Alarm system offers a gentle, clinically recognised way to help children move from nightly wet beds to confident, dry nights, using smart underwear or pants, a sensitive alarm, and app-based coaching that parents can manage from home. Real families report that with patience and consistency, the system can transform bedwetting from a source of stress into a structured treatment that leads to lasting dry nights and renewed confidence.
Understanding bedwetting in children
Bedwetting (nocturnal enuresis) is common and often persists well beyond the toilet-training years, especially in deep sleepers. Many children simply do not wake when their bladder is full, so urine is passed in deep sleep before the brain has a chance to respond.
- Around 1 in 5 five‑year‑olds and 1 in 10 ten‑year‑olds still wet the bed, so families are far from alone.
- Traditional approaches (nappies, waterproof sheets, or basic clip‑on alarms) often manage the mess but don’t reliably train the brain–bladder connection.
For many children, a structured bedwetting alarm program is considered a first‑line treatment because it helps the child learn to wake to bladder signals rather than simply masking accidents.
How the Pjama alarm system works
Pjama combines “smart” treatment garments with a wireless alarm and the free DryGuardians/Pjama app to actively teach the body to wake up when the bladder is full.
- Treatment pants/shorts and boxer/briefs have sewn‑in sensor threads that detect moisture instantly and trigger the alarm as soon as a child starts to wee, not after the whole bladder has emptied.
- A small sensor clips onto the waistband and wirelessly connects to an alarm unit and/or smartphone, so there are no cords running into the underwear and changing to a dry pair is quick.
- The app allows parents to choose alarm tones or even record a familiar voice or favourite song, track nightly progress, and receive tailored tips and reminders throughout treatment.
Over time, this repeated cycle—alarm sounds as soon as wetting starts, child wakes, pauses, finishes in the toilet, and returns to bed—helps build the brain–bladder connection that underpins independent dry nights.
Real parent stories: from wet nights to dry beds
The heart of the Pjama system is how it works in “real” families. The three user stories below show different ages, starting points, and timelines—but a similar pattern of progress.
Oliver, 12 years old: regaining confidence
Oliver had previously tried another wireless alarm with a cord and pantiliner, but found it fiddly and frustrating, often refusing to wear it after a wet incident because resetting everything took too long.
- With Pjama pants and shorts, the sensor simply attached to the waistband and moved straight to a dry pair after an accident, which made night‑time changes fast and acceptable for a self‑conscious pre‑teen.
- At first Oliver ignored the alarm and needed his mum, Michelle, to sleep in his room and wake him; over a few weeks he began waking with little help, and later woke on his own and made it to the toilet in time.
- After several months he started stringing dry nights together, ultimately reaching 14 consecutive dry nights in around six months—clinically considered a successful treatment—while also feeling less embarrassed and more in control.
Michelle notes that having at least two pairs of Pjama pants/shorts, and making sure the size was right for full absorption and comfort, made the system practical and sustainable every night.
Sarah and John, 7 years old: boxer underwear and the app
Sarah had already tried another chemist‑bought alarm with a clip‑on sensor that often failed to trigger or went off too late, leading to full accidents, frustration, and eventually a broken device.
- Guided by a continence nurse, she moved to the Pjama Bedwetting Alarm with boxer underwear, wanting something simple, sensitive, and durable for life with three children.
- She clipped the sensor to the boxers, chose a loud alarm, placed the unit close to John, and used the Pjama app with Bluetooth to automatically log wet and dry nights; reminders helped her stay consistent with tracking.
- Initially John was wet for seven nights in a row and needed help waking, then began to have one to two dry nights before another run of wet nights; over 14–16 weeks the pattern shifted to fewer wet nights and more dry stretches.
Showing John his improving calendar in the app became a powerful motivator, and by about 20 weeks of use he was dry, recognising when his bladder was full and getting to the toilet before or without the alarm.
A 7.5‑year‑old boy: motivated by sleepovers
Another boy, also named John and aged 7.5, was wetting the bed up to three times per night and had already “failed” several toilet‑training attempts and a previous alarm with an internal sensor he disliked.
- After turning down a sleepover at the last minute out of fear of wetting, he became motivated to try again with the Pjama Bedwetting Alarm and boxer underwear, where the sensor sits on the outside and no wires are inside the underwear.
- He recorded his favourite song as the alarm tone, which helped him accept the system; in the early weeks his mum Michelle had to physically wake and guide him to the toilet, sometimes multiple times per night.
- Incidents gradually reduced from four to three to two per night, and the volume of urine decreased; after about six weeks he began waking himself, going to the toilet, changing underwear, and reattaching the sensor.
By around eight weeks he had stopped wetting the bed and stayed dry for more than three weeks, waking when he felt the urge despite being a deep sleeper, and gaining the confidence to look forward to sleepovers again.
Why Pjama helps children achieve dry beds
Across these stories, several consistent strengths of the Pjama alarm system emerge that are directly linked to drier beds and happier children.
Sensitivity and speed: Parents repeatedly describe the alarm as extremely sensitive, triggering with just a few drops so the child can hold on and reach the toilet before fully emptying the bladder.
Comfort and discretion: Pjama pants, shorts, and boxer/briefs look like regular sleepwear or underwear, helping older children and siblings feel less self‑conscious when moving around the house or attending sleepovers.
Simplicity at 2am: Moving the sensor from a wet pair to a dry pair is quick and straightforward, avoiding the fiddly setups that caused refusal with other systems.
Support for deep sleepers: In the early weeks, parents often need to wake and guide their child, but over time the same alarm that once needed parental back‑up becomes the cue the child responds to independently.
Data and motivation: The DryGuardians/Pjama app calendar, reminders, and educational tips help families see slow but real progress, which is crucial when early weeks still involve frequent wet nights.
Long‑term value: As children become dry, families save on expensive nappies for older kids and can reuse the same alarm unit for younger siblings by purchasing their own treatment underwear.
For some younger children—like Sarah’s five‑year‑old—the right answer may be to pause and try again when they are older, and Pjama’s system can be safely revisited when readiness and motivation improve.
Getting started with Pjama Down Under
For families in Australia and New Zealand, Pjama Down Under provides local access to treatment kits, ongoing support, and resources tailored to the NDIS and local healthcare context.
- Treatment options include absorbent pants/shorts with built‑in sensors, as well as non‑absorbent boxer and brief underwear used with the alarm to rapidly detect wetness.
- The free app offers setup videos, morning tips, calendars, and customised alarm tones, helping parents follow a structured program without needing to wait for specialist appointments.
- Many families combine the Pjama alarm with Pjama absorbent sleepwear for camps, holidays, or nights away from home so that even during treatment the bed—and the child’s confidence—stays dry.
For parents of bedwetting children, these real‑world stories show that with the right combination of sensitive technology, structured support, and patience, dry nights and stress‑free sleepovers are realistic and achievable goals.