Bedwetting is a lot more common than most parents think. In fact, 900,000 children and young people in the UK are affected and it is a normal part of growing up.
Beanie has never been dry at night. As a parent, I simply remind my 7-year-old that it will pass with time and she just wears DryNites® every night. It doesn’t bother her in the slightest. In fact, because the pyjama pants are designed to look and feel like real underwear and she’s never known anything different, she is absolutely fine.
Beanie is not affected in any way by the fact she is not dry at night. She has always said she couldn’t feel the pee coming out at night, and she really doesn’t! Acknowledging that something is out of your control certainly helps when it comes to dealing with it.
Now it’s all nice and simple for us at home. What about when she’s away from home? Managing bedwetting away from her comfort zone is another matter entirely, isn’t it? How do you help your bedwetting child deal with it during holidays, sleepovers or school trips?
I would never want my daughter to suffer the embarrassment of wetting a bed in someone else’s house, or when away on a trip with school friends. It would probably knock her confidence. To avoid that, and make her feel safe and secure as she leaves, I would help her prepare for it.
Some things to consider as you are planning a night (or more) away from home:
- Be patient. Even though bedwetting can get frustrating at times, it is no one’s fault and can’t be helped. Tips to sort it out will probably help in the long term, but it might take a long time, so don’t expect it to be sorted before the night(s) away.
- Make it really clear to your growing child that you understand and do not blame them for wetting the bed.
- Sleepovers and school trips are the best parts of growing up! Give your child the confidence to take part by giving them reassurance you will help them prepare for it.
- Talk to the parents or teachers prior to the trip, so that they are aware of the situation, and can make it a little bit easier for your child. It could be pre-agreed that there are plastic bags and a bin in the toilet your child is going to use. They can then dispose of their DryNites® discreetly.
Practical tips for dealing with bedwetting when away from home:
First of all, be prepared. Don’t make life harder than it needs to be for you or your child. A change in routine can cause regression in the best of cases, so if your child regularly wets the bed, make sure you are as prepared as can be for nights away. Going away is supposed to be a bit of a treat, not an added stress for anyone involved.
Do you fancy looking for a washing machine to clean bedsheets and drying a mattress with a hairdryer whilst on holiday?
No? I wouldn’t either.
Sleepover and School Trip Must-haves:
- A sleeping bag
- DryNites®, hidden at the bottom of the sleeping bag so they can wriggle into them discreetly.
- A small torch so they can make their way to the toilet in the night.
- Wet wipes, for a quick clean in the morning.
- A strong plastic bag, so they can put the used DryNites® and wipes in, tie a knot and put it all back in their backpack for disposal at home (rather than their friend’s bin). If on a trip, they can get rid of the bag each morning in the bathroom bin.
- A couple of extra plastic bags, just in case clothes get wet or they have a little ‘accident’ during the day.
Holiday Must-haves:
- DryNites Bed mats are absolutely brilliant! I place ours between the mattress protector and the fitted sheet, so when the bed gets wet, you simply have to get rid of the bed mat and wash the fitted sheet. DryNites® Bed Mats with Stick & Stay Put are designed to ensure overnight confidence. Click here for more information
- An extra fitted sheet
- Wet wipes
- A couple of extra pairs of pyjamas
- Plastic bags
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by DryNites® but all photos and opinions are my own. For a free sample and to find help and advice on managing the bedwetting stage, click here.
Although diapers are a great way to protect mattresses and embarrassment, they don’t solve the problem. To correctly treat bedetting, many doctors recommend bedwetting alarms. These are small little devices which train the brain and help create a brain-bladder communication to alert the child when an accident has taken place at night. Over time, children will begin to wake up faster till they eventually stop bedwetting. These systems are portable and discreet.
Thanks for the advice! She has a watch that buzzes every time she should take herself to the toilet 🙂
Great tips Mel, we are currently going through this with our 5 year old x
To be perfectly honest, I was really worried about it when she was 5. Now I’ve done some reading and I know she genuinely can’t help it, I’ve relaxed about it a lot. The fact there’s no leakage at all with DryNites really helps with my stress levels I have to say 🙂
Putting them in a sleeping bag is a brilliant idea!
🙂 You’ve got to be creative to avoid embarrassment 🙂
Such a helpful post, Mel. This means you can still go away without the stress. The DryNites Bed Mat sounds brilliant!
Thanks Nadia. We’ve been using those mats for years: they’re brilliant!
My youngest is coming up to 4 and not dry at night. Doesn’t bother me but everyone else seems to have an opinion! She will be dry when she’s ready!
So true about everyone having an opinion! People in my family are very vocal about what they think should happen…
I think that part of the issue now is the pressure to have them dry at night earlier. I know that my brother wasn’t dry at this age when I was growing up and although I had one child that was I also had one that wasn’t. I think a relaxed parent makes for a relaxed child
I couldn’t agree more, Jen! When I was stressed about it, she was a lot more grumpy, uncooperative and had meltdowns. Although she’s still pretty spirited, the fact I’m more relaxed about the whole situation has also tamed her anger a bit. x
I always worry about accidents happening when my 7 year old is at a sleepover. These are some really good tips!
Thanks lovely. I’m so lucky she’s not embarrassed about wearing pyjama pants. It makes sleepovers a lot less stressful. xx
I love reading your bedwetting updates. Athena is 6 and a bit and not dry at night and your posts always make me feel so reassured that it’s normal x
The thing is people tend to keep it quiet, so you don’t have any idea your child is not alone… until you start talking openly about it and then you get lots of people telling you their stories and giving you great tips 🙂 xx
Toby has been dry at night for a while but has had a lot more bed wetting incidents since he started school. There are some great tips here though, especially when the time comes for him to spend nights away from home.
Thanks Sarah. Three of mine are at school now and I found that for each of them, starting school triggered some form of regression. One of them forgot how to make friends (that was heart-breaking), one started having little ‘accidents’ during the day (mostly at home though) and the third is having meltdowns again (overtired, much?).
Fab tips lovely lady!
xxx