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So after spending hundreds of pounds on ever-larger nappies for bedwetting you have decided that perhaps you don’t need them any more and maybe you and your child can tackle bedwetting without nappies or disposable pants.
We have some good news, you absolutely don’t need nappies to effectively manage bedwetting at all, but you should be prepared to do a bit more laundry.
You might not need everything in this list, pick and choose what you think would be most appropriate:
At Every Nappy we aren’t parenting gurus or medical doctors. There are so many theories about bedwetting that it’s hard to keep up. From all the research we have done and the parents we have talked to the conclusion seems to be “It’s pretty normal, it’s fine, some kids take a bit longer than others to grow out of it but they will be fine in the end”.
We also provide products for parents of children with various developmental disabilities where it is normal and expected that daytime and night-time continence will be delayed and in some cases not possible. Don’t feel like anyone is forcing you to do something you aren’t ready or capable of doing right now, everything will happen in it’s own time.
That said; if you are worried about the continence development of you child then always see a doctor first. For bedwetting (nocturnal enuresis) you should speak to a doctor as it could be the symptom of a wider problem. For great advice and support check out Eric the children’s continence charity.
Disclaimers out of the way then, there are three main causes of bedwetting. The most common is that some or other part of the body or nervous system isn’t quite ready to be dry at night and it’s simply a matter of waiting and the bedwetting will go away one day. You just need to wait for the affected parts of your child's body to fully develop and then they won't wet the bed any more. This is true in many cases, usually the child has never been dry at night and it continues like this until they grow out of it. Physical reasons like this also include things like infections or diseases like diabetes, so it's important to get them checked out.
The second theory is that it's emotional. Your child might be worried about something at school, the health of a family member, trouble at home, bullying, moving house or even abuse. There can be any number of emotional factors that can cause bedwetting. One symptom might be that they had been dry for a while (6 months or more) and then started wetting the bed again.
Important - Talk to your child to try to understand what's worrying them. It might be something that you can and should do something about! Emotional trauma is serious and should be investigated.
Another popular idea about bedwetting is that kids get a bit too comfortable relying on the nappy. They understand that because they are wearing the nappy, there can’t be anything wrong with having a wee. I’m not so sure about this as to call it a reason for bedwetting as I think kids generally prefer not to wet the bed, but I have been assured by many parents that some children are simply too comfortable with the nappy to go to the toilet. I also heard this characterised on more than one occasion as laziness. That’s maybe a bit unfair and perhaps we should call it a habbit rather than laziness, but we have spoken to parent’s whose doctors have said that is the cause. This is typically younger children that have never been dry. If the nappy is warm in the morning this is a clue, as they most likely peed just after they woke up!
Whether your child's bedwetting is a habit, emotional or an uncontrollable natural development problem we are certainly not qualified to say. You will know your child better than anyone so will be the best person to decide if your child is ready for night-time without nappies. Of course, we sell bedwetting nappies if you aren’t ready, but we can also help with your next steps if you are.
So if you are making the brave step to throw all the nappies, pull-ups and bed pants in the bin and go nappy free there are a few products that might make your child’s transition to nappy free nights a bit more comfortable for everyone:
Stress incontinence is often seen as a problem for older people, but in fact it can affect people of any age (even children). The Kylie® Children’s range was originally developed for stress incontinence in kids. Parents soon found that because of the integrated waterproof lining and sewn in absorbent padding these pants were ideal to use for potty training and as washable bedwetting pants.
The capacity of the padding in the Kylie Children’s product isn’t quite good enough for a full wetting (because they are designed for light leaks from stress incontinence) but they will should contain the worst of it. The other advantage is that because they are washable and don’t contain the super high tech materials that disposable nappies and pull-ups have then if your child wets they will really feel wet and be very aware of it. This might be advantageous if you are trying to get rid of nappies and break the habits that might have formed.
Kylie® pants are available in two different styles, plain black for boys and white with lacy trim for girls. We have them is 5 sizes from 2 years to 12+ years. The 12+ will fit older children as the largest waist size is 32". From your child's perspective, the best thing about these pants is that although they offer some protection, they really look and feel like real grown-up pants.
This is probably quite obvious but even a child that has been dry at night for years is bound to have an accident at some point. This is perfectly normal and is a part of growing up. It makes sense then to protect the mattress, as a mattress full of wee is really hard to clean. The Kylie® breathable mattress protector is a great weapon in your anti-bedwetting nappies arsenal. It fits under the top sheet like a fitted sheet, and has elastic skirts to keep it in place and stop it from moving.
Instead of the crinkly crisp packet like material that waterproof sheets used to be made from, this one is made from a super soft, breathable material called polyurethane. This means that you can comfortably sleep on it all night without sweating or overheating. The top layer of the sheet is finished in brushed jersey cotton (like a T-Shirt). Once you have the top sheet fitted over the top your child will barely notice that the mattress protector is there, but should an accident happen the mattress will be nicely protected.
There are 4 sizes of mattress protector from Single bed to Super Kingsize bed.
Mattress protectors like these have benefits for kids with respiratory issues such as asthma as dust and dust mites can’t come through from the mattress.
Mattress protection is a must for any child (or indeed adult) regardless of bedwetting.
If you are choosing to use the Kylie® Children’s pants or you have decided to go it alone with no special underwear of any kind, then you will inevitably have some wee in the bed. The washable training pants we recommend aren’t designed for a whole bladder’s worth of wee so some of it will make it’s way to the bed sheets, and if you have no protective underwear at all then you are potentially going to have to wash a lot of bedding in the morning. Not to mention that fact that your child’s sleep will be disturbed because they don’t like sleeping in a cold, wet bed.
The Kylie® Bed Pad can really help out here. It’s a highly absorbent washable bed pad with a waterproof backing material that fits over the top sheet. You child will sleep directly on top of the absorbent pad. This is an incredibly effective tool in your no-more-nappies toolbox and here’s why: The Kylie® Bed Pad will absorb urine deep inside and away from the top layer of the pad and your child’s skin, so they will feel comfortable and dry all night.
The 5 layers of the Kylie pad work together to lock urine away deep inside and keep the surface of the pad feeling dry. This is pretty clever stuff and it’s all to do with the 5 Layer Kylie design. You might have tried a washable absorbent bed pad in the past but with mixed results, but I ask you only one question; “was the pad you used a genuine Kylie Bed Pad?” Other, cheaper, brands use a 3 or 4 layer design, which is not as effective as a genuine Kylie®.
The top layer of the Kylie has a one-way hydrophobic membrane, which means that once urine gets inside it has a hard time getting out again. The Kylie pad is fitted with 50cm mattress tucks on each side so you can place it securely on the mattress and it won’t move about or get screwed up in the night.
Kylie Bed Pads can be washed in your washing machine at up to 90C (if you really want to) and can be tumble dried on a medium or low heat. Most people get three or more Kylie Bed Pads so they can manage their laundry cycle.
Kylie® Bed Pads are available in pink or blue, and in 4 sizes from junior single bed to double bed.
We have around 20 reviews of the Kylie Bed Pad and the vast majority are overwhelmingly positive. See for yourself on the product page, or see this recent review below:
Very good bed pads. Feels dry to the touch even if it's wet. Would definitely buy it again.
So far we have covered some products that will ease the strain on your family's laundry routine, and will hopefully lead to a great night’s sleep for your child without the help of nappies.
Sometimes though a child’s “output” is really quite amazing, and duvets or quilts can end up getting wet. This can be the case if they have a larger than average bladder, they drink a lot of water (which is fine) or they sleep on their back (in the case of boys, as the wee goes straight up).
Laundering a duvet is no fun and can be really hard work. Or you can brave the dirty looks and expense and take it your local launderette. Waterproof duvet covers don’t really help because they still need to be stripped off and washed, and are almost impossible to dry because of their waterproof backing.
Well we have another useful product for you. The Kylie Wipe Clean Duvet is completely waterproof, but is also breathable and super soft. This duvet is made from polyurethane and filled with soft foam. It is rated at 10.5 tog so great for summer or winter and once you have the duvet cover on it you wouldn’t really know it was anything other than a standard foam duvet.
The advantage here is that you NEVER have to launder the duvet. If it gets wet you simply strip off and wash the duvet cover, flip the duvet over, wipe it down with antibacterial spray and let it dry in the open air. It will be fine to use come the evening and you don’t need to keep a stock of duvets always going through the laundry!
Also, as the cover is impervious this will benefit kids with respiratory conditions as the duvet can’t harbour or expel dust and dust mites because it’s completely sealed.
We know that not every child needs this, but I’m sure that a few parents reading this will have experienced “output” so great that the pillow has been wet. There isn’t much to say about this really, except that if you need it, we have it.
This pillow is again covered with polyurethane so perfect for respiratory conditions with all the benefits of the wipe clean duvet above.
Our core business at Every Nappy has always been providing incontinence nappies for children. There are all sorts of reasons that parents need these products and we do our best to advise and provide appropriate products for them.
We know that there are as many reasons for delayed continence as there are customers and that everyone’s needs are different. Please don’t feel that because we have written this article we are judging or trying to force you or your child to change, if you still need nappies for bedwetting or any other reason please see our Kids Products section or give us a call at the number at the top of the page.
If you want to be done with nappies for good though (and that’s generally what children want) then this article is a good starting place! Best of luck moving over to nappy free nights, and if you need any advice about any of our products please give us a call. Let other parents know how you got on in the comments below.
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