Bedwetting Alarms
Although majority of children have been potty trained when they were still toddlers, bedwetting remains an issue of several older children. This problem is more prevalent among boys, especially those with either or both parents having a history of the problem during their childhood years.
Bedwetting may be considered as a social issue, causing embarrassment and frustration to both the child and his parents. But the medical field actually has a term for bedwetting – nocturnal enuresis. This condition has two types: primary and secondary.
Since bedwetting is a huge concern for parents and children alike, there is a need for medical evaluations when the child is over 6 years old. These are also done so that underlying problems may be ruled out, and the appropriate therapy may be recommended.
A bedwetting alarm is defined as an electronic gadget specially-designed to alert parents and children when they are about to urinate while asleep. Bedwetting alarms are known to be the most efficient therapies available. Further, these devices are very safe and easy to use.
Bedwetting alarms are available in various styles, such as, pad-type, wireless, and wearable alarms. But even if the styles differ in some ways, they all have the same purpose and function. All bedwetting alarms come with moisture sensors and alarms. As soon as the child starts to urinate, the sensor will identify the presence of moisture and will activate the alarm.
Bedwetting alarms are known as treatment tools which work to train a person to react appropriately to his full bladder. The sound of the alarm will convey the message to the person’s brain that he is urinating, and that he should wake up and complete “the deed” in the toilet. The alarm will teach the brain how to acknowledge the bladder’s call in the most suitable manner.
Bedwetting alarms do not work like the typical alarm clocks. The latter’s function is to randomly awaken people from their sleep so that they may use the toilet. An alarm device for bed wetting on the other hand, functions in response to the body’s call for urination. The regular alarm clocks are not as effective as the bedwetting alarms since the need to urinate at night does not happen on a fixed schedule. Thus, bedwetting alarms remain one of the treatment options for nocturnal enuresis, and are often considered as a one-step solution.
The pad type alarm is not supposed to be attached to the bedwetting child. Instead, the moisture sensor comes in a mat or pad form placed underneath the sleeping child. The pad or mat senses moisture once the urine starts to leak. A cord runs from the pad onto the alarm. However, the pad needs substantial moisture before the alarm is activated, and the child has to be on top of the pad for moisture to be detected.
Wireless bedwetting alarms do not transmit messages from the sensor to the alarm via a cord. Instead, the transmitter, which is hooked on the child’s underwear, is the one that detects moisture. The signal or moisture detection is wirelessly transmitted to a separate unit which sounds off the alarm.
Wearable alarms are those whose moisture sensors and alarms are attached to the child’s clothing. This style is known to detect moisture instantly. The sensor, which attaches to the underwear, connects to the alarm (worn under the child’s shirt) via a cord.
Although nocturnal enuresis is a condition that is almost always outgrown eventually, there is still the need to address the issue before it begins to have negative impact on the children. And fortunately, this unnecessary intrusion in the children’s lives can be safely addressed with.