Food and Hydration Tips for Parents Raising Kids with ADHD

One of the most common parenting items I am asked about is if I have any tips for parents raising kids with ADHD. There are many different therapies and diets to try, and I’ll delve into those in a later post, but my first recommendation is the importance of eating and drinking often to help manage symptoms.

All kids get cranky if they are thirsty or hungry. I don’t think that is breaking news. For ADHD kids, common crankiness can quickly spiral into full-blown meltdowns or impulsive behavior. Especially when they are young. When I started making sure my son was eating and drinking at certain times during the day, coincidentally times he was most likely hungry or thirsty, it was like I had cracked the code to help manage his symptoms. Here are 3 key times during elementary school we made food and drink a priority and it made a big difference in our daily life.

1. First thing after waking up, have kids drink a big cup of water. I’m not just talking about with breakfast. When my son was young and I was typically the person waking him up for school or summer activities, I would be at his bedside with a cup of water. Before any conversation, I would have him drink it. He was always more cooperative given this time to hydrate before getting ready for the day. Now that my son is older, he has kept up with this habit and gets himself a big glass of water when he first wakes up.

2. The school day can be long. My son would have breakfast, but sometimes it would be 3-4 hours before he would have lunch at school. If you are able to make the accommodations with your child’s school, I recommend a snack break, if it’s not currently in the schedule. For my son, he had items at the nurse’s office and if he needed a break, the teacher would send him to the nurse. Sometimes he would ask to go, as he got better at vocalizing his needs. Outside of school, I would prompt him to eat and drink, if I knew it had been a couple of hours. He is still a grazer and knows he functions better by eating and drinking at regular intervals.

3. After school, before there was any conversation, I would have my son eat a snack and drink water. The transition coming off of school can easily trigger big feelings. I was picking him up in the car, so as soon as he would get in, I would hand him a snack. The same goes for summer camp pick-up, play dates, time spent playing outside, or ending screen time. A small snack and water can help the transition go much smoother.

For us, staying ahead of hunger and thirst made a big difference in helping our son manage his symptoms, when he was younger. They are habits he has carried into his teens and were worth the extra effort.