Water!! How do I get little one to drink it??

[bluesmile10]

I have been weaning my 6 and half DS and have been advised by HV to drop a feed and give water. However, he point blank refuses to drink it altho I have tried and tried and tried...... how do I get him to take it?

[KenDoddsDadsDog]

Have you tried a Doidy cup? My DD started to dip her mouth in it like a duck because at first the cool must have soothed her gums. She still won't drink lots and hates juice but she gets excited now when I bring it to her.

[bluesmile10]

Funnily enough, just ordered one today. Will give it a go and see how we go, thanks

[PrettyCandles]

Why drop a feed? At this early stage solids go alongside milk, not instead of it.

[KenDoddsDadsDog]

I should have added that. I haven't dropped a feed (even at 10 months DD is still having all her milk some days). They don't really eat enough to begin with to warrant dropping it. Also could get so hungry they refuse to eat solids iyswim.

[bosch]

Remember another mum telling me to put a drop of cheap apple juice in the cup with water. Ds really took to it having refused water pretty consistently before that.

Wish I'd weaned him off water and apple juice subsequently though (onto just water).

[Seona1973]

Why drop a feed? I didnt drop feeds until my lo's started taking less and then it was replaced with a snack and drink of water. I gave water in the tommee tippee first cup - I offered a small amount with meals and then left it on the highchair tray for them to pick up, play about with and eventually drink from.

[Fifilottie]

Like bosch I started encouraging DD to drink water by mixing it with about 1 tenth of homemade juice(now I just use the ones not made from concentrate). This works but as bosch says it is hard to get them to take normal water after that. My DD does sometimes but prefers the juice touch although it is very very watered down.

[ASecretLemonadeDrinker]

I wouldn't drop a milk feed. Let him just do what he wants with the water. Never offer anything else drink wise, don't sweeten it with juice.

[TheSugarPlumFairy]

we also used the apple juice trick. First i tried with waitrose apple juice and DD spat it out in disgust. Then tried the tescos UHT carton apple juice and she guzzled it. I gradually cut the amount of apple juice back and increased the water. She will now drink either quite happily.

[catwhiskers10]

I wouldnt drop a feed either. I still BF DD and when I started weaning her I asked HV if she should have any other liquids and they said no. I did try her with water however and she wouldnt drink it.
Shes now 9 months, still breastfeeding but drinks 2 small cups of very weak diluting juice a day in addition to the milk she was drinking before, shes only started doing this in the last week though.

[MusicalMummyJules]

I wouldn't drop a feed - I just give DS water during lunch/dinner etc. We tried all sorts of cups and this is the only one that worked

When we first gave him water, he didn't like it so I attempted it at every other meal and then left it a week and tried it again and he now will have half a cup a day...

[TryLikingClarity]

A tip which sometimes worked with DS was to heat the water slightly before giving it to him.

He seemed to dislike cold water and liked it more if it was warm. I think he might have initially felt the temperature and thought he was going to be getting milk :)

[molejazz]

Second the doidy cup - my DS loves it.