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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Baby and drinking water

35 replies

Workytypestuff · 29/09/2014 15:11

Posting here for traffic...

My 8 month old will not drink water and it's really starting to frustrate me get me down.

She is suffering with constipation, the gp has prescribed her with something to get things moving in the short term but the real issue is that she refuses water.

She wont have it in a bottle, i assume she expects milk and pushes it away because it isn't? Either way, she chews the teat or pushes it away.

Tried many different types of training cups, all different spouts, spill, none spill etc. she seems to think these are to play with, chew on, shake. Wont accept me putting it in her mouth, flat refuses, pushes it away. Wont put the spout in her mouth herself, too busy playing with it.

Doidy cup has been most successful, she accepts sips out of it but there is a lot of spillage so i know not that much is being drank.

I have added a splash of various fruit juices to see if a bit more taste tempts her, makes no difference.

I am at the end of my tether, and worried her tummy will keep bothering her. She is in immense pain at times.

This has been going on approx 2-3 months, since weaning. Formula feeding and weaning have been fab from day 1, she has no issues with those.

Any advice or suggestions different to what I'm already doing?

Thank you

OP posts:

Impatientwino · 29/09/2014 15:13

How about adding some water to milk? Gradually decrease the milk to water ratio over time?

TheMaw · 29/09/2014 15:15

Have you tried giving her it through a straw? That worked for my son!

fluffyraggies · 29/09/2014 15:19

Watching with ineterest. I'm in the exact same boat with DD4 (8 months).

To get her through her last bout of constipation i reduced her feeds by one scoop in the water. She didn't notice and her constipation went away within 2 days - BUT she's small for her age and is supposed to be taking as much formula as poss so that cant be a long term solution.

I too have tried every darn sippy cup on the market and she wont have any of it.

Original poster

Workytypestuff · 29/09/2014 15:19

Thanks Impatient! Will give that a go!

The Maw - i considered that, but didn't try, it seemed a bit advanced! A normal straw in a cup that an adult would use? Or a training cup with one attached?

OP posts:

TheMaw · 29/09/2014 15:22

Yep, just a normal straw - I think it's actually easier for them to use a straw, because they are used to sucking? Dunno for sure but it worked for DS!

Original poster

Workytypestuff · 29/09/2014 15:46

Thanks!

OP posts:

Szeli · 29/09/2014 16:18

DS drinks loads more with a straw. was going to suggest weaker formula, ice pops and if all else fails a calpol syringe?

DoJo · 29/09/2014 17:01

Have you tried those mini sports-top bottles? My son has always preferred these to sippy cups or other bottles.

EarSlaps · 29/09/2014 20:42

Watery foods can help constipation. Try giving sliced pear, cucumber, watermelon etc. Gets fluids in without forcing the water drinking.

Marcelinewhyareyousomean · 29/09/2014 20:59

I may be flamed but ...

The only way to get my ds to drink water was to add a tiny weeny bit of sugar to it. Once he glugged it happily I gradually reduced sugar to nothing. It took a few weeks and it stopped the constipation.

He is a strapping 7yo and drinks water, milk and watered down apple/orange fruit juice. No cola, lemonade or similar but he will have cordial juice if it's very watery. I still only offer water with meals.

Straws were good and when he was about one we gave him a beaker with a tiny bit in the bottom. Very messy at first bit he liked it.

Hope you find something that works.

Marmiteandjamislush · 29/09/2014 21:16

Warm flannel on a bare tummy, works like a charm just don't let it go cold.

Curiouslygrumpycola · 29/09/2014 21:19

Another one that recommends using a straw. Both dc now have the cups with the flip straw lids. When they were little I just used a normal cup and straw (plus gave them a straw to play with)

Fresh01 · 29/09/2014 21:44

We got DC1 drinking water out of a sippy cup with straw attached by making it a game. She sat opposite is and we pretended to sip it then gave her turns and so on. A few tries a day with a lot of praise she had got the hang of it.

Some don't like ice cold water from the tap of they are use to drinking warm milk. Try slightly warm water.

When same DD had problem with constipation at a similar age I stewed prunes and puréed in ice cube trays in freeze. Then puréed honeydew mellow and froze it in ice cube trays. For desert at lunchtime each day she had a cube of prunes mixed with a few cubes of melon. It got her very regular quickly. It is a very sweet mixture. After the age of 1 her plumbing seemed more effective on its own so we stopped it.

skylark2 · 29/09/2014 21:48

What will she have, and can you make it a bit runnier? She doesn't have to drink the extra water.

DD refused to drink point blank for really quite a long time when she was about that age - water, milk, juice, anything. It's amazing how much formula you can get in a Weetabix if you try :)

naty1 · 29/09/2014 22:04

Could be the iron in the formula.
Agree straw sippy cup.
Thinks like pear, raisins, apricots, wheetabix, even maybe porridge oats can help elwith the constipation.

smallfishlargepond · 29/09/2014 22:56

I had this with my DS. It turned out that he didn't like that the water was cold. Try warming it up? I also used to water down his purées as much as possible when he wasn't drinking.

naty1 · 29/09/2014 23:00

Also some foods can constipate ive noticed banans and baby rice

crazylady321 · 29/09/2014 23:28

Marcelinewhyareyousomean My eldest daughter was the same was still living at my mums when she was a baby and did a lot of the childcare while I was at college, she ended up giving her sugar water and dd wolfed it down. Apparently she had done this with all of her 5 children after a tip from her mum.

Luckilly not had an issue with my others so glad dont have to force feed sugar, wouldnt dare ever admit that to anyone in RL for the fear of been lectured. Think it would just be a last resort method for me

Marcelinewhyareyousomean · 30/09/2014 11:47

Crazy I know it's frowned upon to give sugar but it really was a last resort and did work. I think there is more sugar in milk and fruit than there was in the water he had.

I was at a feeding party at baby group and admitted to giving ds ready meals (on occasion). A very judgmental parent was in awe of how much water ds was drinking. I just knew there was no point in suggesting sugared water. Shame cos the old wives tales can work.

LittlePeaPod · 30/09/2014 11:49

Another watching with interest. I have exactly the same problem with DD nearly 9 months.

Sanch1 · 30/09/2014 11:57

Patience! My DD was the same, now at 14 months she still doesnt drink loads but will have a beaker through the day. Some people drink less than others, same with food. Try watery fruit in the meantime for the constipation.

RubyGoat · 30/09/2014 12:00

DD had problems with this, she never mastered sippy cups until about 18 months. However, we got round it by
a) watering down her milk. She is a big & healthy girl though & we made sure she got the correct daily intake of milk.
b) a straw. We started with a straw with some very watered down fruit juice, or milk in, then when she'd figured this out, switched to water. Only took a couple of days.

Cheby · 30/09/2014 12:35

Have you tried sharing a cup of water with her, in a normal open beaker? My DD would walk over hot coals to get hold of whatever I'm drinking. She also likes sharing my bottles of water, either with sports caps or just normal. Open beakers can be messy but they soon get the hang of it and if it gets water into them it's worth it.

EvansOvalPiesYumYum · 30/09/2014 12:43

My DD suffered with constipation. I used to boil up a couple of dried prunes in water, then give it to her with a cup with a straw. It was a brilliant cup that had the option of several attachments, and I think it was called a MawMaw cup (sorry, Maw - many years ago).

She drank it happily from the straw attachment, and the prune concoction helped with the constipation.

Dinnerfor1 · 30/09/2014 12:55

I had similar problems. My dd started drinking a lot more once she got to the stage that she wanted to copy everything I did, as she would always share my water, or drink out of a sports bottle like I did.

Before that, I tried giving her lots of 'watery' type foods. I also made sure I had a sippy cup or doidy cup around all the time and I would make sure she was constantly having small sips, rather than expecting her to have a few big drinks.

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