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Is your toddler ready to toilet train?
Timing is everything when it comes to toilet training success. As any parent who's been through it can tell you, trying to force the toilet on a ‘not-quite-ready’ child only prolongs the process (and makes everyone miserable!). So how can you tell if your little one is ready to make the leap from nappies to the toilet? Check out these 10 signs that she’s ready: Shows an interest in the toilet, potty or underpants. Stays dry for two or more hours. Wants to watch you ‘go’. 'Number two’s’ happening on a predictable schedule. Complains about wet or dirty nappies, and wants to be changed. Can follow basic instructions. Understands basic vocab like "wee" and "poop." Can tell you when he needs to go—or uses body language, like going into a corner or grunting. Can pull her pants up and down with little assistance. Can learn to use a step-on-up toilet trainer seat. Check out Step-on-Up Toilet Trainer Seat2 colour choices$39.99Shipping $7.99
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Solving daytime wetting
Many children who are toilet-trained can still experience wetting accidents during the day. Sometimes these accidents involve wet spots in the underwear, but sometimes kids have full-on accidents that require a change of clothes. This can be a very frustrating problem for kids, parents and their teachers. Nicole Freedman, a Paediatric Urology Nurse works with children of all ages who suffer from daytime wetting, which is also called diurnal enuresis. In her recent blog she provides some helpful suggestions to keep your child dry. Reasons behind Daytime Wetting Diurnal enuresis is when a child who should be toilet-trained has wetting accidents during the day. Statistics say this happens in about 3 to 4 percent of children, particularly school-aged girls. Daytime wetting is generally: Involuntary, meaning your child did not do it on purpose. May be a result of poor toileting habits and behaviours that have been going on since toilet training. May have been developed after toilet training and over time. One common scenario Nicole deals with in the urology clinic is when kids hold their wee for so long that they leak or dribble urine. She often hears from parents that their children don’t want to stop playing (despite crossing their legs, sitting on their heels or doing the ‘peepee dance’) to go use the toilet. Other children refuse to use the toilet at school because perhaps the bathroom is ‘gross’ or the teacher doesn’t allow toilet trips during class time. She also sees kids who start holding their wee after their first urinary tract infection (UTI) because it caused pain and they subsequently hold their urine out of fear that it will hurt to wee. Diurnal enuresis can also be secondary to more complex issues such as an active UTI, a problem with your child’s urinary tract or nervous system. Although they are less common than behavioural issues, it is important to rule out all possibilities first. It’s recommended to consult with your child’s doctor. Overcome Poor Toileting Habits Wetting accidents are usually caused by poor toileting habits. If your child has been wetting their underwear during the day for a while, it will take time to undo these habits. The key is to be patient, encouraging and persistent. These tips will help: Make sure your child stays on a ‘timed toilet schedule’. Encourage your child to wee at least every two to three hours during the day, even if she doesn’t feel the urge to go. Purchase a ‘vibrating reminder watch’ to help remind your child to ‘stop and go wee’. Use a star chart to track trips to the toilet. Your child should wee when they wake up, at morning tea time, at lunchtime, mid-afternoon, around dinner time and again before bed. Children can earn ‘bonus stars’ for staying dry. The Role of ‘Number Two’ Nicole suggests that kids that hold their wee usually hold their poop as well. Constipation can play a significant role in causing wetting accidents. A child could be constipated even if they do have some sort of a bowel movement every day. Sometimes children who don’t seem constipated are actually ‘full of poop’ when an X-ray is performed. When your child’s colon is full, it can prevent your child from sensing signals required to let them know they need to use the toilet. A colon full of poop can put pressure on the bladder, which can lead to accidents. It is important to talk to your child’s doctor if you think your child could be constipated. Wetting accidents can be improved significantly just by fixing constipation. Not Emptying the Entire Bladder If your child is good at holding their wee, it can be difficult for them to relax their external sphincter (bladder muscle that loosens and tightens to control urination) so they don’t empty their bladder completely when they go to the toilet. They also may relax their external sphincter at inappropriate times and leak wee. This common problem is something called ‘voiding dysfunction’. When the bladder doesn’t get emptied completely, it can cause your child to feel like they need to go to the bathroom a few seconds after they just went! Sound familiar? Your child may leak right after they went to the bathroom because they didn’t empty their bladder all the way. Other times when kids rush through voiding, they will just wee ‘enough’ to make that urge to away but their bladder is still full of urine. When kids don’t empty their bladder completely, the stagnant urine increases their risk of developing a urinary tract infection. A good way to help your child is to have them ‘double void’. This means that after they finish weeing, have them try again to see if any more urine will come out. Tell your child to go and wee, then jump up and down a few times or do a little dance, and then try to wee again. Other helpful tips: Encourage your child not to rush through weeing. You may want to use a timer in the bathroom to make sure he is spending enough time to wee and poop effectively. Encourage your child to relax and breathe deep when on the toilet, to help relax her muscles and improve bladder emptying. If your child’s legs are short and don’t reach the floor place a foot stool in front of the toilet. This will allow her to rest her feet and have an easier time relaxing. Thanks to Nicole Freedman for the helpful information she has provided. We hope this article takes some of the stress out of daytime toilet accidents and helps lead to dry undies for your child. While you’re implementing these tips at home, be patient and reward children for their hard work! If you can get children to work for something they want, like a trip to the bike park, a new game or watching ‘Frozen’ for the seventieth time, then they may be more motivated to make changes and stick with them. Good luck and please share this with your friends and family who are parents of young children. Thanks to: https://www.chla.org/blog/rn-remedies/make-daytime-wetting-thing-the-past Which vibrating reminder watch is right for us?
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Waking and Taking your Child to the Toilet….What are you really achieving?
With most areas of parenting there are plenty of opinions and information regarding almost every topic. Google ‘bedwetting help’ and you’ll find a fair amount of conflicting advice. For those parents trying to help their child become dry at night we’ve taken a good a look at the idea of ‘waking and taking’ your child to the toilet each night in the hope he will learn to stop wetting the bed. But what are you really achieving by doing this? Here’s what we’ve learnt from the experts. With some children, this method does provide dry nights but your child doesn't actually learn anything from this. It is probable that your child is emptying his bladder before it’s full, making it difficult to learn the appropriate response to the full-bladder signal. More often than not, children have no memory of being woken and taken to the toilet, even though they may look awake. Waking and taking your child to the toilet at the same time each night may make his bladder used to being emptied at that specific time, rather than holding it until morning. Because your child learns nothing by this method, he will likely wet on nights you can’t take him or you forget. Just as you may have to get up at different times each night to visit the toilet, or some nights not at all, your child's bladder needs to be emptied at various times too. You have no way of knowing exactly when your child needs to use the toilet because this differs each night. Waking him and taking him may fit in with your schedule but not his. You may consider trying the ‘waking and taking’ strategy for a couple of weeks, or every second night and then see if your child stays dry on the nights you don't walk him to the toilet. If he can stay dry on his own, then that’s great. If, however, you don't see improvement on the nights you don't wake him, this strategy most likely won't work. Waking and taking him for months or years will not allow him to make that important ‘brain-bladder connection’ so he can wake on his own to a full bladder that’s needs emptying. If your child is 5 or 6 and still wetting on the nights you don’t take him to the toilet you may want to consider a different approach based on helping him make the connection between his bladder and brain. A bedwetting alarm is the most commonly used technique to help make that connection. When your child’s bladder is full and he begins to wet, the alarm sounds and wakes him. This consistent approach conditions him to recognise the feeling that comes before he needs to wake up to use the toilet. Then he can stay dry at night without any help from you. Need more information about Bedwetting Alarms?
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20 Top Tips for success using a bedwetting alarm
Before you start using an alarm, remember that a key element in the success of bedwetting alarms is your child's motivation and understanding that waking to the sound of the alarm is the treatment that will help him stop wetting at night. Make sure he fully understands this and is committed to stopping wetting the bed by using the alarm. If he is not fazed by wetting his bed, perhaps discuss some motivating factors or simply wait until he is a little older. Here's our Top Tips leading to success with an alarm: Pick a good time to start using the alarm when there is less stress and no travel commitments. Start the bedwetting alarm treatment with realistic expectations. It can take up to 10-16 weeks for a child to be consistently dry at night. Explain to your child how a bedwetting alarm works (trains the brain to feel the sensation to urinate) and discuss what you expect them to do when the alarm goes off. Read the instructions carefully and make sure you, your child and any other caregivers understand how the alarm works. Roleplay what happens when the alarm goes off and teach your child to turn off the alarm, visit the toilet to completely empty his bladder, change pyjamas and mattress protector and reset the alarm. Use waterproof mattress protectors on the bed and have a couple of spares beside the bed. Ensure spare pyjama bottoms are beside the bed each night. Place an easy-to-activate night-light beside the bed. Understand that initially you will need to wake your child when the alarm sounds and assist him to the toilet. With time he will wake to the alarm and take himself to the toilet. Understand that visiting the toilet after the alarm sounds (even if there is nothing left in the bladder) is an important part of the process. Avoid waking your child to visit the toilet. Let the alarm do the work. If you consistently wake your child to visit the toilet, he will not learn to do this on his own. Ensure the alarm is loud enough for you to hear. Use an alarm with a second receiver unit (which plugs into your room) or use a baby monitor. Praise your child for independently turning off the alarm, visiting the toilet without fuss, changing his own pyjamas and mattress protector, re-setting alarm etc. Do NOT continue to use pull-ups or nappies. Use a reward chart to record progress towards independence (wearing the alarm each night, setting it up by himself, waking by himself, changing his own pyjamas, ) and eventually you’ll be able to start rewarding less frequent wetting and smaller wet patches on the bed. In order for the alarm to work, you and your child will need to commit to using the alarm EVERY night. Avoid skipping nights. Be consistent and persistent. Some children become dry very quickly, in a matter of days, others take much longer, up to 16 weeks. Research suggests that if your child is still not dry at 12 weeks, you should not give up. Most children are dry by 12 weeks but a good percentage of children become dry between 12-16 weeks. If your child is getting tired from waking at night. Try and get him to bed a littler earlier. This will not last forever! The experts suggest you should continue to use the alarm until your child has 14 consecutive dry nights. Specialists agree that having success staying dry at night is often linked to good daytime toilet habits. At the same time as working on night-time habits ensure you are working with your child during the day, to make sure he is drinking plenty of water, taking regular toilet breaks and taking his time and completely emptying his bladder. Avoid caffeinated and fizzy drinks and make sure he takes his time visiting the toilet before bed. Remember, the first couple of weeks are the hardest then it gets easier. Your job is to keep up the praise, encouragement and reassurance. Here’s to happy dry nights.
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Hifold...the future of car seat innovation is about to arrive in NZ!
Why is the new Hifold being called 'the little transformer'? Because it's the world’s most adjustable and portable high back booster. Its unique “Multi-fit” technology, can be adjusted to 243 individual settings ensuring optimal seat belt fit whatever size your child. Hifold is also the world’s most portable booster. Its advanced “Multi-fold” system quickly folds down into a compact and convenient size for storage and travel. Hifold arrives into New Zealand early next month. Pre-order your Hifold now at the introductory sale price of $199.99. Once Hifold arrives the regular retail price will be $239.99. Get yours now https://www.moosebaby.co.nz/collections/mifold
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School Camp & Bedwetting ... Tips for making things easier
School camps are part of what makes our education system unique. They’re supposed to be a fun, memorable experience for all kids. However children who wet the bed at night can find the lead up to school camp worrisome and distressing. As parents it is our job to put a plan into place to help reassure our children so they can relax and have a positive experience. Bedwetting is more common than you may think. Around 5% of school aged children wet at night, so there is likely to be at least 1 or 2 children per class who will be trying to figure out how best to cope with their bedwetting while on camp. Not all children, but most school age children will want to deal with their bedwetting discreetly and you should be able to reassure your child and have a plan in place. Here’s 5 simple ways to help: 1. Staying hydrated during the day Drinking plenty of water during the daytime is important so your child is not too thirsty later into the evening. You don’t want your child guzzling water right before bedtime. A good way to remind your child to drink regularly throughout is by using a vibrating reminder watch. Set the alarm on the watch to vibrate regularly to remind your child to take a drink break. 2. Pull-ups or Disposable Pants Be prepared before camp by placing pull-ups (or disposable incontinence pants) inside the sleeping bag for each night at camp. School camps are usually 2 or 3 nights, so you’ll need to include 1 for each night. Inside the sleeping bag also place some small plastic bags for the wet pull-up or pants. At night when lights are out your child can discreetly put the pull-up on and in the morning your child can discreetly take the pull-up off and put it inside the plastic bag. 3. Speak with teachers and/or the parent help Make sure at least one teacher or parent knows the situation and can help where needed. Discuss the plan you have in place for your child and ask for help to remind your child to visit the toilet before heading to bed. If your child is using a pull-up or disposable pants, ask the teacher or parent to collect the pull-up from your child’s sleeping bag in the morning and dispose of it discreetly. 4. Hygiene matters In the morning your child will need to take a shower or they may find it easier to use wet wipes to wipe themselves clean. Discuss this as part of the plan. 5. Have an ‘Action Plan’ Sit down with your child and make an action plan of ways to help them through. You might like to have a practice run through one night at home. Explain the importance of drinking water throughout the day and explain how they can manage their pull-ups in the evening and in the morning. Reassure them that a specific teacher or parent is there to help. Explain that your child is not the only one on school camp who wets during the night. Make sure they know they can speak with a teacher or parent if they need help. Remember, bedwetting is not your child’s fault. If they could stop wetting at night, they would. Always avoid showing your frustration or anger. Some children grow out of bedwetting in their own time and some children need to use a bedwetting alarm in order to become dry at night. Need more information about bedwetting alarms?
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Help! How do I get my daughter to stop wetting her pants?
Daytime wetting is twice as common in girls as it is boys. About 3 to 4 percent of children between the ages of 4 and 12 have daytime wetting problems. It is considered to be a problem after the age of five by which time it is generally accepted that bladder control should have been established. Children with daytime wetting characteristically feel the urge to go at the last minute and may suddenly demonstrate holding postures e.g. ‘curtsey’ using their heel to stop the flow of urine. What causes daytime wetting? Many children who have daytime accidents have a parent/s who did too, so it is often genetic. Other common causes of daytime wetting include: Poor bathroom habits, such as not emptying the bladder completely or “holding it” for too long. Constipation (stool in the colon can create pressure on the bladder and cause spasms, which lead to daytime wetting). A urinary tract infection. How can I help my child overcome daytime wetting? The most important thing you can do is be patient and understanding. Make sure your child knows that daytime wetting is a temporary problem, and that you are there to help. If your child is having daytime accidents, try these steps: Take your child to the doctor to be assessed and rule out a urinary tract infection. Make sure to mention any pain on passing urine, poor urinary stream or continuous dribbling of urine. Constipation can also adversely affect bladder function and it is important to rule this out too. Ensure your child drinks well during the day. The recommendation for children is 6-8 glasses of water evenly spaced throughout the day (including 3-4 glasses while at school). Make sure your child has a drink bottle and use a permanent marker to write on the drink bottle, marking the level to be consumed by morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea time. Create a schedule for your child to visit the toilet at least every two to three hours during the day, even if she doesn’t feel like it. Use a Vibrating Reminder Watch and set it to vibrate to remind her to visit the toilet. These watches are particularly useful during school hours and help your child become independent. Make sure your child is eating a healthy, fibre-rich diet and plenty of fruit and vegetables. This can help prevent constipation. If using rewards/incentives these need to be for something your child has control over e.g. drinking well, using the toilet. Reward him for sitting on the toilet regardless of the result, as he may not be able to achieve dry pants initially. Help her relax and not rush while on the toilet. Putting her feet on a stool while sitting on the toilet might make things more comfortable. Have a small handheld game or book available to pass the time. Double voiding can be useful. Your child passes urine then counts to 10 or 20 and tries to empty her bladder again. Be positive and give support to your child. Punishment is not effective, and can make the situation worse. Children who have daytime accidents typically do not do so out of laziness, emotional problems or defiance. In fact, they often are embarrassed by it, and sometimes endure teasing. Children sometimes dread going to school or social activities because they fear having an accident. The good news is that treatment is available. With encouragement, lifestyle changes and, in some cases, medical care, most children can overcome daytime wetting. For more information visit Continence New Zealand or the Continence Foundation of Australia
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50+ ways to give experiences instead of 'stuff'
My kids have more than enough ‘stuff’. They have less than they did when they were toddlers, but they still have plenty. I used to cringe when I’d find toys they’d hardly touched and boxes they’d barely opened. That’s when we decided to give ‘experiences’ rather than ‘stuff’. Giving a ‘gift experience’ can give kids more than just another object for their room. It can create life-long memories, help build new skills or hobbies and provide fun for the whole family. Save and share this list and add some of your own. Zoo, aquarium or wildlife park pass or yearly membership A farm stay experience Concert tickets Pottery making classes Favorite family restaurant gift voucher Trampoline jump passes Indoor rock climbing passes Skiing lesson Cooking class for kids Theatre or show tickets Sports holiday programme Trip to the bookstore to pick out new books Passes to an indoor playground Family pass to the movies Subscription to a children’s magazine A train ride to somewhere they've never been Golf clubs & lessons Musical instrument & lessons Flower or herb seeds to plant a garden Ballet lessons & a tutu Ceramic painting class Horse-riding lessons Art lessons Zip-lining adventure Cheese-making class Tickets to a sports match Miniature golf adventure Baby and Me Music classes Passes to the local swimming pool, waterpark or hot pools Whale watching day trip Materials to build a fairy house Adventure or bike park passes Binoculars & bird watching book Arts & crafts kit Go-carting voucher Court hire (basketball, cricket nets or indoor football) Digital technology classes Singing lessons Fishing adventure Ferry ride Double-decker bus ride or city tour Observatory visit Escape room voucher Community theatre season passes Ice-skating family pass One on one coaching clinic (for a favourite sport) Mini break to another city Teepee Slumber Sleepover party Tennis ratchet & lessons Swimming with dolphins Cubs, Scouts or Brigade membership Camera and photography lessons
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Choosing the best bedwetting alarm...
A recent study saw 66% improvement in children who used a bedwetting alarm for 2 weeks, verses only 4% for those who used nothing at all. Research into the bedwetting alarms shows an 80% success rate in committed children (and their caregivers). How does a bedwetting alarm work? Different alarms work in slightly different ways but essentially a sensor detects wetness, which then activates an alarm (which vibrates and/or sounds) to wake your child. Eventually the alarm conditions the brain to wake up before any accidents happen at all. The time is takes to ‘train the brain’ and stop wetting varies from child to child, but for some children they become dry within 10 days, other children can take much longer. Choosing the right bedwetting alarm There are three types of bedwetting alarms: #1 Wearable Bedwetting Alarms With a wearable alarm, the child places the moisture sensing device in his or her pyjamas or underwear (in the line of fire). When the child wets, the sensor detects the wetness and the alarm is sounded. The sensor is attached to a cord at one end and the alarm/unit at the other end. The unit attaches to the pyjama top. With this alarm your child will need to use a waterproof bed pad. Recommended: WetStop3 has been used successfully for over 40 years! It is a good cost-effective alarm. #2 Bed-and-Pad Bedwetting Alarm With an ‘alarm-and-pad’ bedwetting alarm, the moisture sensor is sewn into the pad placed beneath the sleeper. The sewn-in sensors in the pad detect moisture and the alarm sounds. The sensor pads which come with the Wet Detective from Potty MD have the added advantage of being waterproof, which means you don’t need an extra waterproof pad on the bed (as well as the sensor pad). The pads are also industrial quality so they withstand wash after wash. This is a good option for those children who don’t want to wear an alarm. They are also good for adults, the elderly and those with special needs. Recommended: Wet Detective #3 Wireless Bedwetting Alarm The third type of bedwetting alarm, the wireless alarm, is the newest technology on the market. The child wears special underpants (available in all sizes) which have sewn in sensors. The added advantage of this alarm over others is that moisture is detected immediately thereby triggering the alarm to sound immediately to wake the child. This alarm is comfortable to wear as no cords or cables are involved. A small transmitter is attached to the underpants and a base unit is plugged into a power point (or powered by battery). Another advantage of this alarm is that if you have a particularly deep sleeper or you have a child who shares a room, then a vibrating unit (Bed-Shaker) can be attached to this unit so vibration is used to wake your child. Lastly, a separate base unit can be purchased to place in the caregiver’s room so mum or dad can also hear the alarm sound. Recommended: Rodger Wireless Bedwetting Alarm Alarm Type Alarm Type Useful for Advantages Wet Stop 3 Wearable alarm with clipped on sensor and cord Sound and vibration Children Cost effective. Simple to use. Proven success (sold since 1979). Wet Detective Sensor pad on bed and alarm unit beside bed Sound Children Adults Special Needs Elderly Can be set to a loud setting. Pad is waterproof. Simple to use. Comfortable – no cables. Rodger Wireless Alarm Wearable sensor underpants with transmitter. Base unit plugged into wall. Sound Children Adults Special Needs Latest technology. Comfortable – sewn-in sensor underpants. No cords. Moisture detected immediately. Vibrating Bed Shaker attachment available. Second base unit for parent’s room available. Bedwetting alarms best practices Choose the right time. Choose times when routines are not interrupted too much. Talk to your child about how the alarm works and help him get prepared each night (spare pyjamas, night light, change of underpants/bed pad). Make setting the alarm part of your everyday bedtime routine. Do not skip nights. Be POSITIVE! Give plenty of encouragement and stay confident and positive along the way. Work on daytime toilet habits too. Encourage regular fluid and toilet stops throughout the day. Avoid using nappies or pull-ups—your child should feel the wetness. For some children it takes time before they wake to the sound of the alarm. Be patient & assist your child with waking when the alarm sounds. With time they will wake by themselves. Remain PATIENT throughout the process. Some children become dry within days, others take weeks. As you continue to use the alarm every night the number of dry nights will begin to outnumber the wet ones. However, during the training process, expect the occasional accident to occur. This is normal as your child’s body develops.
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