[vegemamato]

my 8 yr old has a camping field trip coming up- April 20-22- about three hours away.. Her whole class is going (2nd/3rd) and the 4th/5th class will be there (girls in one tent, boys in the other). I have no doubts that it will be an awesome experience (it's a science camp) but I'm still a bit concerned

Mostly, it's the bedwetting which happens randomly and is due to deep sleep/fruit allergies (so the naturopath thinks..). Also, though, she occasionally sleepwalks (maybe 1x/month) which, oviously, concerns me. She isn't worried though, and really wants to go.

She has great relationships with all of the teachers (there are only 3 classrooms in her school) so I am confident that the grown-ups can help us out

(there will also be a few parents)

Has your [similar] child been on an overnight? Would you be worried about the older kids teasing if she does have an accident? Have you ever tried the really thin diapers for big kids? (she doesn't wear them at home, but we do use chux/plastic sheets).. Am I being paranoid for no reason (i.e. everything will be fine!)?

Thank you for any advise..

(fwiw, I would love to go but I can't because of the baby's medical issues- she has a hemangioma on her diaper area that has become ulcerated and needs constant checking and cleaning.. K's dad has to work too, so he can't make it

)

 

[snoopy5386]

I am sure she is not the 1st child who still bedwets. I would talk to the teachers and see what they usually do in that situation.

 

[Heavenly]

My older children still bedwet and they wear goodnights. That would be my recommendation.

 

[vivvysue]

my #2dd, now 20 was a bedwetter until late in her teens. we could never find any reason for it physically... i don't know if it was an emotional issue but i know her dad was also a bedwetter till later. it is hard on a kids self esteem sometimes. i would definately talk to the teachers and to your dd about it. a plan of action of sorts for the teachers, and just a little chat to know if dd has a plan of action in case something happens too.
i used the thin diapers made for bigger kids lots of times and they were fine and easy to dispose of without much fuss for dd. i usually let her make the choice about what she wanted and the first few times she was away like that we had the plan of action talk...after that she handled it herself... this was when she was about 9 or 10ish

hth~

v

 

[lab]

how does she feel about it? Does she want to go? Does she have reservations?

I would not send her unless I could go. Ever. In a million years.

Since you are unable to go - I wouldn't send her.

I used to wet the bed as a child. It was the worst experience ever to have a sleep over with my best friend and be scared to death to go to sleep. I couldn't imagine a camp environment.

This is, of course, just my .02

By the way - my mom normalized the bedwetting. I was never punished or made to feel ashamed. I knew it wasn't my fault.

I was still terrified to go on sleep overs.

 

[kalimay]

Goodnights makes a diaper for older kids that look like boxer shorts. I have seen them at target, have not tried them though. I wonder if she would be comfortable in something like that, then even if she did have an accident no one else would have to know.

 

[chi_mama]

She wants to go and has a support system, I think having her skip out b/c of the bedwetting may seem like punishment.
I think vivvysue's advice is great.
I was a bedwetter and once I started taking responsibility and planning ahead it was no big deal. I could have saved myself a lot of agony if I'd asked my parents for help/support in sleep-over situations. Also at 8 sleep-overs are probably going to start being a regular request, it may actually be a little easier for her to try it out in this situation where she'll have less focus on her than at a friends house.

 

[TanyaS]

My son recently stopped bedwetting, but he had accidents until he was 7. He had been to a couple sleepovers and I would always pack one of the big kids pullups (i.e. goodnights). He would go get dressed for the night and put it on and take it off in the morning and put it in the trash. Only the parents knew and none of the kids ever found out.

 

[lab]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chi_mama She wants to go and has a support system, I think having her skip out b/c of the bedwetting may seem like punishment. I think vivvysue's advice is great. I was a bedwetter and once I started taking responsibility and planning ahead it was no big deal. I could have saved myself a lot of agony if I'd asked my parents for help/support in sleep-over situations. Also at 8 sleep-overs are probably going to start being a regular request, it may actually be a little easier for her to try it out in this situation where she'll have less focus on her than at a friends house.

Another suggestion....

My son went on an overnight field trip in the third grade. There was another boy there who was a bedwetter. About the 2nd night - he refused to take showers because he would be putting on his clean clothes and then going to bed and wetting them.

I clued in and set my alarm on my cell phone. I woke up around 1 or 2 am, woke him up and took him to the bathroom. No one else knew and he had no problems.

 

[bwylde]

I also suggest the boxers. That's what DS wears and they are great (only ones that work well for DS) and they are discreet. You can buy them individually if you don't want to commit to buying a whole pack.

 

[vegemamato]

: my daughter loves the boxer idea.. And is thrilled to be going (not that we were going to make her stay for this, we just needed to figure out our options). I'm really glad I posted though since we really haven't had the opportunity to do things like this. She is confident that it will work out (and she's going to make sure to limit drinks before bed, on her own!) and we have a 'teacher helper' picked out to talk too- a woman she really likes and will be camping with her in the yurt.

I feel like she's reaching a new maturity

Suddenly she's all grown-up and ready to take control

thank you for all of the comments!

 

[vivvysue]

iam so glad that you guys came up with a solution and that your dd was a part of the process. it is hard enough feeling like your body wont behave itself, so nice when you can help your children feel like they can take some control in a seemingly 'uncontrollable' situation

i hope your daughter has a blast!!!

v