Kids wet the bed. It’s just a fact of parenthood you will undoubtedly experience at one time or another, probably more than once. Whichever bodily fluid you’re hoping won’t discolour or ruin your child’s mattress, you throw a mattress protector at the situation and pray. Am I right? It gives you peace of mind but the question is, does it actually do its job?
The answer up until recently is a resounding NO. Why? Because the majority of standard mattress protectors are not made to be absorbent enough to withstand the litre of water your child will only consume an hour before bedtime. Or the torrent of projectile illness they unleash in the dead of night. However fellow parents, your Night in Protective Armour has finally arrived. Protect-a-Bed mattress and pillow protectors are not only designed to absorb, they are super soft and lightweight.
My 7yo daughter and 4yo son are both in nappies at night. Midwife, maternal and child health expert Midwife Cath explains, ‘Children up to the age of 5 will often wet the bed, and it is not unusual for children after this age to continue to wet the bed occasionally.’
Sometimes even with a nappy on both kids will still saturate the bed-sheets and sometimes (not naming any names) a parent will forget to put a nappy on them leading to… yup, forecast wet wet wet. So the need for some absorption power was severely needed in our house. Cue Protect-a-Bed.
We had our first taste of the excellence that is Protect-a-Bed a couple of weeks ago when my 7yo decided to remove her nappy during the night and wing it commando. I was woken at 5am by said bed-wetter but unlike previous experiences I was pleasantly surprised to find that while the sheet itself was laundry-bound and so too the doona (duvet if you’re British like me), the mattress protector was relatively dry and when I felt the mattress beneath… dry as a bone!
I was actually quite chuffed with our unplanned real-life demo of how effective these mattress protectors are, so much so I performed a 5am bedding change with a bonafide smile on my face!
So, here are the facts of Protect-a-Bed. What prevents that wetness from seeping through to the mattress, quilt or pillow beneath is their ‘miracle layer’ which is both waterproof and breathable. It lets air vapour in while stopping any moisture escape out. Alleviating stains from your mattress’s future, the Protect-a-Bed collection has also been recognised by the Eczema Association for being kind to sensitive skin.
It’s not only our kids who can benefit from Protect-a-Bed, though this next part definitely applies to teens. I’m talking about sweat! We all do it, in fact the average human exudes about a litre of fluid a day! Throw in some shredded skin flakes and any resident dust mites are finding themselves at the all-you-can-eat buffet so hello mould and bacteria. Sound disgusting? Oh yes. Want to sleep nasty-free? Protect-a-Bed. Their waterproof protector design wards off said nasties, including any resulting allergens meaning you can literally rest assured that you’re sleeping healthy.
To give a little extra protection and reassurance for moi, I have also switched nappy brands to BabyLove’s Sleepy Nights overnight pants because the supermarket own brands are just not absorbent enough. The BabyLove design has a higher absorbency core as well as stretchy leg guards to prevent any wee leaking out and they’re super soft and comfy which is pretty important when your little is wearing them all night long. Miss 7 routinely takes off her nappy in the night sometimes because it is full and other times because it is just plain uncomfortable so BabyLove’s Sleepy Nights have been a revelation!
So now with our mattresses (and pillows) protected against any unwanted spills, spews or leaks in the night and bottoms taken care of by BabyLove, our bed-wetting experiences are fewer and further between but when they do happen, I just breathe and change the bed!
Midwife Cath’s 6 Tips for Bed Wetting and Toilet Training
1. Remember it is normal! Communicate this to your child so they don’t feel upset, embarrassed or anxious
2. Eliminate potential causes of bed wetting such as intestinal worms or a urinary tract infection
3. Bed time rituals. These can range from no drinks for 1 hour before bed, going to the toilet immediately before hopping under the sheets, and leaving a soft light in the bathroom so children feel safe visiting it
4. Don’t reward children for using the loo. This can place too much pressure on children
5. Let children develop at their own stage. They will have a bowel movement in a nappy and not like it
6. Overnight pants. Sleeping in highly absorbent pants is a great transition between nappies and underwear, as they offer good protection and children learn to pull them down to use the toilet.
“My advice to parents is to remember that children parented with anxiety, grow up with anxiety. As a parent, we should try to be supportive and calm whilst our child navigates this natural stage of development. Each child will develop at their own stage, and girls tend to develop a little faster,” says Midwife Cath.