Comfortable & calm nights for all! How to protect your children's beds against accidents without sacrificing their comfort...
I am a Mother of 3 so I’ve had some experience with accidents during the night. Almost all of us have been through it!
My children, now 10, 9 and almost 8 years old, were all born really close together, so every single minute of extra sleep was crucial to us all.
My boys did go through a bedwetting phase when they were tiny, which we are now luckily through, during which time I received some fantastic advice from a paediatrician friend of ours on the best way to work through it. I'm really into everybody getting enough quality sleep - I especially think it is so, so important to ensure that children get their hours in.
So today I thought I would share some of my top tips with you.
First up, let’s run through the products we’ll be using.
Drynites Bedmats (Pampers do also do their own - they are great for travelling, but unfortunately not so great for the environment.)
Quilted waterproof mattress protector from John Lewis - on every bed in the house. They are absolutely brilliant, really washable and comfortable to boot. Unlike plastic waterproof sheets which can make you feel hot and sweaty.
Hippychick waterproof sheet from Anita’s House (a one stop shop for mums-to-be to get great advice and all they need for their baby and beyond!). The children have had these exact ones since they were all around a year old - they are incredible and I would wholeheartedly recommend! They're made of an amazing fabric that feels just like cotton, yet is completely waterproof and doesn’t make you feel hot and sweaty!
Now for the layering.
Start with the quilted waterproof mattress protector.
Now place the Hippychick waterproof sheet right at the top of the mattress to reach down to the middle. I put the sheet up this high so that if your children are sick through the night, the mattress is protected.
Pop on your first fitted cotton sheet.
Now it’s time for another layer - stick with me it will all make sense in a minute!
Pop either another Hippychick sheet down or alternatively, remove the sticky tabs from the back of one of your Drynites bedmate and place in the middle of the bed where you think accidents might happen, plastic side down.
Time for one more fitted sheet!
Now the reason for the multiple layers is this, if in the night your little one cries out or comes into your room saying they have had an accident, you just need to whip one layer off with no fuss. No lights need to be turned on, there is not much conversation, and therefore almost no disruption to your child or you.
If you put lights on and need to remake a bed entirely, it is likely to wake everybody up and it will take a lot longer to settle them back down. Simply take their pyjamas off, leave them in bath or on the bathroom floor, whip the top layer of protection off and you’re away.
If they have managed to reach the duvet, take the cover off, turn the duvet cover other way round and deal with that in the morning.
What I believe is the most important tip is to not tell them off - it was an accident! Just say something like “Darling, next time, try and wake up and go to the loo.” Scalding will give them anxiety and can result in pretty disastrous results, including potentially inciting more bedwetting! It is important to say something, not “Oh don’t worry, it’s fine” as this makes them feel it’s okay to keep doing it, but kindly and gently “try to make it to the loo next time”.
Get them back into bed and settled as quick as possible.
A few other tips I have learned along the way are:
Don’t let your children drink anything but water or milk after lunchtime. My children loved juice and would drink it much more than they would a glass of water.
Have them drink earlier in the day rather than later.
Always take them for a wee before bedtime.
When you are making your way to bed, lift your children from theirs and pop them on the loo. Stroke their back whilst saying Darling, have a little wee for mummy’. This would often work really well for us, and would actually not wake them up as much as you would think! Then carry them gently back to bed.
I hope this has helped you in some way, please do ask me anything you like below, I’d be so happy to help!
Love,