children won't drink

[driedapricots]

not sure if this goes here or on the food thread but it's a simple one..both of my children (4& 2) appear to have an aversion to drinking! they barely manage more than a cup a day and i've tried everything...diff flavours, cups, straws etc...they are also both rather 'tempestuous' and i am sure it's because they don't drink enough...has anyone else similar experience/advice?

We actually get a lot of our liquid from food too, though people don't tend to realise this.
If they like melon and cucumber, it's a good way to up their intake.
My children used to be quite reluctant to drink, and I've found putting water in water bottles so they have access to it all day whilst they're playing helps- the systema bottles have twist-up tops that even my 2yo could manage to open/close, so there wasn't any risk of major spills. Even if they tip over when open, only a few drops spill out.
That way, they didn't have to stop playing, and they liked the novelty of having bottles.

Straws have helped in the past...

Smoothies are popular with my children, probably because they usually only get water or milk, and they love fruit....

Would 'milkshakes' appeal- very easy to put a banana and milk into a jug and whizz with a hand blender, or even just a fork if you;ve no blender.

Sorry- I do have to prompt my youngest a lot though, as he gets constipated very easily, so keeping hydrated really helps with this department...

I do agree that not enough fluids contribute to the tempestuousness- my eldest is a nightmare after school until she's had a drink.

Lots of tea parties with a toy teaset helped here. We have girls but I bet boys like pouring things out too!

Do you give them water with every meal and snack? Think the systema bottle idea is a good one as is the tea party and the fruit. Melons in particular are lovely at the moment.