Should I Be Worried That He Is Drinking Too Much?

My 3 year old drinks a lot too. Most people around me worry about it too. If I try to limit his drinking he get constipated, he is better at controlling it than me. He still wears a diaper at night, because he will pee out of pull up every time. He has started to slow down some on his own. I feel that he will adjust for what he needs and I want him to learn to trust his body. I do have to be careful that he is eating. You can ask him if he is hungry and he will say no he is thirsty, but if you just make him food he will eat. I just don't think he always knows the difference. The other thing is his sippy cup is his only way he comforts himself and I don't want to take it away till he has learned something else.

There's no harm in talking to the pediatrician. See what he/she has to say. Stay calm... some children don't have the overnight muscle control at his age... you are doing the best you can.

J.

You absolutely need to have him tested for diabetes. This is something that has plagued almost every member of my family, including myself when I was a child. My own daughters both had to go through testing, the first because she had a hard time gaining weight and was sick all the time, the second because of the excessive drinking and urinating. Neither of my children were found to be diabetic, but it will definitely give you some peace of mind. Know that this is a life threatening condition, and should be checked out right away just as a preventive measure.

I think that he is just a thirsty little guy. I have a 8 yr old boy, that had accidents during the night at 6 and 7. It is normal for little boys to wet themselves. He is still so young. My oldest son which is 24 now use to wake up thirsty for water every night. When he was younger and probably still does. Your little boy is just fine. Also, wetting his pants is completely normal. You might want to wake him up in the middle of the night and take him to the bathroom. That always worked for me. Hope i have been of some help to you. Sincerely P........

I am floored that most the moms believe you child is drinking to much. Most adults do not get enough liquids so to limt him while he is learning good eating habits seems wacky to me. If you are concerned about diabetes, then please have him checked out to be safe. I have three boys all whom wear pullups at night. I was a bed wetter until I was almost 8. Bladder control develops at different ages for everyone. I was a, and my boys are, heavy sleepers, so waking up was/is hard to do.

I am not a medical professional, but yes, I would take him to the peds and voice concerns if it was my child. There's no harm in getting checked. Best of luck,

Not to sound mean, but, if he isn't going potty all by himself ALL the time, he isn't potty trained. He is working on potty training and doing very well. He is still really young at just a little over two. Holding it all night is really hard even for an adult. Really, the fact that he is still wetting at night is not an abnormal potty training adventure for his age.They still sleep pretty deep at this age too.

He does drink a lot, but is he drinking a lot vs eating? You may need to encourage him to eat more solids, maybe not refill his cup until he ate most of his food, etc. He may be drinking when he is hungry. It could also be a comfort issue. Some kids drag baba's and sippy cups around just like a blankie. If you generally use the same type cup, you might want to change it and see if that helps break the comfort cup. Too, what size cup? a small sippy cup that is 4 or 6 oz? That would change the concept on the amount a lot too. Some of my girl's cups only hold 4 oz and the days we use them I feel like all I did all day was fill those cups!

He could have a small bladder,some people are just made that way. It doesn't hurt to gt him checked out. A simple fasting blood test can give you the answers about the diabetes question just to rule it out. I, personally, wouldn't get upset because while it is great to be on top of those things, I wouldn't expect it to be the outcome.

I wouldn't worry, if it makes you feel better, have the blood work done, but he will have to not eat or drink from about midnight until the time of the appointment so I would make it an early one. Then that is one scenario you can check off your list. On the positive side, he is one hydrated little boy! His bladder just may not be mature enough to hold it all night or if he is a busy guy he may not take the time to empty his bladder all the way during the day either. Now that can cause UTI's and bladder infections, so you might want to watch him to see if he stays at the potty long enough or if he tinkles enough to relief the pressure and then takes of to play.

Good luck!

I have a MIL who automatically assumes the worst. My son had a heat rash, she swore it was measles. My daughter coughs once, she MUST HAVE ANTIBIOTICS NOW!!!!!! Don't let her freak you out. It does seem like your son drinks alot, but some kids just need more liquid. Is he an active child? That could be part of it. I would mention it to your doctor, but don't let her freak you out until you've checked it out. In my experience, MILs tend to be quite overdramatic with their grandchildren, and if you let her, she'll have you panicking right along with her. Keep a cool head, and talk to your doctor, see what he/she says. Most likely they'll just say that he's a normal thirsty kid. However, if you are concerned that he may have diabetes, you might want to cut back on the juice a little bit, since it's mostly sugar. Hope it helps!

My mother said I did the same thing as a baby and I still constantly am drinking something to this day. I was tested for diabetes at like 18 months old and I did not have it. My son is 22 months old and he does the same thing. Potty training is a little tough b/c he does drink so much. But I don't worry about the drinking so much. He health is always been fine. If you are worried though, they can do a test on him to find out for sure. Hope all is well!!!

Hi, T....

You should be able to cut back on the amount of liquid your son is drinking throughout the day...I would say let him have his milk in the morning when he gets up, and the last cup with his supper (so he can brush his teeth before he goes to bed, and not let the milk "sit" on his teeth all night). We have taken our son OFF milk (with his pediatrician's knowledge and approval, due to an ongoing behavioral issue). He gets ONE sippy cup with 1/2 water and 1/2 100% juice (we like Juicy Juice best, but any will do that does not have added sugar) in the morning with his dry cereal, and then one more sometime later in the day. The rest of the time he simply gets WATER, usually 3-4 total, but some days more, like really hot days. Doing the math, it seems your son is drinking about twice what our son is (Noah is 30 months old). I won't say that you are giving him too much, but I would ask if your son ever seems "lethargic" and "out of it" to you, and is his appetite good? If he doesn't seem to want to eat very much but still seems to have plenty of energy, I would say it's because his stomach is too full of liquid to hold solid food. If all he wants to do is drink, however, and his energy level is LOW, you definitely need to get him in to his pedi ASAP.

(I've been a Type 1 diabetic since I was 13, and I just turned 42. High blood sugars always zap my energy, and I get thirstier than normal on those days, as well.) Your pedi will be able to do a "simple" blood test (SOOO much easier than 29 years ago!!! YIPPEEEEE!!!!!) to see if his blood sugars are elevated. If that's the case, CALL me, and I'll be happy to help you with him!!

SO very glad your husband did not pass out with the news of the new baby!! (So much for "our" plans, right?? LOL)

Call me anytime, and we can talk! (going out of town on Friday this week, and will be back on Sunday night)

~J.~
###-###-####
____@____.com

My daughter had just turned 4 when she was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.....that was the only symptom she had at that time (she is now 14).....frequent urination, loss of weight are also symptoms........please take him to be checked as in the early stages it can take more than a finger prick to confirm a diagnosis.......however, if you have a friend with a blood glucose monitor you can check him that way......please get in touch with me if you want more information......good luck!

It does sounds a bit excessive to me also. Here are my thoughts...can it hurt to ask the pedi? I would ALWAYS err on the side of caution where my child's health is concerned. I would get it checked out. I wouldn't freak out about it, but I would ask.

First off, congrats that he potty trained so early. My son was three before he was potty trained and over 3 1/2 before he stopped wetting the bed. His bladder just needed time to grow and catch up with the rest of him. I do agree that drinking before bed makes it more difficult, but mine could wet the bed with one ounce of water before bed!! As for the diabetes thing, it is true that drinking more is a sign of diabetes - type 2 diabetes. I suggest looking up the symptoms to type 1 and comparing them to your child. That should make you feel better and give you ammunititon for the next time your mil brings it up!

Good Luck!

Both of my kids drink a lot too! But when it comes down to the health..........He is drinking water mostly, his apple juice is mixed with water and thne milk. It's okay as long as he is still going to the bathroom just fine. The plus side to it is it takes longer for him to get dehydrated. I asked our ped about my kids and she said they were fine. It would eventually go down. My resommendation is you are doing great, he's not lacking his nutrients and the scare about diabetes there is other things that go with it besides drinking alot. He is a kid and he likes to drink that is a good thing! If you are still worried then ask his peditrician!
Best of luck~!
E.

T.,
I really don't think that is alot, unless he is drinking and not eating. My son was potty trained at 2 and wore pull-ups then goodnights until he was 5 1/2. Some kids have small or under developed bladders.
With my son I have the reverse. I can't get him to drink enough. He will come home from school and not have touched his water bottle at lunch. He will only drink water, orange juice and an occasional sprite.
You might try plain water after 7pm and see what happens.
L.

I agree, give your ped a call to just see what they think. It can't hurt. It sounds like a lot to me, but every child is different. Just because it is not what my kids do, doesn't mean it is bad.

Also, night time dryness and being potty trained during the day are two different things. Keep him in pull ups and don't worry about it.

Yes, it can be a sign of diabetes, but... My 3 year old is exactly like that, and she has always been like that. She drinks and drinks and drinks all day long. I had her tested, and she is not diabetic (just thirsty). I doesn't hurt to get him tested, just to make sure. But, just being thirsty doesn't make you a diabetic. Take care!

My son always drank a lot too. I think it can be easier at that age than eating! Take him to the Dr. to rule out any concerns you might have, but don't worry about your son still wearing a pull-up at night. He is still young to be potty trained at night. My son was nearly four before he stopped wearing a pull-up at night. Also, everything I have read says that cutting down on liquids doesn't really help. When he is old enough his body and bladder will adjust to the amount of liquids his body needs.

It sounds like to me the key word is your husband got upset. Lets me know his mom must have a history of over reacting. Anyway do not get upset till you talk with the pedi. He/She will know how much your child should be drinking and if need be will run tests. Your son's age is still young so he has already been having regular checkups and your pedi hasn't saw any red flags so I wouldn't worry to much. Most of us don't drink enough fluids, sounds like to me you probally just have to find a way to work on cutting off the drinking a good ways before bedtime. Don't worry too much most of us get to school age with dry pants.

It sounds like he drinks a lot and it might be nothing and could be something so the best thing to do is talk to your pediatrician about doing a simple and easy blood test just to make sure. Its always better to be safe than sorry. Hope this helps

See if you can replace some of your sons drinks with more food. He may still be depending on fluid to fill his stomach up. If this doesn't work and he really is that thirsty it wouldn't hurt to have things checked out. As for the bed wetting, don't stress. My son wet the bed until he was 8 yrs old, my sis wet the bed until Jr. High, some kids are just bed wetters but rest assured they all outgrow it.

First, night time dryness might not come until he's much older. Our pediatrician told us she wouldn't worry about it until age 4. Until then, pull ups at night is fine. It seems like I read somewhere that there's a hormone that controls/inhibits urine output while you're sleeping. The hormone has to be able to stay at a certain level to maintain dryness at night. Some kids reach that level earlier than others. I believe it typically happens later for boys than for girls.

As far as excessive drinking/thirst -- Compared to my own kids, that DOES seem like a lot. Mine drink about 5 or 6 things a day, around 4 - 5 ounces each time, give or take.
It's something like juice and milk in the morning (one with breakfast and one at morning snack), water at lunch, gatorade for afternoon snack, water at dinner, then usually a refill at dinner.

Honestly, it doesn't hurt to call the pediatrician. Your MIL isn't questioning your parenting, she's just concerned for her grandchild's health. Besides, now that she's introduced the idea, it likely got you worried, or at least thinking about it a lot. Might as well put everyone's worries at ease.

It sounds to me like he may be drinking too much. You have to limit his intake. Offer a snack instead of a drink. Give him his meals w/o a drink and when he's finished eating offer him a drink. I wouldn't instantly think that he would have an illness, some kids just like to drink their sippy cups. However, it sounds to me like way too much juice and water for one day. Don't let him carry his cup around. Make him stay at the table w/ it if he is thirsty. Little changes should make a big difference in his intake. It is up to you to monitor this. Good luck.

That is a lot. Three glasses of milk a day an more fruit then juice and maybe 3 glasses of water should be plenty. I have also read that too much liquid keeps them from eating all the veggies and fruits they need all day. It is possible he has dibetis but would not hurt to check it out. My dad was and the first signs are weight gain and drinking a lot of liquids. Good Luck and maybe just fine. Do not get worked up just go and get some tests done. Probably by drawing some blood to make sure. G. W