SUNDAY, April 23, 2006 (HealthDay News) -- Nearly 30 percent of U.S. school-aged children regularly wet the bed, but some simple changes in what they eat and drink can help solve the problem, experts say.
Dr. Kirk Pinto, pediatric urologist at Baylor All Saints Medical Center in Fort Worth, Texas, said that the three Cs -- caffeine, carbonation, and citrus -- should be avoided by children who are having trouble with bedwetting. While there are medications to treat bedwetting, simple diet changes can help the majority of children.
"For bladder problems, anything that is an irritant is bad. Caffeine is number one, and it's the most common thing that these kids get from all the soda they drink," Pinto said in a prepared statement.
Chocolate is another source of caffeine, and citrus fruits and their juices can also be irritants, the expert said.
"You want to get those things out of their diets. Go back to milk and water -- reasonable amounts of both -- and generally you can get the child to feel better," Pinto said.
Red dye is another irritant. Parents should read the labels of foods and drinks and, if they contain red dye, keep them away from their children.
More information
The Nemours Foundation has more about bedwetting.
