Although bedwetting alarms are the most effective treatment for primary enuresis, many parents are still unfamiliar with the alarms and skeptical of its effectiveness. The Bedwetting Store recently published new survey results, which may provide some reassurance for parents who may be uncertain about using a bedwetting alarm for their child.
The survey included 803 families whose child had used an enuresis alarm. Parents were asked, “What changes, if any, have you observed in your child since using the alarm?” The changes included the child’s self-esteem, quality of sleep, relationships with peers and parents, overnight stays and school performance. Parents rated each statement as “Significantly Worse”, “No Change” or “Significantly Improved”.
Here are the results:
As you can see, the majority of the responses fell under the “No Change” or “Significantly Improved” sections. Seventy two percent of the participants reported that their child’s self-esteem had improved since using the bedwetting alarm. Fifty seven percent reported that overnight stays also improved, suggesting that these children were able to attend sleepovers more often or without any problems.
The survey also asked participants about any progress made with accidents at night after using the bedwetting alarm. Seventy two percent reported that their child was now dry every night; 21 percent had fewer wet nights, smaller wet spots, less wetting per night; and 7 percent reported no change in the amount of wet nights.
The most popular alarms used included the Malem Ultimate, the original Malem and the Rodger Wireless Bedwetting Alarm. The median age of the children who used an alarm was 7-8 years, but the range of children included ages less than 5 to 15 years or older. The children used the bedwetting alarm from less than one month to more than six months.
These survey results provide an insight for parents who are thinking of treating their bedwetting child with a bedwetting alarm. The positive changes indicated in this survey suggests that a bedwetting alarm can offer behavioral benefits to children whose mental health, physical health and social life may be negatively affected by bedwetting problems.
