Bedwetting in Camps

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Forum -> Chinuch, Education & Schooling -> Summer Camps

Bedwetting in Camps

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amother

Tue, May 21 2024, 11:46 am

How does your child's camp deal with bedwetting?
I'm the camp mother in a boys camp and we are trying to revamp our system to make the children feel the most comfortable and the most discreet.

amother

Orange

Tue, May 21 2024, 2:30 pm

Boy has 2 identical sets of linen, preferably bed in a bag with no outer sheet. Boy makes bed regular in the morning and tells counselor. Counselor goes to bunk by learning groups when no one is in the bunk, (one stands guard to make sure no one is coming) changes linen and leaves wet one in bag for camp mother to wash.

shev

Tue, May 21 2024, 2:43 pm

Doesnt it smell? The other boys/girls dont smell?

amother

Crocus

Tue, May 21 2024, 2:47 pm

I don’t understand I’ve been reading a bunch of these threads, if there’s a child who wets the bed every night why don’t they wear overnight diapers and discreetly throw it out when they get up…
My son is 8 and I’ve been dealing with this and I keep trying to toilet train him but it’s not working so he’s still in pull-ups. I’m not gonna change the linen every night.

amother

Beige

Tue, May 21 2024, 2:48 pm

amother OP wrote:

How does your child's camp deal with bedwetting?
I'm the camp mother in a boys camp and we are trying to revamp our system to make the children feel the most comfortable and the most discreet.

Please reach out to the camp mother in camp agudah boys. My son went and he had an amazing experience. They have a fantastic system in place. He went every night to the nurse to get his desmopressin.

Only His counselor knew and would ask him in the morning via a code word or sentence whether the linen needs to be changed. BH the medicine worked and he didn’t. But in the chance that he did. The counselor would do it while the kids are out of the bunkhouse at davening. She instructed me to send two of the same identical sets of linen plus identical duvet blankets ones that don’t need a cover as that makes it harder and more time consuming to change.

amother

Tue, May 21 2024, 10:13 pm

Thank you all for responding.
To explain the reason I'm asking.
Until now, we had the system the first poster mentioned.
The counselors were supposed to be on top of the boys and if they hinted anything the counselor had to bring it to me to wash and then they brought it back and put it on their bed.
But we had a few cases of counselors who didn't take it seriously enough and made the boys bring the linen to me and pick it up.
I felt that it was very unfair and embarrassing, even if they brought it during activities time when other boys weren't around, the act of carrying a laundry bag is embarrassing!
I tried to tell the counselors, but as most of them were uncomfortable talking to me they didn't really listen when I called and texted them.
The director suggested setting up a different system where I go each day to the bunkhouses and check all the beds of the boys that potentially might have wet their linen.
Honestly, I'm not looking for the extra work and I don't believe there is anything wrong with the counselors doing a little extra.
I wanted to hear feedback from other camps to hear how their systems run.
I think I will have to just make it very clear before the summer what the counselors' responsibility is.
Any other suggestions to streamline this and make the process easier would be amazing.

amother

Olive

Tue, May 21 2024, 10:22 pm

Insist on waterproof underwear/pull-ups? Have garbage bags in bathroom with bags that can be tied.
My brother as a counselor had to change his camper's linen daily and grew resentful.

amother

Opal

Tue, May 21 2024, 10:33 pm

It can be a source of tremendous shame and pain for a child who does.

I’d do anything to prevent that…

The medication that is given really works. Children take it every night. They come at a certain time or are called by a staff member and take the medicine like any other type of medication (no one knows what it’s for) and bh it works!

I like that the poster above wrote the camp has a protocol in case it doesn’t work.

Relying on counselors isn’t really fool proof- depending on their personalities… some may still shame a child somewhat, especially if it happens often.

Maybe it can be added to the job of one or 2 really responsible/ kind/ Eidel counselors to get payed a little extra to check all the beds etc to bring it to you.

amother

Ivory

Wed, May 22 2024, 12:07 am

Thanks for trying to be sensitive to this. My son going to camp for his first time. He does have accidents every few weeks. Is this Something I should call the call mother about now?

amother

NeonPurple

Wed, May 22 2024, 12:32 am

amother OP wrote:

It’s not just a “little extra” for the counselors. I was the counselor who had to change a girls linen everyday and bring it to the camp mother. It was very hard. It’s not what a 17 or 18 year old kid signs up for when they accept a counselor job. I personally don’t think it’s right to put on a young counselor. I think the camp mother should take care of it.

amother

Gardenia

Wed, May 22 2024, 1:23 am

amother NeonPurple wrote:

Same I don’t think it should be a job of a counselor!

Iymnok

Wed, May 22 2024, 1:30 am

I think there's a difference if the counselor has an occasional bedwetter or it's a daily thing.
Daily needs a better solution.
Especially if there's more than one in a bunk.

amother

Wed, May 22 2024, 8:35 am

It definitely isn't a daily situation.
Almost all kids with serious bedwetting issues are on medication and they take it nightly.
Sometimes the meds aren't effective, be it a late night or they're just overtired.
So I would say a typical counselor would have one or two beds to change a week max!
But I appreciate all the comments and will really try to see how we can implement a better system.

amother

Wed, May 22 2024, 8:36 am

And to add, this is a chassidish boys camp.
The counselors are all married men with kids at home.
They aren't 18 year old shnooks.
They are perfectly capable of changing a few beds a summer.

mommyisbest

Mon, Jun 03 2024, 11:15 am

Goodnites by the nurse. They can take it off and put in on their in the guise of getting medication. It worked for my brother's camp.

bestme

Mon, Jun 03 2024, 11:41 am

Men to not like to take instructions from a lady, especially if it involves doing what they call "dirty work".
The boys themselves should definitely not be doing it.
You should speak to the director about who is responsible for this job. It could be the counselor or it could be one of the workers that work in the camp and help clean the kitchen and help clean the bunk houses.
If the job responsibilities come from the director then the counselor are more likely to do the job. The counselor should be told about it before hiring so that they should know that it is seriously their job.
The boy should never feel the shame of having to do it.

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