Foods and Bedwetting

What we should be feeding our children has recently been a hot topic in the news as we explore childhood obesity and other health consequences of the wrong diet.

Parents often wonder if certain foods trigger or worsen their child's bedwetting. There is no conclusive evidence that certain foods cause bedwetting in every child that ingests them.

But, each child is different so it may be worthwhile to do a short (2 week) elimination of certain foods and see if bedwetting frequency is impacted in your own child.Though foods may have an impact on how often your child wets at night, chances are that a change in diet won't completely eliminate the problem.

Possible triggers

Milk products before bed may make him/her sleep more soundly.

Carbonated and sweet beverages may increase urine amount.

Citrus and extra Vitamin C can cause more bladder irritability.

Things that do make a difference

Insuring enough fiber so that your child has a soft stool every day.

Making sure your child drinks enough so that they feel the need to urinate at school twice a day.

Taking a water bottle to school makes this easier. Water is the beverage of choice between dinner and bedtime.

If your child drinks enough during the day, they should not be overly thirsty before bed. However, if they are thirsty, drinking a small amount before bed is okay.

Toileting twice before bed, about 20-30 minutes apart, insures an empty bladder to start the night off right.