Review of the Chummie Premium Bedwetting Alarm

The Chummie Premium Bedwetting Alarm is the top of the line Chummie, above the equally popular Elite model. It is slightly more expensive than the Chummie Elite, and comes with some unique additional features and benefits.

Chummie enuresis alarms are probably the most well known name in the market. But is it because of marketing, or are these products some of the best you can buy?

This review covers the Chummie Premium in depth, while providing a short comparison against the Chummie Premium so you can easily view the differences. Below I’ve added a fast pros and cons summary, in case you’re in a rush:

Which is the right enuresis alarm for you and your child? Read on to find out what we’ve discovered during our research.

Overview

• 8 different alarm tones
• Settings for volume and vibration makes it easy to personalize
• 2 bright lights
• Unique silicon sensor
• Free phone app for online support and videos
• 3 colors to pick from: Blue, green & pink

What You Get

• Bedwetting alarm
• Instruction manual
• Mobile app including instant access to customer support
• Optional extra to buy: Comfy Armband to attach the alarm unit to the arm, rather than clip on to the front of the shirt

How To Use The Chummie Premium

With a lightweight 28″ cord running between the sensor and the alarm, it’s more than ample to fit even the tallest kids, as well as teens (we’ve read at least one report of an 18 year old male using the Chummie).

Along with the 8 different alarm sounds, the Chummie Premium has a vibrating function (as do almost all enuresis alarms). The difference between a good quality alarm and those of poorer quality is often seen in the vibration ability.

A very weak vibration is rarely going to wake a child if the sound doesn’t wake them. So this is certainly an area that should be looked at closely when you’re choosing a bedwetting alarm.

The Chummie Premium vibrating function is at a similar level, or slightly above that of a modern smartphone.

The vibration is likely to be felt more strongly if the alarm is used with the optional Comfy Armband, rather than just attached to the clothing, although this is certainly not essential.

Available separately is the Chummie Comfy-Armband. It is soft and has an adjustable velcro strap that lets it easily and comfortably attach around the child’s arm. The benefit of the arm band is it lets you quickly remove or insert the alarm and makes it easy to secure the device in exactly the position you want it.

There are 3 basic alert types to choose from on the Chummie Premium:

• Sound + vibration
• Sound only
• Vibration only

Most other enuresis alarms have these three settings to choose from, but the Chummie Premium goes a step further by letting you select between high volume and low volume with or without vibration.

This extra level of customization makes it possible to start at a lower level in the early stages of using the alarm, and increasing it as time goes on once a child becomes more comfortable – this is particularly useful if your child is hesitant or unsure of using the device if a louder sound is selected to start with.

Each of these individual settings can then be customized in more detail, such as volume and vibration levels.

The Chummie alarm is a unique design compared with other brands of enuresis alarm. The “face” on the front of the unit has been cleverly designed to incorporate the two flashing lights into eyes, with the speaker being the nose.

It’s only a small thing, but the more interest and fun you can add to the process of using a bedwetting alarm, the more chance a child will stick with it every night.

How long should you use the Chummie Premium Bedwetting Alarm?

Every child is different, but the recommended period of time to continue using the Chummie alarm is between 7 and 10 weeks.

This is a rough guide, and some children will see dry nights within just a couple of weeks, while others will require extra patience and commitment to continue using the alarm for several months, until regular and consistent dry nights are occurring.

Where to put the sensor

The best place to put the urine sensor is at the front of the underwear towards the center area.

If it’s placed at the side of the underwear, it’s much less likely to detect wetness straight away, which means your child won’t be woken before wetting the bed.

The front of the underwear is where dampness is detected the quickest.

Once you have the Chummie alarm at home, there is an illustration that shows exactly how to position the sensor on your child for best results.

Do you need to clean the sensor?

A common problem with some bedwetting alarms, particularly cheaper models, is that the sensor can become inaccurate over time. Either giving off false alarms, or not activating when a child wets the bed.

The main reason for this is that the sensor simply needs to be cleaned, but not all models of enuresis alarms make this simple.

This is one of the stand out points of the Chummie Premium: it has a non-corrosive silicon sensor that is designed to withstand contact with urine which can crystallize if not regularly cleaned off.

Despite this, the sensor should still be regularly cleaned and the manufacturer recommends simply running it under warm water for a few seconds each week and then pat it dry.

Can you wear pull-ups while using the Chummie Premium alarm?

The sensor works by detecting dampness on the underwear. Pull-ups introduce an extra barrier, but in the first few days of using the Chummie bedwetting alarm your child is likely to still be wetting the bed, so you might be considering the use of pull ups along with the alarm.

It is certainly possible to do this, and it’s very simple. Your child should still wear underwear, with the sensor attached to the underwear.

The pull up can then go on top of this, as an extra layer of protection. The key is to make sure the Chummie sensor is taped to your child’s underwear in the appropriate spot.

Using a pull up alone, without underwear, will not allow the sensor to detect moisture. So stick to the formula:

Underwear > sensor taped to the underwear > pull up on top.

By doing this, the Chummie alarm sensor still detects moisture and the pull does not get in the way, but still provides a barrier against any urine reaching the bed in these initial stages of training your child to wake with the alarm.

Pros

• 8 alarm sounds to keep kids alert
• Control the volume; not set at one volume level like most cheaper alarms
• Silicon sensor is easy to dry and has a larger area to detect urine compared with low cost products
• Free mobile app lets you contact support and access troubleshooting, tips and videos from your phone

Cons

• Sensor tape sometimes need replacing
• If false alarms occur, wash the sensor (see below)

Most bedwetting alarms have a risk of activating when they shouldn’t, or not activating when they should.

Some are unfortunately make it difficult to fix the problem which is almost always caused by a sensor that needs cleaning. But the Chummie Premium is simple to clean.

In fact, the maker recommends that the sensor is rinsed under warm water once a week to keep it in prime working condition. This only takes a few seconds and can make all the difference in having a perfectly functioning bedwetting alarm.

Who Should Use The Chummie Premium?

With alarm settings that are highly customizable, the Chummie Premium really is designed to cater for just about anyone. For light sleeping children, you can lower the volume level and even disable the vibration if you wanted.

For deep sleepers, who are the most difficult to wake with a bedwetting alarm, you can set the volume to the highest level and take advantage of the customizable vibration settings, select from anyone of the 8 tones or have them activate randomly, and top it off with the 2 flashing lights which get attention once a child is awake after the sensor detects the first sign of wetness – and virtually ensures that they must get up to deactivate the alarm (and of course, go to the bathroom to urinate).

The loud volume is also ideal for parents who want to be woken when the alarm goes off, especially in the first week or two, so you can assist your child in getting used to the process of waking with a full bladder and going to the toilet.

The idea of this and all bedwetting alarm devices is to literally train the brain to detect the urge to urinate, and to wake a child naturally – eventually without the use of an alarm.

How long does this take? With the Chummie, reports come in ranging from anywhere from two weeks up to several months.

What age should you start using the Chummie Premium alarm?

Bedwetting alarms are generally only recommended for kids aged 5 and above. Below this age, pull-ups are the recommended method of dealing with bedwetting and for many young children, it’s an issue that will go away on its own.

Kids aged 5+ are old enough to start being trained to wake up when the urge to pee arises during the night, and that’s the goal of a bedwetting alarm device like the Chummie Premium.

Once a child starts to have regular dry nights using the alarm, it’s recommended that you continue using the Chummie for about 2 weeks, making sure that every night is 100% dry before you stop using the alarm.

Tips For Getting Success With the Chummie Premium Enuresis Alarm

• To keep the sensor firmly in place all night, considering having your child wear two pairs of underwear (if not wearing a pull up on top).
• If your child prefers not to feel the cable running underneath his or her shirt, consider adding a second light shirt or singlet and running the cord between both items of clothing.
• Chummie provides its own tape to attach the sensor to the underwear, but if you run out you can use simple packing tape.
• Like all bedwetting alarms, success with the Chummie Premium means you need to have patience, motivation and commitment. Parents should make it fun and motivating for a child to use the alarm and provide assistance in waking and rising a child out of bed – especially in the earliest stages. Expect to start seeing noticeable progress after the second or third week, when most kids start to wake up on their own and become accustomed to getting up and going to the bathroom.
• Consider the Chummie Comfy-Armband (described earlier in this review) which is made for use specifically with the Chummie alarm.

Conclusion

The Chummie Premium is feature packed, as you would expect with a bedwetting alarm of this quality.

It’s certainly not the highest priced choice, but far from the cheapest. The unique design and extra features put it a cut above those alarms at the cheaper end of the scale, and makes it ideal for deep sleepers and kids who might have not had success with other devices.

The free mobile app that you get with the Chummie Premium is a unique touch, and something not seen on the lower priced alarms.

Although not mandatory to use, it does give you immediate one click access to customer support and live assistance, plus Chummie’s online support, FAQs, videos with instructions and tips, and a bunch more features.

This is a enuresis alarm that is going to be at or near the top of the list for people who want high quality, reliable customer support and assistance, enhanced customization options and and and an alarm that is designed from the ground up to be an important tool in helping to train a child to stop wetting the bed – permanently – so they can regain confidence with consistent dry nights.

Check out the current price of the Chummie Premium Bedwetting Alarm at Amazon