Solutions for Bedwetting or Leaky Diapers
Some of you may know that we are offering a potty learning workshop in collaboration with Tiny Play Club tomorrow. One of the things I am going to be sharing is how the potty leaning journey with all 3 kids have been very different – how we used elimination communication (yes, new term! haha) with KorkorC (#1) successfully, but the same methods yielded less “success” with the other 2 kids.
The other thing I am going to be sharing is the challenges faced with different kids. In particular, with JiejieC (#2), she is having a very long-drawn night wetting process and with BabyC (#3), he is such a heavy wetter at night that he regularly leaked out of his diapers (both disposable and cloth). I have hence had to find solutions for bedwetting and would like to share them here:
- Waking kids up to pee – This is the typical solution bedwetting therapists suggest for older children who still wet their beds past 6 years old. The proposal is to wake the child up at regular interval(s) every night and hope this builds a habit and helps them learn to wake up themselves to pee. I have tried this solution with both JiejieC and BabyC, by waking them up before I head to bed (usually 2-4 hours after they fall asleep), and it has helped to reduce the occurrence of bedwetting since they do get to eliminate most of their liquids before they flood their diaper or the bed. However, I see limited (almost none) effect on them waking up to pee on their own, whether at the similar timing or later during the night.
- Hormone pills – This is another possible solution you can see a doctor to discuss about if your child does not seem to be able to hold their pee for hours kids their age usually can.
- Large-sized diapers – If your child is heavier than 20kg, this is difficult to find in Singapore, whether for disposable or cloth options. The diapers also may not hold all the pee if it comes in a large flood. This should hence be paired with either of the following:
- Wool covers/pants – It might sound crazy to use wool in Singapore’s weather, but woven wool fibres today in fact thin and allow the most breathability compared to any other waterproof fabric in the market. Lanolised wool also offers better leak protection than typical waterproof covers like PUL. It can hence be a great idea to learn how to lanolise and care for wool if you often get leaky diapers.
- Bedwetting mats/mattress protectors – This is probably familiar to most parents in Singapore since accidental wetting of the bed is something that WILL happen, and so most families use some sort of mattress protector on a regular basis. However, if bedwetting is a fairly regular occurrence, it can get quite annoying to “fight” with your heavy mattresses and tight fitted sheets/mattress protectors in the middle of the night. As such, wool covers might be easier to change in the middle of the night, or a bedwetting mat that can lay on top sheets without moving or bunching might be an ideal solution. It has certainly been a game changer for me since JiejieC is fully capable of removing/changing her own bedwetting mat along with her wet clothes now during the rare occasions when she has night accidents!
Which of the above sound most appealing to you? Share with me in the comments below!