Bed wetting

[Erica@cruisecritic]

I'm cruising with my 5 yo, who goes through phases of wetting the bed at night, even though she's been potty trained for years. We've never done pullups, so I don't really want to introduce them now. But we're going on a Princess cruise in a week, and I'm not sure what to do. I can bring a waterproof pad for the bed -- but will I end up doing laundry every day? Wondering if other families have experienced this and if you've come up with solutions I have not thought of. Thanks!

[VicRock]

3 hours ago, Erica@cruisecritic said:

I'm cruising with my 5 yo, who goes through phases of wetting the bed at night, even though she's been potty trained for years. We've never done pullups, so I don't really want to introduce them now. But we're going on a Princess cruise in a week, and I'm not sure what to do. I can bring a waterproof pad for the bed -- but will I end up doing laundry every day? Wondering if other families have experienced this and if you've come up with solutions I have not thought of. Thanks!

Not cruising but I've always taken a waterproof pad when my son was still wetting occasionally.  Honestly what helped with that other than the usual - go before bed, dont drink after certain time, etc.  was regular chiropractic adjustments. In the 3 years since we started those, he's had a few accidents but it's when we missed our adjustments for a few weeks.  He is a super heavy sleeper.  & the adjustments worked instantly.  Obviously, each person is different, but it's something you might be able to do before you go.

Edited June 23, 2019 by VicRock

[jbethel11]

7 hours ago, Erica@cruisecritic said:

I'm cruising with my 5 yo, who goes through phases of wetting the bed at night, even though she's been potty trained for years. We've never done pullups, so I don't really want to introduce them now. But we're going on a Princess cruise in a week, and I'm not sure what to do. I can bring a waterproof pad for the bed -- but will I end up doing laundry every day? Wondering if other families have experienced this and if you've come up with solutions I have not thought of. Thanks!

They replace the bedding every day so sanitarily; it won't be a significant issue. However, if she is embarrassed about it, I would recommend bringing the waterproof pad for the bed if it can even fit in the suitcase. 

Edited June 24, 2019 by jbethel11
typographical errors

[horsegal]

Large puppy pads,  they work great and you won't need to worry about laundry if she does have any accidents. But if she is a crazy sleeper they might not stay in place as well as a regular pad. 

[Essiesmom]

8 hours ago, jbethel11 said:

They replace the bedding every day so sanitarily; it won't be a significant issue. However, if she is embarrassed about it, I would recommend bringing the waterproof pad for the bed if it can even fit in the suitcase. 

 

I have never been on a cruise that replaced bed linens every day.  Typically on a 7 day cruise linens are changed once mid-cruise, unless you request or it is obvious it needs changing.  EM

[Erica@cruisecritic]

Thanks, everyone! I will have a word with the cabin steward to give him/her a heads up that her sheets might need to be changed more regularly. I'll strip the bed if it's wet. And I'll investigate my mattress pad options because as horse gal suggests, a couple of puppy pads or similar might be better than bringing one larger one.

[gerif]

10 hours ago, jbethel11 said:

They replace the bedding every day so sanitarily; it won't be a significant issue. However, if she is embarrassed about it, I would recommend bringing the waterproof pad for the bed if it can even fit in the suitcase. 

No, they don’t replace the bedding every day. Plus you don’t want the mattress to get soaked (don’t think you’d want to be sleeping on such a mattress). Need to bring waterproof pads. 

[topspot]

If you use "puppy pads" you can tape them down, so that if she moves they will stay in place.  We do this in the endoscopy center where I work to keep the bedding clean and dry during procedures.  (We don't call them "puppy pads" though🤣)

[Erica@cruisecritic]

We're talking the disposable incontinence pads, yes? I believe they were called "chucks" when I was in the maternity ward and they'd put them in the babies' bassinets.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

I would put a pull up on her. The pad may not work as intended if your child doesn't sleep like a log and stays put.

Nobody wants to sleep on a peed on mattress.

 I can bring a waterproof pad for the bed -- but will I end up doing laundry every day?

 

especially if your child pees enough to soak a waterproof bed pad

[cb at sea]

They WILL replace sheets if they are soiled....simply ask.    I've never heard of "puppy pads"....maybe I call them "chucks"...blue plastic on one side, absorbent stuff on the other.  You can get them at any medical supply store.

[gerif]

17 hours ago, cb at sea said:

They WILL replace sheets if they are soiled....simply ask.    I've never heard of "puppy pads"....maybe I call them "chucks"...blue plastic on one side, absorbent stuff on the other.  You can get them at any medical supply store.

But that does absolutely no good if the mattress is soaked. They are called bed pads and can be purchased in the incontinence section of any drugstore or supermarket. I use them when my cats have kittens. 

[Erica@cruisecritic]

Puppy pads ordered (since they were cheaper than chux/bedwetting versions and essentially the same product)! I'll bring one washable mattress pad we have and layer the puppy pads on top because gerif is right: I'm more concerned about soaking the mattress than sheets that can be washed. And I'll alert my cabin steward on day one that he will likely be changing the sheets more often. And limit after-hours drinking and hope for the best!

[WillowHaven]

We use the GoodNights brand bed mats. They have adhesive in the corners to help them stay put.

Also, for heavy wetters, we bring a waterproof mattress pad to put over the sheets (there are options that don't feel bad to sleep on) and add the bed mat on top. It provides that extra layer of protection for the mattress. 

[SimplyMarvie]

We brought waterproof mattress pads with us on our last cruise where this was a problem, which really helped. The cabin stewards arranged for them to be laundered the one time that needed to happen, so I didn't wash them in the sink. Either this was a fairly normal thing, or the cabin time was just completely chill, but it was not in any way a problem for them. This was Carnival, in 2013, though, so it was a while ago.

[Kerry's Girls]

We always travel with the Goodnights bed mats for my special needs daughter.   I put one between the sheet and mattress and replace it if there's an accident.  Easy to throw away and just ask for the sheets to be changed (or strip the sheet if I don't see the steward so they know to change it).    She rarely has an accident at home, but on vacation she sleeps very deeply since she's exhausted at the end of the day.   As Marvie says above, the stewards are very used to and understanding of all kinds of issues.  If we don't use them and need the packing space to return home, we just leave them behind.    

[ewespinme]

On 6/25/2019 at 3:18 PM, Erica@cruisecritic said:

And I'll alert my cabin steward on day one that he will likely be changing the sheets more often.

And don’t forget to add a bit of an extra tip with that comment. It will make the chore a bit less tedious for your steward, who won’t get extra time allotted for it. 

 

You also might want want to ask for an extra sheet left in your room so that if an accident happens you can change it and she can sleep on a clean sheet rather than the bare mattress.  With my 4 year old we layer ... mattress, mattress protector, sheet, mattress protector, sheet. So on the rare times he has an accident we strip off the top two layers and he can go right back to sleep. We plan on doing that when we cruise with him as well. 

Edited September 10, 2019 by ewespinme

[Ashland]

On 8/11/2019 at 10:31 AM, WillowHaven said:

We use the GoodNights brand bed mats. They have adhesive in the corners to help them stay put.

Also, for heavy wetters, we bring a waterproof mattress pad to put over the sheets (there are options that don't feel bad to sleep on) and add the bed mat on top. It provides that extra layer of protection for the mattress. 

Agree with the "Goodnights" brand....these work out great and can be easily purchased at Walmart or Target.