Nutrition and bedwetting

Children have an interesting relationship with food. For example, they might like something one week that they won't touch next week, or decide they'll never eat a green vegetable again in their lives. Constantly adjusting to their changing food preferences is already a challenge for parents, and food can sometimes even be linked to bedwetting.

Discover the link

Kathleen, a mother of four, believes certain foods prevent her 8-year-old son from staying dry at night. “I’ve noticed a link, depending on the types of food he eats, but it’s not entirely clear,” Kathleen says. “I find that my son has fewer problems when his diet includes fewer processed foods and more iron. Foods like meat and leafy green vegetables such as broccoli, spinach, and others are rich in iron.” Anne Boisclair-Fahey, a pediatric nurse practitioner, also believes such a link exists in some children. “Some bedwetting children will benefit from avoiding certain foods,” Boisclair-Fahey says. “That may not be the case for others.” Bedwetting can be caused by several factors, and diet is only one of them.

According to Sue Dengate, author of a book on the subject, food intolerances can increase your child's risk of bedwetting. "I've always wanted to distinguish between true food allergies—a rapid reaction to food proteins with itching and swelling—and food intolerances, a delayed reaction to chemicals in a wide range of foods," she says. "It's food intolerances that play a role in bedwetting. Food intolerances are much more common than food allergies, but much harder to detect. Food intolerances tend to run in families. However," Dengate says, "We find that every child is different—some [bedwetters] are affected by artificial colors or preservatives."

Find the culprits

So, how can you determine which foods are affecting your child's bedwetting? According to Boisclair-Fahey, parents should closely monitor caffeine, carbonated drinks, citrus fruits, chocolate, and extra doses of vitamin C. These foods tend to increase the amount of urine the body produces, adding to the difficulty for your child to stay dry at night. Of course, the causes of bedwetting vary from child to child, so while food may not be a primary cause, it can play a contributing role.

In addition to caffeine, chocolate, and soft drinks, Dengate believes parents should also test bread. Dengate conducted a study, published in the Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, on the effects of calcium propionate, a preservative commonly used in bread, on children's behavior. She found that children in her study who wet the bed improved when they eliminated the additive from their diet, and for some, bedwetting returned when they ate bread containing the preservative. "Some parents wanting to try the dietary approach will see a difference simply by changing the bread and drinks," Dengate says. "That means switching to bread without calcium propionate, perhaps buying specialty loaves like French or Italian bread, and encouraging children to drink bottled water instead of juice, milk, or soft drinks."

According to Dengate, dairy products, such as milk, can irritate the bladder lining and cause bedwetting. Because so many children suffer from undiagnosed dairy intolerance, these should be among the first foods tested, along with foods containing coloring and preservatives.

Elimination diets

The best way to pinpoint the exact foods causing the problem is to try an elimination diet for three weeks, removing all foods that might be affecting your child's bedwetting from their diet. You can then carefully reintroduce foods, one at a time, to discover the real culprits. Consult your child's doctor before making any changes to their diet. One of the most important things to keep in mind is that childhood bedwetting is more often related to physical development and maturity. While food can affect how often your child wets the bed, a change in diet is unlikely to completely eliminate the problem. Understanding, love, and time are the most effective weapons against bedwetting.