Refuse to drink water

[so e]

My 20 months old daughter refuses to drink water. How can I get her drink more water?

[fakishan]

All mothers should have a family pediatrician's phone number on hand. I don't know the answer to your question and I hope no one offers guesses.

[TruHP]

My Mom had the same problem with me when I was little. I still can't drink water even today as it makes me ill. (go figure as I can take a shower, drink things mixed with water, etc) I've only meet one other person that had the same problem. If she doesn't have a medical reason what about just watering down what she has a little more everyday until she is drinking straight water. It would take a while, but it might work. Or try different filters or bottled water. There is something in the water that makes me sick (I have a lot of weird allergies), but that might not be the case in yours.. just a picky toddler we can hope! If it is the picky toddler she should outgrow it. Good luck!!

[jollyeskimo]

All mothers should have a family pediatrician's phone number on hand. I don't know the answer to your question and I hope no one offers guesses.

Failing that, try Telehealth Ontario.

http://www.health.gov.on.ca/en/public/programs/telehealth/

[sonic]

I am the same way...i hate the taste of it.

can you delute her juice? half & half? Its better than nothing.
Does she like fruit...watermelon contains alot of water.

[zoolander]

You will find the same type of answer if you consult a Today'sParent expert. Introduce healthy food and drink over and over again in a loving atmosphere, her preferences are far from being set.
I apologize for the short general answer. Without the circumstances, specifics and history, it's difficult to provide you something concrete.

[nibble]

Is it tap water? Personally I can't stand tasting all the contaminants in it. I drink either bottled, or filtered water. Maybe you can try that first.

[D-Roc]

Is it tap water? Personally I can't stand tasting all the contaminants in it. I drink either bottled, or filtered water. Maybe you can try that first.


Tap water is very filtered and is basically the same as bottled water. There really is no difference.

[susan123]

My son much prefers juice, so when he was little we watered it down 1/4 juice and the rest is water.

You can also try a very fancy water cup (for water only). Find a special glass with her favourite character on it... Or offer water in the bathroom after brusing her teeth - for that we have the patterned dixie cups.

Other ideas are to offer ice cubes in it, or to try offering it with a straw.

Now that he is 3, he knows milk is for breakfast and lunch, he gets one (watered) juice a dinner, and the rest of the time it is water only. Helps that he had a fireman visit the school and tell the kids he drinks water to be big and strong. :cheesygri

[volan]

My 2 year old went through something similar. We are strong believers in water (not juice) so we tried a few things and over time he's started drinking water again, here is some of what we did:

1) We gave him a new sippy cup, we got one called a "safe sippy" it's orange and green and he loved the look of it and liked holding it. With our older boy we got 3 or 4 sippy cups when he refused to drink water, each was a different colour and gave him the choice of orange water, blue water, or red water (different colour sippy cups). That worked for him.

2) We tried to drink water in front of him often. We would take a sip and then encourage him to take a sip from his new sippy cup.

3) We kept his sippy cup near him at all times and at random intervals we'd stick it into his hand or just put it up to his lips.

4) whenever he's in his car seat we stick the sippy cup into his hands.

Slowly after doing all the above he started to drink water again. The combination of making it fun (bright coloured sippy cup) and wanting to imitate mom and dad seemed to work really well.

[casey5]

My 2 year old went through something similar. We are strong believers in water (not juice) so we tried a few things and over time he's started drinking water again, here is some of what we did:

1) We gave him a new sippy cup, we got one called a "safe sippy" it's orange and green and he loved the look of it and liked holding it. With our older boy we got 3 or 4 sippy cups when he refused to drink water, each was a different colour and gave him the choice of orange water, blue water, or red water (different colour sippy cups). That worked for him.

2) We tried to drink water in front of him often. We would take a sip and then encourage him to take a sip from his new sippy cup.

3) We kept his sippy cup near him at all times and at random intervals we'd stick it into his hand or just put it up to his lips.

4) whenever he's in his car seat we stick the sippy cup into his hands.

Slowly after doing all the above he started to drink water again. The combination of making it fun (bright coloured sippy cup) and wanting to imitate mom and dad seemed to work really well.

+1. Worked for our kids too. We just made sure water is always available to them. Downstairs, we leave sippy cups on the dinette table, and upstairs, by their bedside. Sure they'd ask for juice sometimes but 8 out of 10 times, they'd go for water first when thirsty.

[jm1]

You haven't said whether your kid drinks juice or milk. If they drink milk, but not water, that's fine. A growing kid needs the the nutrients in milk, but water does nothing for them but quench thirst, which milk does already. If you're worried about the fat in whole milk, ask your pediatrician for their advice, but 20 months is old enough to switch to 2% or skim if you wish.

My kid drinks milk usually, with juice as a infrequent treat (he eats plenty of fruit, so gets plenty of vitamin C, etc.) and doesn't usually drink plain water.

FYI, tap water and bottled water tastes the same when cold. I read an article with a taste test and people couldn't taste the difference when cold. At room temp. or warmer, some difference could be detected. Also, some "bottled" water (eg. Disanti) is just filtered tap water. Run tap water through a Brita filter for the same thing.

[midnightly]

some children find warm or room temp water much better to drink then cold (it's not uncommon for cold water to make children cough) you could try adding a tiny bit of juice (100% juice no punches or juices with added sugar be sure to check the label) i find if i put in just enough juice to tint the water (maybe an 1/8 juice at most) my daughter will drink much more water

[thelefteyeguy]

My 20 months old daughter refuses to drink water. How can I get her drink more water?

you need to participate more and add more info.

Is this a recent situation or is this regular behavior?

Does you daughter like to drink milk? juice? etc


If your daughter is sick and has a sore throat, than likely she doesnt want to swallow or talk much. Our daughter went through it a couple of months ago...refused to drink water, we pretty much had to hold her down and force liquids into her during the day. Else, we would have to go to the hospital and get her an IV.

if this is a normal for her, is her lip chapped all the time or has dry diapers? if not, then she's hydrated enough.

[so e]

Problem solved! I've got her another sippy cup and she loves to drink water now!