Four year old won't drink enough

[Violet1988]

My four year old son comes home from preschool with his water bottle full every day. In the morning he drinks a small cup (150mls or so) of semi skimmed milk. I think he gets a cup of water or juice at lunch time, not sure if he drinks that. He then has another milk with a snack when he gets home (150ml) and then a water with his tea. He manages 150mls of water but only because he doesn't get dessert if he doesn't finish his drink. By choice he probably wouldn't bother with this either. He has a water bottle to take to bed and he occasionally has a few sips from this.
Preschool have suggested giving him squash in his school bottle. I'm not sure about this because I don't want him sipping on squash throughout the day, if he's having squash i think it would be better with meals, rather than sips here and there. He does need to drink more though but not sure how to get him to? I drink cold herbal fruit tea. Not sure if this would be healthier than giving him no added sugar squash or should I try diluting orange juice (the kind that goes in the fridge not squash). Any ideas? X

my child is older now but when younger just drank when felt like it, there was no issue as in dehydration or anything so was just left to it, have you been told your child needs to drink more?

Why would milk not count towards his fluid intake?

Milk counts as counts as its fluid. I think his intake is fine unless constipated ? Maybe relax the pressure on him regarding drinks and he will regulate himself. The drinks in school thing will be an ongoing thing if you stress over it. Mine are older and often cone home with a full bottle if water. They drink when thirst generally.

As long as he's not ill or constipated I'd say it's fine. Milk does count. I used to just leave bottles of water around for mine so they could just help themselves and see it as a normal thing to do. No pressure. I would t resort to squash etc as you are right re teeth

Probably going against the grain here but just leave him to it? Make sure water is available and he will drink when thirsty, no need for gimmicky cups etc.

It's not my preferred method and is only a recent adjustment to how we are trying to deal with this. Previously we just provides a drink with every meal and plenty of fruit but he just leaves the drinks completely untouched. Even his milk he wouldn't finish we are trying this because we are concerned he's hardly drinking anything. My older child was under the continence team and the continence nurse told us that milk doesn't count to water intake and that a four year old should have 6 150mls of preferably water a day.

Not this child no, my eldest had issues with bed wetting and accidents and this was the continence teams advice. It's made me concerned that although my four year old has no issues that he drinks far less than what she was suggesting a child of his age should. Very occasionally he says it hurts to wee when he has drank hardly anything!

He might just not like the taste of;

Tap water
Room temperature water
Plastic bottles/cups (the texture of a plastic bottle and/or the spout can also be unpleasant)

My worst case scenario is where the only water available is room temperature tap water in a plastic bottle - but if there's ice cold, filtered or mineral water in a glass, I will drink like a 'normal person'.

I'd refuse food of all kinds if there was a rule that I had to have the former.

I've found ice in the bottle helps. I wouldn't move to squash though and I say that as someone who did, it becomes much harder to then get them to drink plain water which they will have to at school

My daughter (6) is the same and she gets constipated with it. Ice lollies are our go to.

Thanks for this will try icecubes at home and see what he thinks. I thought the same re school and was surprised when his preschool teacher said he's not drinking the water just put juice in the bottle. The preschool is attached to the school so rules should be the same. My older child has always taken water in his bottle, I had assumed juice not allowed and water is my preference for them to have.

I like squash made with hot water, or just hot water. I really don't like the ice cold water served everywhere these days.

I'm going to try making some ice lollies for his desert and stop the water to get dessert idea x

Im the opposite I like herbal fruit tea thats normally served hot, cold straight out of the fridge. I guess it's just a case of experimenting a bit more and seeing what he likes.

Could you just get him to drink little and often? So, get him to have a few sips from his water bottle on the way to school and then a few sips before he goes in. A few sips when he comes out. A few sips when he gets home. A few sips before dinner etc. Maybe he just needs to build the habit of regular drinking. The 150ml at set times a day feels quite rigid.

But I'd agree with other posters that growing up we never had this constant pressure to drink all the time and I don't know a single child who perished due to dehydration! We've all reached adulthood absolutely fine. If he's fine, then chill out a bit!

Another dessert containing lots of water is tinned fruit in jelly.

It's not my preferred method and is only a recent adjustment to how we are trying to deal with this. Previously we just provides a drink with every meal and plenty of fruit but he just leaves the drinks completely untouched.

I was actually meaning the drinks with m wow thing tbh. Do you not just ensure they have access to a drink all day long?

Do you think he might be worried that if he drinks too much he’ll wet the bed? If he’s seen his older brother/sister having bed wetting issues and the advice to them was to drink less perhaps he’s taken that on board somehow? I’m

I second this idea!

I went through a similar situation with my DS when he was 3. My Health Visitor recommended to keep trying to encourage drinking water but also to introduce more foods with high water content - Jellies, fruit (watermelons etc), veggies etc, soups, casseroles

If he’s thirsty he’ll drink, if he’s not he won’t. A better question is why are you obsessing over a healthy child’s fluid intake? Do you often have health anxiety or similar obsessions?

I don't think it's unusual to be concerned about a child that drinks so little. Maybe its fine that's why I've asked the question. To me it seems really small amount. I don't think there's any harm in encouraging him to drink a bit more. I asked because preschool have said to give juice in his water bottle and I didn't think that a good idea. So wanted to gauge opinions in case the consensus was along the lines of of course that's not enough you should give that juice. I don't think I have a health anxiety although I can be prone to overthinking 😬

I don't think so, if anything his brother was encouraged to drink more not less to avoid wetting the bed.

Thank you he does eat soup and veggies and lots of fruit. I guess this is where his water consumption is coming from and it's just seems like he has no fluids because it's all hidden in food x

Sorry I don't quite understand the first bit. He has access to a drink all day at preschool (his water bottle). At home no I've never just left bottles of water around for the kids and have always just given a drink with each meal and snack and a water bottle to take up to bed with them. I didn't think that was unusual? I don't think they would drink from a bottle that was just out for them all day.

I think this is maybe the issue, he isn't in the habit of drinking little and often or recognising he's thirsty and getting a drink for himself. He's just presented with 150ml at set times and instructed to drink it whether he's thirsty or not. It's all too regulated and rigid.