Trying to stop a bedwetting problem takes time. It can take weeks, months, or in some cases, years to reduce and eliminate nocturnal enuresis completely.
During this time, your child (or you, if you’re an adult) are going to feel uneasy and anxious about having accidents in the bed each night.
This heightened anxiety of not wanting to wet the sheets and mattress can make curing bedwetting even more difficult – the goal is to reduce stress and anxiety, not increase it.
Drying out a wet mattress is very difficult. Almost impossible if it’s soaked right through.
Removing the stains and smell of urine can be impossible. Prolonged bedwetting on a mattress without any protection can result in a complete ruin – and expensive replacement – of the entire mattress.
This can easily be avoided through the use of waterproof coverings like mattress protectors that are made specifically for bedwetting and incontinence, as well as waterproof sheets and mattress pads.
Good quality mattress protectors and sheets that are made to withstand bedwetting can provide peace of mind that the bed won’t be soiled – leaving you and your child to focus eliminating the problem rather than worrying about having to remove and wash sheets each day – as well as potentially ruining a mattress.
Mattress Protectors for Bedwetting
The benefits of using a waterproof mattress protector while you’re working to stop the issue of bedwetting are obvious:
– Instead of changing sheets every night, or every time a child or adult wets the bed, you simply remove the protector while the sheets and mattress stay dry and free of stains.
– Gives a child increased confidence that if they do have an accident, it’s not a big deal because the mattress and sheets are protected. By reducing the embarrassment associated with bedwetting, a child can keep their focus on the training that you’re undertaking to stop the problem occurring.
What should you be looking for when you’re deciding on a mattress protector that you want to use to provide fail-proof protection to your or your child’s mattress? These are the main things to look out for when looking at these products – because quality can differ wildly between different brands.
- How absorbent is the mattress protector? The best brands will be able to tell you exactly how much liquid the protector can handle being soaked with before the mattress is at risk of dampness.
- Wings or no wings? Wings are exactly what you might imagine: extra extensions on the sides of the mattress protector that are designed to be tucked under the mattress, to prevent the cover from moving around during the night.
- Is it silent? This might be a strange thing to consider, but the cheapest mattress protectors made for bedwetting often contain so much plastic that the person sleeping on it will have to suffer through the crumpling noises every time they move. The best quality mattress protectors will be made of materials that are still waterproof, but are soft enough that you won’t have to put up with that awful plastic-y noise at every movement during the night.
- Can you put a fitted sheet underneath it? Some waterproof mattress protectors, like the Brolly Sheets brand, are designed to let you put a fitted sheet directly on the mattress, then place the protector on top of it. The protector should then be able to effectively stop any liquid from reaching either the fitted sheet or the mattress. There is obviously no point in using a mattress protector for bedwetting under a fitted sheet, as we do with regular bedding – as the protector needs to be the first line of defence against any wetness.
- How big is it? Some protectors are actually waterproof pads, rather than the full sized mattress protectors we’re familiar with. Waterproof pads can be fine, as long as it’s of an adequate size. There’s little point having any mattress protection it’s not going to cover enough of the bed. Look for products that provide entire coverage of the mattress, or at least a very extensive pad area that covers the entire midsection of the bed.
- Non-slip: You’ll want the confidence that the protector isn’t going to move out of place during the night, particularly for children and adults who are restless sleepers. The best bedwetting mattress protectors will have a non-slip surface underneath so they stay in place without stress.
Bedwetting Sheets
The most economic (and environmentally friendly) way of using waterproof sheets over a longer term is of course to choose sheets that can be washed and reused.
Washable bedwetting sheets provide an extra layer of protection, especially if you’re combining it with a waterproof mattress protector. The most common materials you’ll find these sheets in is plastic or rubber, and their purpose is to protect both the mattress and any other sheets on the bed.
While mattress protectors for bedwetting have come a long way design-wise when it comes to using materials that are relatively silent, the same is often not the case for bedwetting sheets, particularly those made from plastics.
But quality varies between brands and products, so it’s important to look at the type and quality of material, particularly if your child is a light sleeper (most bedwetters are of course, deep sleepers, so the “noise” of sheets is not always a major issue).
Most people opt for using a mattress protector, on top of a regular fitted sheet – rather than using waterproof sheets.
Bed pads also provide an excellent option. Bed pads and mattress protectors for bedwetting have progressed with the materials used to an excellent standard nowadays, leaving bedwetting sheets behind and somewhat unnecessary besides in specific situations.
You’re unlikely to come across rubber sheets for bedwetting these days. Technology has changed, and the most rubber you’re likely to find is on the underside of a mattress pad, where it can act as a non-slip surface to keep the pad in place. But there are now other materials that are excellent non-slip surfaces, and rubber is not a feature of most modern products. For example, the very popular Gorilla Grip mattress pad is almost large enough to cover the entire mattress, is non-slip and claims to be leak-proof for up to 8 cups of liquid – no rubber is used. Instead only light weight, modern materials are used on the Gorilla Grip, which is going to add considerably to your or your child’s comfort levels. So in short: forget about rubber sheets and take advantage of the superior, comfortable, absorbent materials we now have available for preventing mattress accidents.