Bedwetting and Natural Mattresses-Please advise

[JosephsMum]

Hi,

I have a four year old son who wets the bed. Some nights he is ok, but others he completely floods the bed, where all of his clothes are wet and we have to change sheets, blankets etc.

Currently, he just sleeps on a regular mattress with a pvc plastic cover for his mattress. I'm wanting to get him a natural mattress, organic sheets, etc and make complete change over. I figure since he'de be in a twin bed it's cheaper for us to sort him first and then work our way through the family.

However, all of the places I have looked at online have advised me not to get a natural mattress for him unitl we resolve the bed wetting issue as even one accident will ruin a natural matress. Alternatively I was also advised to get a non- pvc plastic cover for the mattress until he stops bed wetting and then remove that.

So I need advice on two fronts:

1. How can I help resolve the bedwetting issue? He was in diapers at night until over 3 and we felt we just needed to take them off to move things along. I also know about limiting fluids before bed, waking in night to wee, homeopathy, etc. But any advice on this front welcome.

2. Should I invest in a natural mattress for him or not?
We tend to move a lot so was looking at an organic futon from rawganique, anyone heard of them? I've looked at the other thread about latex mattresses and now am even more confused about what I should get for my son and where to purchase. I'm completely new with looking at organic/natural options for sleep, have also a 2 year old, 1 year old and expecting 4th, so not a lot of time to look around online like everyone seems to have done.

Please help!!! Advise needed.

Many thanks in advance

[nighten]

I would try layering thickly woven cotton pads and wool pads between the fitted sheet and mattress on your regular mattress and see if they stop the wetness from touching the mattress. If they do, then I'd get an organic mattress (we got ours from Dax Stores and were very pleased with it).

If not, then maybe add more layers. They do sell organic cotton and organic wool puddle pads, but the wool ones were a bit beyond our budget, so we ended up getting some old thin wool blankets from the Army/Navy store, washing them lots and cutting to fit. You don't have to hem them or anything.

But if you're wanting to go with all organic, they do sell some nice wool ones online. I'd look into researching the best way to launder them though, especially if he wets the bed often. Our pads were so cheap we just wash them in the washer and hang to dry. But if they were the expensive puddle pads I'd be more conscientious about how I laundered them.

Which homeopathics for the bedwetting? Are you giving them within 10-15 minutes of him ingesting anything else? Any mint products or foods? There are several things that can affect a remedy's potency, I think?

Might want to x-post in Toddlers or TCY for some tips there too.

Good luck, Mama!

[JosephsMum]

We haven't acutally tried homeopathy yet, as we are abroad and don't have access to a homeopath currently, but listed it as I know it is an option.

Thanks for the tips. I originally was going to buy him a puddle pad but was advised it was for light accidents, not flooding, and cannot be washed, but just wiped.

How do I cross post? I'm new here, lol. I actually posted similar message in children section but rewrote the whole thing!

[marlee]

http://shepherdsdream.com]Hi there. We ordered a twin 'skinny' to help with costs and a mattress blanket. You can wash it but you don't need to you can just air dry outside to freshen it. I would say get something like this in wool. It is also a great way to try the product.

Love love love it. Our next purchase will be the queen mattress cover for our bed. And then when we move a mattress for us.

[nighten]

Originally Posted by JosephsMum

We haven't acutally tried homeopathy yet, as we are abroad and don't have access to a homeopath currently, but listed it as I know it is an option.

Thanks for the tips. I originally was going to buy him a puddle pad but was advised it was for light accidents, not flooding, and cannot be washed, but just wiped.

How do I cross post? I'm new here, lol. I actually posted similar message in children section but rewrote the whole thing!

X-posting is just posting the same thread elsewhere, but it's good to note in the title that you're cross-posting it (cross = x) so as to not seem like you're spamming or to prevent confusion, etc.

But I have a toddler, so I spend most of my time here in the Parenting forum, so I assume you might get more help there for the bedwetting issue.

I'd try some wool blankets first if I were you -- just see if you can find some cheap ones in a thrift store or if there's a camping or A/N store there maybe? Wash them on cold gentle and cut to fit. Try stacking several of them underneath him and see if that works. I'd layer cotton pads on top of the wool so you won't have to wash the wool everytime hopefully. We got our cotton pads at BRU. They're not organic, but they did have some there. Ours are Gerber brand I think. Just very tightly woven cotton.

And if that seems to work, then maybe move to the organic pads? We're on a budget, so I'm hesitant to recommend anyone go out and spend tons of cash on something that might not work well initially. I definitely wouldn't invest in an organic mattress until you have a routine that works to protect it from leaks.

Hopefully you'll get the answers you need here or in another forum.

Good luck, Mama!!!

[reducereuserecycle]

i reccomend that you use a Mimi the Sardine http://www.mimithesardine.com/ large mat as a mattress cover. they are "safe" and waterproof!!!

[JosephsMum]

Marlee, are you reccommending the mattress topper, wool mattress or both? About how long will a wool mattress last?


I'll take a look at the mimi the sardine site, thanks reducereuserecycle and nighten for the support.

[kaia8]

Hi again JM =)

A wool mattress can last a lifetime it seems - I've talked to a few people who've loved the wool and latex mattresses they inherited from their grandparents, but usually the mattress ends up in a garage or guest room because it's much smaller than the queens and kings we sleep on now.

As far as cheaper all natural solutions, Shepherd's Dream makes a puddle pad for $35 too, at the very bottom of this page:
http://www.shepherdsdream.com/babybed.htm

I personally went with the mattress protector, because my son does NOT sleep in one place... but it is much cheaper to get the puddle pad. And I'd think the layered wool blankets that other mamas suggested would work well too.