Blow dryer handles bedtime water spills

Oh, yeah, Molly! Few things are more onerous than late-night bedding changes (especially when they involve washing and drying):

After having JUST washed the sheets on my daughter's bed, her (supposedly spill-proof) sippy cup of bedtime water leaked right where she sleeps. After considering letting her sleep in a wet bed -- only for a moment, I swear I would have thrown the sheets in the dryer -- I realized the hair dryer would probably solve the problem. It did! Thank heavens for not having to pull everything off and stuff it into the #*!@ dryer again.

Related: Efficient bedsheet storage

Comments

[Nathan]

We were shocked when our daughter accepted, "That's OK, it will dry" on PJs, shirts and bedding.

That's not really good advice, because I can't imagine it would work on any kid -- not even mine.

But it has so far!

[J]

I keep a fleece blanket near the kids' beds for this very reason. Fleece will dry quickly and remain comfortably warm when wet. If there's a nighttime spill, I cover it with the fleece blanket - there's no impossible-to-hide-frustration from me as I strip and re-make the bed AND they go right back to sleep on a warm, soft, cuddly surface. In the morning, I air out the bed. In a pinch, it works for late night accidents, too. Cover the "accident" with a fleece blanket or settle the child on top of the top covers with the fleece as a special sleeping bag for the remainder of the night. Then deal with stripping the bed in the light of day when you're not tired and grouchy, and frightening to your child.

[Katherine]

When we have water spills, if the pillows are still dry, I just pick up the mattress (covers and all) and spin it around, so my son is sleeping at the dry end. This only works on a twin bed or smaller, I guess, but it's quicker and makes less noise than a hairdryer.

[kayla]

Great blog and posts, ill be back for sure.

[Allison]

Double up a towel and lay it down on the spill. It soaks it up and as long as it's not too much, it won't soak all the way through and there's a dry surface.

[Katy]

I also use the hair dryer when I clean a spot off my shirt. I wipe the dirty spot with a wet towel, dry it with a hair dryer, and not to have take my shirt off to get the spot out.

[jen]

I double up the bedding on my twin boys' bedding.... mattress is covered with a waterproof mattress cover, then a sheet, then another mattress protector, and another sheet. Then, for spills or accidents, just pull off the top set and there you go! Presto chango, I call it a sheet lasagna!

[Lisa Mandriota]

ack!! blow dryer.......too loud, too loud (and to me would aggrivate the situation). I LOVE the flipping over idea though. Right now my preK kid is still comfortable in his toddler bed made of plastic top so these things are a breeze to handle, yet.

[flynn]

Jen's Sheet Lasagna needs to be a separate hack if it isn't already. We only break out the thick lasagna on sick days but it works great. A few extra blankets (fleece is good) and large towels work as extra layers, too, esp in small beds. Not waterproof but if the disaster wakes your child you'll be on it before the bedding soaks through.

[Lindsay Lebresco (Graco)]

This is a great idea. It would probably work in the middle of the night too. (though a bit loud). That's when I usually throw a towel or two over and under the sheet.
Random hair dryer tip - if you paint a wall to patch a spot, use a hair dryer to dry the paint - there's a much better chance that it will dry the same color as the original wall-paint color (of course, you have to use the same paint color!)