What do I do if...?

Question

My son is 13 months old and I am having a hard time getting him to drink enough. He eats solid meals well, but will hardly drink anything. A typical day he will have 2 seven ounce bottles.(we are trying to wean him from the bottle) and will only drink maybe one ounce or two at each meal from a sippy cup. He hates whole milk, and will only drink juice or water from the sippy. The doctor does not want him to have more than a glass of juice a day. It is also a struggle to get him to drink a bottle (always has been) so it isn't like he is attatched to his bottle. Any suggestions to help him drink more? I am worried about him getting dehydrated.

Answer 1

I am not judging just giving advice.No more bottles,throw them away.It is bad for their teeth & he does not need it.There really is no weaning.Just offer the sippy cup.Most babies do not take whole milk right away.My 14mth old just started drinking it a month ago.Not to worry the doctor said as long as they are getting calcium from other things such as (yogurt,cheese etc) it is perfectly fine.Just keep offering it.Also try mixing ovaltine in it.It is nutritous & loaded with vitamins.This is how i got both of my kids to drink milk.As far as drinking more,it sounds like is drinking enough.When he stops the bottle he will probably drink more.my on only drinks 3oz of juice,2-3oz of milk & water at bedtime.I really don't think he is going to get dehydrated.They really don't need much to drink.Anyway 2 7 oz bottles is alot.That's y he does'nt want anything else.You said he is not attached to the bottle so i am wondering y you have'nt stopped it.It will be alot easier taking him off than you expect.There really is no weening just cold turkey.

Answer 2

The doctor is right to want to limit the juice. As far as milk... have you tried adding honey or maybe a bit of chocolate to change the taste? Have you tried giving him water in a regular cup with a straw? My son absolutely loves to drink from a straw (14 months old). If the sippy cup works for now... use it to your advantage to get the fluids in. You can also sneak in fluids with soups, ice pops, pureed veggies.
Have you tried giving him water at different temperatures? Maybe he doesn't like it ice cold... or too warm. Experiment with it and see what works best. If he's big into juice... start there. Each time you give him juice, water it down a bit more (not enough to change the flavor noticeably), but enough so that you can make the transition from all juice to mostly water. Also try adding a bit of fresh squeezed lemon to water. That might also work.
I hope any of these suggestions help. I can empathize with your frustration... just hang in there, and don't let your son see that it's a big deal to you. It should all be done "as a matter of fact" as far as he's concerned. He'll eventually come around.

Answer 3

Maybe you should try 2% milk now. If he likes juice so much, try a sippy cup of Pedialyte a day. That will help keep his electrolytes in balance. Another thing you can try, and this will sound kinda cruel, don't give him a choice of anything but water. Keep a sippy cup with water in it available at all times. If he stops what he's doing for a minute, offer him the cup. Only give him juice at one meal during the day. If he's not a fan of milk, give him one glass of that day, or put it in cereal. Hope that helps. =)

Answer 4

It sounds like your son is maybe too full to drink with his meals. Some suggestions I have are:
1) Make his meal portions smaller, and give him a little more to drink.
2) Why not try skim milk. It has texture more similar to water. Also, there are other drinks like Pedialyte and Ensure that are nutrient based. Too much water can never be a problem.
3) How about trying to teach him to drink from a straw. Maybe the game of drinking from a straw will distract him from you're attempting to get him to do.
4) If he doesn't like the bottle, get rid of it. He's old enough.

Good luck.

Answer 5

Maybe you could mix the juice with water - like 1/3 juice and see if he'll take that - because he likes juice. Then maybe add some ice to dilute it even more. I know you don't want him to just drink juice or to ignore plain water but if you are in a pinch you might do this for a few days. You could even dilute the juice more and more each day until he is actually drinking straight water. The ice seems to make the water seem like a treat sometimes. Good luck!

Answer 6

Maybe get him to drink in between meals, as maybe he is so full on solids he has no need to drink.....And if you were just to give him sips every half hour just for your own peace of mind so as not to worry that he is dehydrating...My last three children were breastfed for 12 months, meaning NO food or water or anything but breast milk just the way they wanted it...which meant they started on solids a lot later and and they were healthy , had regular check ups, all was great even to this day, my first 3 children were quite different not as long on the breast , started solids early, still just as healthy as my other 3, and there was times that they did not care for much fluid....MY POINT IS DON'T WORRY TOO MUCH....let him have his bottle if he wants or if he doesn't, he will change as he grows and juice will not hurt him my children live on it, (just don't give it going to bed as it can damage the teeth) and they live on water and DO NOT drink whole milk and are doing great....they don't need milk you can get what they need from veggies and other foods....he is still your baby don't be in a hurry for him to grow up ...society dictates to us too much and puts us under pressure to conform to their ways.

Answer 7

Doctor told me that milk was not as important after a year anyway. My daughter drinks just about as much water as I do in a day...allot. I would keep up with the water.

He's at a good age to go pick out some neato cups with characters he can recognize. Let him choose some cups as an incentive to drink from it. Try adding a little flavor to the water if he won't drink. Orange slice, maybe just a little sugar just to get him interested. Just like with potty training, which you will get into in about a year, you have to keep on it. You want some water is going to ware you and him out...hahahaha! But it is the phrase of the day!

Answer 8

Honestly, I wouldn't worry about it. Kids will eat an drink if they are hungry or thirsty. He will make it clear if he needs something.

My son is a big fan of drinkable yogurt its a good milk replacement and it is a fluid. Also try Gatorade (watered down) it replaces electorlites and would be an easy way to make sure he gets everything he needs. My daughter is only 14 months old and she had the rotavirus last month. She couldn't keep anything down and we were very worried about dehydration. It only took about 5 ounces of Gatorade a day to keep her in balance. So really your son sounds fine.

Answer 9

Dilute the juice with water (if you've been giving him straight juice, you can gradually dilute it over a day or two). I don't give my son juice very often, but when I do it is 1/2 juice and 1/2 water.

Remember, he is getting some hydration from his foods. Fruits, cereals, are good. Talk with his pediatrician for some guidance. Whole milk isn't necessarily good anyway -- water from a sippy is good.

Answer 10

try adding some strawberry syrup or chocolate to his milk, this worked really well with my daughter. Also I played a game with my daughter, we got the food coloring out and I let her add a drop of color to her ice water and she thought colored water was really a neat thing. Anything is worth a try, Let him see what your putting in the cup, maybe try supervising him using a big boy cup no sippy. Good Luck!