MANAGING ENERGY FOR SCOUTS

Before the summer, we usually publish articles about holiday camps. This year, we've decided to highlight a guide for scout camp leaders that we think is very well done. BEDWETTING IN SCOUT CAMPS Bedwetting, or nocturnal enuresis as it is scientifically known, affects 10% of children aged between 5 and 10, and many more. It's a challenge for both the leaders and the youngsters during their stay. Here's an article to help you better understand and react to bedwetting. STAGE 1: HEALTH FORMS BEFORE THE FIRST WEEK Look at all your children's health records and note down the list of children affected by nocturnal enuresis. STEP 2: TALK TO THE PARENTS BEFORE THE FIRST WEEKEND Your child will certainly not want to discuss his problem in front of his parents: it could make him feel uncomfortable. We therefore advise you to discuss the situation with them discreetly. First of all, reassure them and play down the idea of bedwetting. It's common and won't affect the quality of their stay.There are a few important questions: How many times a week does your child wet the bed ? What solutions do you adopt at home ? Protection, change of linen, pipi-stop, etc. What solutions do you adopt when your child does not sleep at home ? Is your child being treated for enuresis ? With all these questions you have a good basis for discussing the solution to be implemented with them. Often, it's advisable to stick to the " as at home " routine. STEP 3: DISCUSS WITH THE CHILD Your role will be to reassure them and establish a relationship of trust. He's really afraid that his friends will find out about his little problem, which means a lot to him. Tell him that it's not the first time, that it will pass and that his stay with the scouts will go well. Explain to him precisely and calmly the procedure for getting up and going to bed, referring to the sections on the various solutions. Don't hesitate to adapt the procedure to suit the young person, as he is the one most concerned ! TELL YOUR FRIENDS OR NOT ? Should you tell your friends or keep it a secret ? A difficult question. In any case, it's not up to you, the youth worker, to make this decision: it's up to the young person, but don't hesitate to encourage them strongly. To convince him, tell him that he can trust his tent-mates and they can trust him, that he'll sleep better without being afraid of wetting the bed, suggest that he discuss it with them and that his problem will be much better understood than if his friends discovered it for themselves. Is he prepared to confide his secret to his tent mates ? If so, this will be very well received by the friends, who will then protect him, and a relationship of trust will be established. They will even be able to change in the tent if they wish. If he already knows about it, don't hesitate to involve the young person's team leader, who will be able to look after him and will take this mission of " big brother/sister " to heart. If there are several enuretics and they all agree, you can announce it to the whole group. They will be receptive and will pay attention to the young people concerned. To explain it to everyone, you need to play it down, you can say that: some young people wear glasses, others have braces and some have asthma, bedwetting is the same thing: a medical problem like any other and there's not much the young person can do about it. Otherwise, care must be taken to ensure that their secret is not divulged or detected. If this happens, it's up to you to correct any teasing immediately. PROTECTION What is ? We're talking about pads, not nappies: nappies are for babies. It's a tried and tested solution for chefs who use them on weekends or camps.There are 2 main types: Velcro, we call this a full nappy, it's often difficult to put on alone, but the protection stays in place better ; in the form of briefs, very easy for a child to put on, these are preferable. Advantages: a dry night's sleep, no washing, discretion in the morning and the tent doesn't smell of urine. Disadvantage: sometimes difficult to convince a " grand " to wear protection, fear of being perceived as a baby. How to manage bedtime ?The best thing for a camp is to store the young person's pads in the infirmary. Just before bedtime, the young person concerned goes to the toilet and then goes to the infirmary to put on their protection. The nurse/sanitary assistant ensures that no-one enters the tent at this time. The young person then goes to sleep.If it's a weekend, the protection may already be in the duvet, so all the young person has to do is put it on at the same time as their pyjamas, without forgetting to go to the toilet. On waking Three solutions for the child:- Have a small rubbish bin in or in front of each tent. The young person puts their used protection in it and the leader collects the rubbish.- Go to the infirmary to remove the protection.- Leave it in the duvet: a leader will discreetly collect the used protection and put it in the bin.For the rubbish bin, make sure you don't throw the protection away with the usual camp rubbish. There is a special bin that needs to be emptied regularly (smell). CHANGING YOUR DUVET AND PYJAMAS What is ? Changing duvets and pyjamas can be an alternative for young people who don't want to wear protection. All that's needed is several duvets and pyjamas. This solution is more restrictive, especially if accidents occur regularly. Advantage: if young people rarely wet the bed, they'll sleep dry like everyone else. Disadvantages: washing, showering, the smell of urine, the young person sleeps in their own urine or wakes up in the middle of the night to get a dry duvet. How to manage bedtime Make sure your child goes to the toilet before going to bed. When waking up If possible, wake them up before the others so that they can change and wash. The group leaders can wash the duvet and pyjamas at this time. The activity leaders should remember to check the duvets of enuretic youngsters in the morning, as some may try to hide their little problems. THE PIPI-STOP What is a PIPI-STOP? It's an electronic box that connects to the underwear. If the child urinates during the night, the device goes off like an alarm and wakes the child up. It's very effective, but the neighbours won't necessarily appreciate being woken up at night. advantages: a dry night's sleep, clothes like everyone else disadvantages: wakes up everyone in the tent, problems getting back to sleep, price (+ €100), obligation to warn friends. How to manage bedtimeStore the electronic box in the infirmary or at HQ to recharge it. The young person should pick it up before going to bed. As usual, make sure that the young person goes to the toilet before going to bed, and then he/she puts on the box. You can help him/her to fix the system if necessary. It's best to do this with him, as they'll be understanding and everything will go smoothly. Show him the toilet at night and tell him he can wake you if he's afraid to go alone. When he wakes up Take the box and charge it. If it's battery-powered, remember to check the levels. NO FEAR PYJAMAS What are no fear pyjamas?You can buy them hereThese are the pyjamas for grown-ups who wet their beds. They look classic, are lined with absorbent material on the inside and are waterproof. They can be used like normal pyjamas. The only constraint is that you have to wash them if they get wet. Advantages: very discreet, a dry night's sleep, " like everyone else ". environmentally friendly disadvantage: price, detergent How to manage bedtime Like all young people, he goes to the toilet before going to bed and puts on his pyjamas. When he wakes up If their pyjamas get wet, they give them to the counsellors to wash. Hence the need to have at least 2 sets of pyjamas at camp. If it's a weekend, they leave with them and wash them at home. AND FOR A TEENAGER ? With a teenager or pre-teen, everything is trickier. It's a really difficult subject for young people, who often see it as an embarrassment.For their own well-being, it's best to encourage them to wear protection, because they don't want to be " a baby " in a nappy, even though they're not: they're grown-ups who need protection specially adapted to their age. From experience, the best thing to do at this age is to at least let the tent-mates know, but the youngster has to agree. You'll see that they'll be understanding and will come to his defence if he's teased. What's more, this will make bedwetting seem less dramatic and the youngster will feel all the more confident.If teasing does occur, you need to react quickly and with an iron fist. At this age, young people can be quite cruel to each other. Don't hesitate to have a chat with the young person concerned from time to time to find out how things are going at the camp, but don't bring up their little problem - building a relationship of trust with them is essential. THE ACCIDENT First of all, having an extra duvet in your equipment can be very useful.One of your youngsters wakes you up at 2.30 in the morning sobbing. He's wet the bed and it's a real tragedy. Your first job is to talk to him and reassure him that everything's going to be fine. Give him a change of pyjamas and duvet. If you have baby wipes, offer them for a quick wash. If you don't have a spare duvet, you can give him yours and make arrangements with the other leaders, or pick up the croissants in advance. Dirty clothes and duvets can be stored in the infirmary overnight in a plastic bag. The next day, don't hesitate to talk to him: is this the first time it's happened to him ? How is the camp/we going? Does anyone bother him ? If it's a weekend, you can return the bag with the dirty clothes to the parents (and ask them if their child is doing well at the moment ?). If it's a camp, you'll have to go through the cleaning process. In my experience, the laundromat is perfect: there are dryers, and drying a soaked duvet is a great challenge ! RISKY ACTIVITIES You also need to be careful when it comes to big games, night-time games or hiking on your own. The young person is often completely absorbed in the activity and forgets his spare sleeping bag, his protection, etc. You mustn't forget to check that the young person takes what he needs with him, and don't hesitate to get the team leader involved and ask him to remind the young person to pack before setting off on this great activity and to remind him before going to sleep. LONG JOURNEY, WHAT TO DO ? If it's a daytime journey, just make sure that the young person doesn't fall asleep. If it's a night-time journey, you can suggest that they take some protection, either in their bag or in yours. They can change discreetly in the toilets, at a motorway service station or in the train/plane toilets. Make sure they sit in the aisle seat, so they can get up more easily to go to the toilet.When they wake up, they can put their used protection in the toilet waste bin. In case there is no bin, make sure you have a small (non-transparent) bag in which to put the used protection.