GoodNites®, bedwetting, and a giveaway, oh my! **CLOSED**

A while back, I wrote this extremely heartfelt and honest post about A and her nighttime bedwetting "issue".  After the very nice comments and suggestions, both here and on our Facebook page, I've decided it's something she will outgrow.  When?  Well, that remains to be seen.  As I wrote in the previous post though, as long as her pediatrician isn't worried, I don't know why we should be.

In steps GoodNites®.  You see, we've used GoodNites® for around a year or so now.  Pull-Ups just weren't cutting it and I wanted something made more for the "big kids".  I overheard a commercial for GoodNites®one day and this line stuck out "GoodNites® Underwear are made to look, feel and sound like real underwear, so kids ages 4 and up will feel good wearing them – plus they’re specially made to protect kids while lying down." Hello!  The last thing I ever want is for A to feel embarrassed by her "issue", so these were calling our name.  Since using them she has become more confident about them.  I'm going to use another GoodNites® line here, but "GoodNites® Products are more absorbent than the leading training pants, to help keep pajamas and sheets dry all night.  Dry nights mean parents and kids can enjoy an easy night’s sleep and wake up with confidence." This is SO true!  In the time we've been using GoodNites®, A has only had a handful of accidents that required her sheets be changed.  This is the best part for her tired old Mom (me..lol).

We really do like GoodNites® a lot!  I sat down with A and ask her about them.  She said she likes that they don't crinkle like sis's diapers do and that they are easy to take off/on.  Her favorite part is that they don't have cartoon characters on them.  Just pretty little flowers so they look more like panties.  A never did like the cartoon characters on her diapers, so that could just be her.  It does help her confidence that they don't look like they are meant for small kids.

On Tuesday evening, there was a twitter party with GoodNites®.  I have to tell you I was excited and surprised at some of the ideas Moms were coming up with to help their kids.  One thing in particular stuck out with me though.  There was a fellow Mom who said she chooses not to write about her child's bedwetting because she didn't want to leave a digital footprint for her child to find later.  When I read it, something stuck out and hit me right in the gut.  Was I doing the right thing by letting everyone know about A's issue?  Is she going to hate me later in life for writing about it?

The answers I'm hoping for are Yes and No.  Leaving a digital footprint about my child's bedwetting isn't scary to me.  I want other Mom's who are in this trench to know that they aren't alone.  Bedwetting after a child is supposedly "potty trained" is more normal than discussed.  Why it seems so taboo is beyond me.  Hey, I have a 6 year old that still tinkles in her bed.  Whoop-ed-dee-do.  It happens and it's nothing the child/parent/caregiver should be ashamed of.  It's not a "dirty little secret".  It happens.

This is also why I'm thankful for GoodNites®.  Many years ago when my Grammy and other family members were having these issues, GoodNites® weren't even a blip on the radar.  Back then they had to change bedding multiple times a night...Eek!  I can't even imagine it.  So, do you have a "post toddler years" child who may still have accidents at night?  If you're like me and do, I suggest that you go and check out GoodNites® website.  They have a NiteLite Panel of experts who can answer all your bedwetting question or concerns.  They helped put my mind at ease.

As you may have read in the title, there is a giveaway attached to this post.  How awesome is that?!?  GoodNites® is being extremely generous in their giveaway and I'm really excited about it.  So much so that Chuck may or may not have ask me to stop talking about it yesterday.  :D

Here's a picture of the fabulous GoodNites® Gear Kit giveaway package which includes: a GoodNites® product voucher, Skip Hop Backpack, Foogo Water Bottle, Bob Book, Toothbrush and Hand Washing Timer, Night Time Chore Cards (which I'm looking forward to!), Kleenex® Splash ‘N Go!® Moist Wipes, Bubbles, Crayons, Stickers (obviously A's favorite), Movie Passes and a $100 Amex GiftCard. How amazing is that?  I'm mean really?  How amazing is GoodNites® for giving all that to one lucky reader of ours?



Now, I know you want to find out how to enter right?  Well, I'll make it easy for you.  Here's a couple things to remember though:

1. Leave a separate comment for each entry.  If you put all the answers in one comment, it's only one entry.


2. This giveaway will close on Friday, August 12 at 9 P.M. EST.


3. The winner will be chosen at random by random.org


4. Please be honest and play fair.

The mandatory entry is this:

• Head over to GoodNites.com and then come back and share something you learned


• OR


• Share an experience you've had with bedwetting

If you do both, leave 2 comments! After you do the mandatory entry,  here are some bonus ways to enter.

• Join in our conversations on Facebook by "liking" us.  We have many conversations!


• If you are on Twitter and think we're totally awesome, follow us @shevigirl (me) or @daisiesforu (Andrea) or @momconfess


• Leave a comment about the most exciting part of the prize pack to you.

Thanks so much for entering and sharing your bedwetting stories.  Knowing you aren't alone in something makes it that much easier to deal with.  Please remember, bedwetting post toddler years isn't anything to be ashamed of, scared of, or embarrassed by.  It's more normal than you think and GoodNites® is here to help! (Yeah, I made that one up all by myelf.  Impressed?)

***I'd like to extend a HUGE thank you to GoodNites® for providing a giveaway as awesome as this one is!  I also received a GoodNites® Gear Kit for writing this post.  Unless otherwise expressed by quotation, the words contained within this post are my own.  The experiences are that of my family and in particular my spunky, artsy little girl.  For any furthur information or see our disclosure policy.  For any questions, please feel free to email me at the address provided here.  Thanks again!***

Bedwetting

I have a problem.  Maybe not so much a problem as asking for advice.  You see, A still sleeps in a GoodNite diaper.  She's 6.  She's about to finish her Kindergarten year in school and yet every night she still has to put on a diaper.

Now, know that in all honesty, I'm not that worried.  Maybe I should be, but I figure that she will eventually grow out of this phase.  If I think about it long and hard, I'm truly scared.  I'm scared that she will be invited to a sleep over and not be able to attend.  I'm scared that someone may find out and make fun of her at school.  My tough as nails on the outside, but tenderhearted little girl would be devastated if someone were to find out.  Within our family, it's not secret.  Actually, it's a family issue.  Grammy had bed-wetting issues, as did my own Mom.  I never had issues, but know of a couple others who continued to wet the bed long after they were "potty trained".

I also think she is a bit ashamed of having to put on a diaper at night.  Now, I've never said anything to make her feel this way.  Quite the opposite actually.  I've reassured her that her bladder may not have grown large enough to hold all her "peepee".  I've reminded her that this happens to loads of kids and she's not alone in this "secret".  She's done really well at dealing with it so far, but I've overheard her say to her brother that she wishes she could go to bed without a diaper on. 

Before someone goes and jumps on the call the doctor bandwagon, we have spoken with the doctor on numerous occasions.  She agrees that a number of factors are making it difficult for A to stay dry at night. 

• First of all, it is a family thing.  I didn't know until recently that bed-wetting runs in families.  So if you or your husband (or another close relative) had a bed-wetting issue, there's a greater chance your children may as well.


• A is a very, very heavy sleeper.  She always has been.  Maybe it's from being the oldest and always having to share a room, but she's taught herself to block out any noises at night.  This makes it hard for her to realize she is wetting the bed.


• Her pediatrician suggested that her bladder may not have grown quite big enough yet, as I mentioned above.  I'm not sure about that, but I do know that when she says she has to go, she has to go right then!  There isn't any holding it for her. 


• Some of it may be reliance on the GoodNite diaper.  She's so used to wearing her back-up at night that she's just begun to rely on it.

We've tried various methods to help her with this issue.  We don't give her anything to drink past a certain time in the evening to help stave off a soggy diaper in the morning.  We also try to wake her up at least once a night to get her to use the potty.  Both of our efforts are helping, but not as much as we thought they would.

Do you have a bedwetter?  What types of suggestions do you have for helping?  I'm hoping she grows out of it soon, but then again, maybe I'm hoping she doesn't.  I'm not so sure I'm ready to send her off on her first sleepover just yet. :)