How Much Is Enough Liquids?

You can't really make a child drink, although we have done it. My kids have a sippy always with them filled with water. juices and tea are fine but hte actually prefer water. My soon to be 5yr old has been drinking from sippy since he was 1. never did the bottle. My 21 month old hated the bottle too, unless it belongs to another child. She is now doing like big bro and carries a sippy everywhere with water. the will typically drink when they are thirsty. as long as the wet diapers are plenty there is not much cause for alarm.

Hi T. - I agree with the gal that said the urine should be clear. Yellow means she's not getting enough fluids. The guideline I use for a child is they should drink their body weight in ounces (e.g., 25 oz per day for your child). As your child gets older and becomes athletic, exercises she'll need more than that to replace fluids after exercise. Adults need to drink at least half their weight in ounces (e.g., 150 lbs need 75 ounces per day) and more if exercising. You will gain all kinds of health advantages by staying well hydrated. WATER is always best. Stay away from sugary, colored drinks. Soda doesn't count because the drawbacks aren't worth any hydrating benefits you would get.

Your little girl will drink what she needs. Unless she shows signs of dehydration, sunken eyes, little energy, prune skin look, then don't worry. Bodies drink when they need liquid and have other signs when they are deficient. Liquid comes in many forms. She probably gets just plenty for her needs. When she gets hot, she will drink more. Stop worrying mom!

Fortunately, hyrdration isn't dependent on drinking liquids themselves. According to my son's doctor liquids consumed should be anywhere from 4 to 8 oz of water and juice throughout the day. So, your little one is pretty on target...

Don't worry about the milk, if she is consuming dairy products easily then that's okay. But, you may want to try ways to get her to drink the milk...like chocolate milk or other flavorings like Ovaltine that are tasty.

If you are really concerned as her doctor how much she should be getting...just a quick phone call never hurts.

Cheers,

D..

http://www.mypyramid.gov/preschoolers/index.html

http://parentcenter.babycenter.com/0_nutrition-guidelines...

Unless it is a hot day or she is very active (more than usual) people should take their weight, divide by two and that is how many oz. of water to have in a day. 10oz is probably about good, plus any fruit or raw veggies she has goes toward that.
As long as her pee is light yellow or clear she is totally good.
Good Luck

You have to remember she isn't drinking to fill her tummy, the food is doing that now. If her diapers are wet and she doesn't have signs of dehydration, or dry lips and skin then I wouldn't worry. I know that my son needs reminding to drink more because his lips will get dry and sore, I'll ask him how much he has drank in the last 2 days and he'll tell me Milk in my cereal, milk at lunch & water at dinner (but his cup at dinner is usually still half full). So I have to remind him that's why his lips are ready to fall off, to go to the fridge and get a drink of water. This happens every 3 months or so.

If you are that concerned teach her how to have a tea party, buy her a little tea set and put the water in it then you both get water and snack. Kids love to put water in little dishes it's something diffrent, and if they are taught that it can only hold water because we don't eat on the carpet then they usually only use water. (kids will be kids though). Just remember when cleaning little dishes and tea sets that they are always full even if they haven't played with them for days, because they will fill them and forget, then you'll clean them up and spill it. Have fun! J.

Urine should be clear.

Liquids include grapes, orange slices, melon slices, and so on. Be sure to include these in your calculations.

And remember, too much juice supresses the appetite.

If she drank more with a bottle, I would give her a bottle again. If health and greater liquid intake are the goal, then that will help you achieve it. The bottles can be water-only. It's so much easier to suck at that age than it is to sip. Best of luck!

I tend to worry about this too, as my 3.5 year old always seems to have yellow pee. The best I have found to work is to just always have water available (which means I'm constantly packing water bottles for trips out) and to serve it in a straw cup (this seems to go down quicker than a sippy).

My daughter is 26mo. She probably drinks about 10oz of water a day. I also offer her watered down grape juice and apple juice too & she's doing fine. I think your daughter is doing fine too. Your instincts seem correct. If she's peeing regularly and doesn't have parched lips it's likely she is well hydrated. Sometimes when I don't think my daughter is drinking enough water it's the only thing I offer to her. So she doesn't have a choice. It seems to do the trick.

Lastly, remember fruits and veggies have water in them too!

Hope this helps!

Being aware of it is the best thing you can do. I highly advice just offering water or herbal tea (my sons favorite) as liquids because juices are so full of sugar.
I don't think there's a standard for how much liquid a child should drink because they all have such different levels of activity and live in climates that may require more liquid. Have you spoken to your pediatrician about it?-www.weelicious.com

They are pretty good about regulating themselves. If they are thirsty they don't know about putting things off. The liquid she gets from food should be considered also.

Clear this with your doctor:
I was once told that young kidneys only process a certain amount of fluid. I think it was 24 cc or such a day. After than the liquid goes to in intestine and of course become poo. You may just be asking her to drink more than she can process.
B. v. O.