quickly according to other parents) to stop and hold the flow right away. Then, within another short period of time, will hold it all night. Most parents report a 2-4 week training period before their children stayed dry all night.
I really think that Rebekah is going to be the easiest to train, so I'm starting with her.
Night 1
It came in the mail yesterday afternoon and she wore it to bed last night (March 12). I tossed and turned all night worrying that I wouldn't hear the alarm and she wouldn't know what to do. Well, night one turned out to be a dry night. Rebekah does, every now and then, stay dry. So we don't know if that was a fluke or if her brain was just acutely aware of the alarm system. It's almost midnight on day 2 and so far, no alarm. We'll see.
Night 2
The alarm went off around 2:30 a.m. It didn't scare her like I thought it might. We got her changed, hooked back up and back in bed pretty quickly. She stayed dry the rest of the night. She doesn't seem to mind wearing the alarm, so that's helping the "hooking-up" process to go smoothly.
Night 3
The alarm went off at 1:30 a.m. I was pleased to see that she was not very wet. I had her go potty and she went a lot INTO THE TOILET!!! That's exactly what's supposed to happen. Evidently, the alarm is supposed to remind the brain to stop the flow. I really like how easily she goes back to bed. I made everything as easy as I could: I have a bin in her room with underwear, extra pj's, and blankets. I'm keeping a waterproof pad on her bed (on top of the sheets) so that all we have to do is pull off the wet pad and blanket and then grab a dry blanket from the bin. Quick and easy.
She seems very pleased with herself. She was smiling when I tucked her back in.
Night 4
Tonight the alarm went off at 11:30 p.m...much earlier than the last three nights. So, now I'm wondering if she'll remain dry the rest of the night. Also, tonight she wet a lot. I see that I need to tone down my excitement and settle in for the long haul. I also learned that nightgowns and alarms don't mix. All good to know!
Rebekah wet again sometime after 2 a.m. Moving on.
Night 5
The alarm went off at midnight and I did have a harder time getting Rebekah back to bed. She was annoyed and told me she didn't want to wear the alarm anymore. We talked about it and I attempted to encourage her for a bit. She went back to sleep pretty quickly. On a good note, she wasn't terribly wet.
Nights 6-7
I'm going to summarize these two nights because they were all identical. Rebekah seems to be waking between 2-4 a.m. and wetting a small amount. It's enough to sound the alarm, but not enough to make pajama pants wet. I no longer have to change the pad on her bed because she's stopping the flow immediately. She has completely accepted the alarm and it's become a matter-of-fact part of getting ready for bed. I notice she is taking complete responsibility for going to the bathroom before bed because SHE doesn't want the alarm to go off. Before the alarm, I would always have to remind her to go. The only drawback I'm finding is that she is having some difficulty going back to sleep. It hasn't been a huge problem especially since she doesn't have to get up at a certain time in the morning. Overall, we're happy with her progress. Most importantly, Rebekah is happy with her progress.
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