Guard against bed-wetting

Doctors are very cautious when it comes to blaming specific foods for bed-wetting, also called nocturnal enuresis, because there is very little evidence to back up the claims and much of it is anecdotal.

·        Caffeine, whether in food or drink, acts as a diuretic, meaning that it stimulates the bladder to produce more urine. So, one bed-wetting solution that many experts recommend is to avoid caffeine in the late afternoon and evening.

·        Just because your child does not drink coffee does not mean he isn’t ingesting caffeine. Moreover, one food that many children love, chocolate, also contains a chemical closely related to caffeine. 

So you might want to be cautious about hot chocolate and deserts such as brownies or chocolate ice-cream.

·        You do not need to add insult upon injury and ban these foods from your child’s diet; just try to make sure they are enjoyed earlier in the day so that the effects have worn off before bedtime.

·        The reason your child bed-wets is not just because there is too much liquid in the bladder. Let us think of it this way, even if you drink a gallon of water before bed, you would wake up to empty your bladder rather than to bed-wet. 

Nonetheless, limiting the amount of liquid your child drinks before going to sleep makes common sense because it will delay the filling of the bladder and give your child some extra time before bed-wetting occurs.

·        Keep in mind that drinks are not the only way your child gets liquids- certain foods such as soup, yoghurt, and many fruits and vegetables have very high water content.