why is my 16mo so thirsty for water at night?

[Honesttodog]

He is waking up, moaning and groaning, every night, and will only settle after having, and I mean snatching the bottle off me, a big drink of water.

he has cut 2 teeth recently and there are more coming thru I think. Do you think the water is cooling his mouth down and reducing the pain??

I want to stop the night waking but he seems really thirsty, i would say he's having 4-5 oz throughout the night.

We are waiting to move house and get him into his own bedroom before we tackle sleep issues (he's in a cot for the first few hours of the night, then co-sleeps with us till morning) but this thirst seems a bit crazy.

Is it because he is not getting enough water during the day? He has 3 bottles of milk a day (I've tried to drop the midday one but he is then cranky and hungry all aft) and he has water with meals, and maybe a bit more between meals, no more than a cup full tho.

It could be a comfort thing - he knows you'll come to him in the night to provide water. However, I'd be inclined to speak to a GP, though. For example, excessive thirst can be a sign of diabetes. Best to err on the side of caution, I think.

My DD 14 months does wake up for water 4-5 times during the night if the room temperature is above 20C. Just getting hot and thirsty.