The Nytone enuresis alarm is a middle of the price range alarm.
This has helped make it one of the most popular choices for people who are serious about stopping the problem of bedwetting in their children and who want to go straight to a reputable product, without getting into the higher price bracket of the top end bedwetting alarms.
Nytone has been researching and developing bedwetting alarms for 45 years, and this product is the latest result of their decades of experience in studying how to stop bedwetting.
But is the Nytone as good as other bedwetting alarm products in its price range? Read on to find out how it works, and if there are any unique benefits of this alarm that can help your child eliminate the distressing problem of wetting the bed.
Overview
- Mid-range price
- Wakes child with alarm sound, vibration, and flashing light
- Includes sticker set to make it fun for kids
- 1 year warranty
- Uses 2 Lithium Metal batteries (included in package)
What’s In The Box
- Nytone bedwetting alarm
- Progress chart
- Sticker set
- Multi-language instruction manual
How It Works
The unit uses two watch batteries and you can expect them to last for at least 2-3 weeks with nightly use. If the alarm does not go off every night then they should last for quite a bit longer.
The alarm attaches to the child’s arm using the supplied elastic armband. The thin cable, which is about 36″ long (suitable for someone as tall as 6 foot), can be run underneath the pyjamas, and then clipped on to the underwear.
The alarm attaches to the arm on an elastic armband, with a thin cable going to the sensor clip.
You can select the type of alert you want the alarm to emit when it detects wetness: alarm sound + vibration or vibration only.
Not all enuresis alarms have the discreet vibration only mode, so this makes the Nytone one to certainly consider if you think your child will want to use it without others hearing the alarm; such as at sleepovers or school camps.
The third activation type, not seen on most low cost alarms, is a flashing light.
You’re likely thinking the same thing that we and some customers have thought; what is the point of a flashing light?
Clearly, the light is not going to wake up a child. That’s the job of the alarm sound and the vibration mechanism. A light isn’t something found on all enuresis alarms, but the idea behind it is to provide extra encouragement for a child, once awoken by the alarm, to actually get out of bed and go to the bathroom.
The urge to just go back to sleep can be that little bit less when there’s an annoying light going off in bed. And that is of course the whole idea of a bedwetting alarm; to get a child used to automatically waking and heading to the bathroom to empty their bladder, so they can get through every night dry.
The sensor is designed to activate the alarm once the very first drop of urine is detected. Thus waking your child up (or you, if you’re nearby which is often recommended in the early stages).
Initially most children will need assistance and encouragement to rise out of bed and head to the bathroom, but as the nights go on, it will become more like second nature for your child to begin associating the sound or vibration of the alarm with the need to get up and to go the bathroom.
The overall goal is to literally train the brain to start naturally being alerted to bladder urges, eventually requiring no use of a bedwetting alarm at all.
Children can personalize their own alarm using the included stickers.
This is something we’re seeing more of in bedwetting alarm products, and for the simple (and very important) reason that kids need to be involved, motivated and even excited to use a enuresis alarm if they’re going to to stick with it for several weeks or months until their bedwetting problem is eliminated.
The progress chart keeps children interested and motivated to keep using the alarm
Making it fun with stickers and any other way you can is certainly a step in the right direction towards making this happen. The provided progress chart also provides a lot of fun and motivation.
It’s designed in a light hearted way, with your child needing to fill it out after every night. He or she chooses one of three face pictures to express how the night went: a happy face if it was a totally dry night, a neutral face if there was some slight wetness, and a sad face if it was a wet night.
The ultimate goal, of course, is to have night after night of “happy faces” highlighted on the progress chart! BY filling out the chart everyday, your child will be motivated to improve and continue on with the bedwetting solution.
Like most bedwetting alarm systems, the Nytone has a number of different alarm sounds built in to it, to prevent kids getting used to the one sound and therefore, less likely to wake up to it.
Supplied are two CR2025 watch batteries and they are expected to last for several weeks if you use the alarm every night. However, some customers have noted that the batteries have a few months or longer. An Allen wrench is supplied in the box, and you simply undo the Allen screw at the back of the alarm and insert or replace the two round batteries.
Pros
- Stickers and progress chart make using the alarm fun and personalized for children – a must if they’re to stick with it until they’ve permanently stopped wetting the bed.
- The company calls it the “most comfortable alarm on the market” due to the soft armband and lightweight, small alarm.
- 3 wake-up methods in one: multiple different alarm sounds, vibration, and bright flashing light.
- Long lasting batteries
- Can select between sound and vibration, or just vibration only. This is a discreet mode that only some alarms feature.
Cons
- Something which seems to be the case with almost all enuresis alarms, is that some customers believe it could be louder. In many instances it comes down to a very deep sleeping child. In these cases, one of the more sophisticated, high end bedwetting alarm products might be required. Nytone states that they don’t specifically reveal the volume level of the alarm, but they have balanced it between being able to wake a child, and not causing disturbance throughout the rest of the house or causing hearing damage.
No fitting into either a pro or con category, because it depends on your child and your circumstances, but the Nytone has a simple on/off switch which makes it possible to simply turn off the alarm during the night. This could be a positive or negative feature, depending upon how likely you think your child might be to want to turn it off and go back to sleep. Ultimately, after a few nights of being woken, most kids will become used to getting up and going to the bathroom, and find it preferable than trying to go back to sleep with a full bladder.
How Does It Compare?
Check back to this section soon as we post a comparison against similarly priced enuresis alarms.
Conclusion
The Nytone packs a good quality alarm, with basic but vital features into a product that is clearly designed to gain the attention and interest of kids from the beginning thanks to the fun progress chart and sticker collection. With multiple alert settings including various sounds and a strong vibration mode, this enuresis alarm is good for both home and away use.
Nytone offers a no questions asked refund policy, as well as a one year warranty. So there is certainly peace of mind that the customer service they provide is excellent.