Bedwetting is an occurrence that is embarrassing, awkward, and disturbing for both parents and children. This is a condition that mostly affects kids in the five-years-old range, but can also strike children as old as fifteen. When properly handled, bedwetting can be treated without future incident. There is no single cause leading to bedwetting, but there are many different factors that contribute to the act, including excessive drinking right before bedtime or a bladder infection.

Chocolate

Food items that contain caffeine have been known to cause excessive urination. One of the culprits in this category that affects children is chocolate. Whether they receive it as a treat before bedtime or worse, enjoy a cup of hot cocoa, the caffeine within these items can act as a stimulant throughout your child’s body. When caffeine is combined with sugar, the duo can be impossible on a child with a sensitive bladder.

Bubbly Drinks

Since children have no developed bladders yet, they usually cannot handle the carbonation in bubbly drinks. Besides soda, Gatorade can trigger bedwetting. Some doctors advise cutting down the total amount of water consumed by a child throughout the day. It is true adults need to consume sixty-four ounces of water daily, but a child only needs half that amount.

Oranges and Grapefruits

There is a high percentage of water in citrus fruits, like oranges and grapefruits. Moreover, their high acid levels have been proved to strongly affect sensitive bladders, resulting in the need to urinate in the middle of the night. Children whose bladders are not used to such nocturnal activities end up with bedwetting if they consume too much citric fruits.

Spicy Foods

Had a late dinner and your child really loves the extra salsa on their taco? The ingredients within the salsa, as well as in other spicy foods may contribute to bedwetting. Spicy foods have been known to speed up the elimination processes within the body.

Food Allergens

Some kinds of foods are known for their ability to create spasms in the bladder, which might lead to bedwetting. Thus, the reason behind your child’s problem might be an allergic reaction to a food he may have eaten right before sleeping. Corn, peanuts, eggs, soy, wheat and dairy products are some of the food products that might trigger bedwetting. Also avoid giving your child foods that are high in preservatives, colors and sweeteners right before bedtime.

Tips and Advice

In order to keep your child from bedwetting, keep him away from foods that can trigger the problem. In addition, you may have to try various behavior techniques. You can use a bedwetting alarm if your child is over seven years old; a bedwetting alarm has had a high percentage of success. If your child is younger, you can try the reward technique if your child keeps his bed dry throughout the night. In addition, this technique will also encourage your child to avoid consuming the foods that can trigger bedwetting. As your child gets older, have him change his wet sheet. Your child is then likely to avoid bedwetting just to avoid this chore.

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Every mother wants the best for her child.  You want your child to look healthy, grow proportionately, feel energized and have a great immune system.  So, why do most parents in America feed their children junk food by the time they start eating table food?  Why do most restaurants serve French fries or macaroni and cheese for side orders and not steamed broccoli?  It is really a sad situation to watch young children who are obese.  Even schools offer peanut butter and jelly or ice cream for lunch.

Photo: @Annalarina

To ensure that your child is eating correctly you must feed them plenty of fruits and vegetables.  But the trick is to make it delicious and fun.  For instance, for breakfast, arrange a platter of fruit, oranges, grapefruit, bananas, strawberries, blueberries, they will love it!  Make faces out of the fruit.  Have them drink only water and no sugar 100% fruit juice that you juice yourself.  Get them used to eat vegetables that are uncooked.  Whenever they get hungry, offer small baby carrots or celery, they will grow to love the taste just the way it is.  You can introduce a new vegetable each week and learn how to hide it into your food.  For instance, chop up Portobello mushrooms in a chopper and add it to your pasta sauce and watch them gobble it up, barely noticing the mushrooms.  Make blanched broccoli (plain) and eat that for dinner.  If they see you eating healthy, they will learn early on to eat that way.  Do not let them eat packaged foods, such as macaroni and cheese, or fried chicken fingers, or anything fried for that matter.  Make sure that they eat vegetables at every meal and be careful when you go out to eat.

Photo: @josiah.adelaine

Offer natural desserts that you have made at home, such as homemade sorbet, or fruit smoothie, or peach cobbler pie (all natural).  Stay away from cakes, cookies, etc that have preservatives and other unnatural flavorings.  Make it yourself and offer it occasionally.  You will find that they watch you and what you eat and if you incorporate a much healthier menu, so will they.

The best part of raising your children to learn to love fruits and vegetables is that you will notice that they will turn down junk food when you are not around.  At that point, you will know that you have done your part in raising healthy adults.

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