Tips on encouraging baby to drink water??

[milkysmum]

DD's 6 months and has been on solids for the past couple of weeks (doing BLW and she's managing really well). My only concern is that DD just will not entertain any extra drinks of water, she's FF. I've tried water in a bottle and a cup- even tried adding a tiny splash of juice (sugar free) but she point blank refuses. I think she's now getting a bit constipated and am desperate for some tips on how to encourage the extra fluids??

[ThePinkOne]

Have you tried a doidy cup? Will she even put a spout/bottle near her mouth?

If it's even going in her mouth and she's spitting it out I would think it's better than nothing. Just keep offering with and/or between meals. It's another thing to practice and get used to.

Also look out for things which can bung them up like banana and avoid too much of that and try to include lots of high-water content food like cucumber, fruit etc

That's all totally unscientific btw and just what makes sense to me!

[milkysmum]

I've tried the tomee tipee 'my first cup' which has a hard plastic spout. Sometime a bit will go in her mouth but when she realises it's not milk she won't have anymore! She has been having a lot of banana now you metion it- I thought it would be good for her? Is there anything else you think I should be avoiding until she's taking more fluids?

[Catilla]

Both of mine weren't at all interested in water for quite a while - you just have to keep on offering it an eventually they realise - then you can't stop them!
To be honest I don't think it's worth offering lots of different cups until they're helping themselves - something fairly free-flowing is good until they get the hang of it, and then get something non-spill when they start pouring it down their laps!

[Qally]

DS refused a sippy cup completely, but happily accepts a Doidy cup or even a very small (very strong!) normal one. Perhaps try that, but with formula, so it's just the mode of drinking, not WHAT she's drinking, that's new at first, iyswim?

Raspberries always get him moving, btw.

[giantkatestacks]

I agree with Catilla - they get it in the end it just takes some time - oh and cut out the watered down juice or you'll always have to do it andthey wont take plain water at all...

Agree about the banana...it bunged mine up too.

[ttalloo]

When babies first start on solids they don't really have any concept of what being thirsty is, because milk satisfies both their hunger and thirst, so they need to learn this new sensation. Once they've worked out that being thirsty is unpleasant, and that water cures it, they soon become avid drinkers. DS2 wouldn't touch water when we first started weaning but I kept offering it (especially at the start of every meal, before giving any food) and now, at 10 months, he drinks a lot of water and points and squawks at his bottle (still refuses beakers and doidy cups point blank) several times during a meal. Your DD will get there, you just need to persevere (and I agree with giantkatestacks - no need for watered down juice).

[GreenPenguin]

Had the same issue with my DS. We tried several cups until he found the one he would drink from. Milk from one type (bottle in those days, now cow cup), juice from another type (the standard cheap tommee tippee one, and water from another type (the sort with a straw thing). We've got a fair few discarded ones in the back of the cupboard. He didn't EVER get on with any of the ones with fancy spouts that have to be bitten or have pressure in a certain place. (I've removed those fancy bits from the cow cups). Just keep trying and persevere. (Other than that - he would always take water in his milk bottle from his grandma! D'oh!)

[JJ1471]

After my baby first refused water in his sippy cup I gave him water in a bottle. At first he refused that too, but I kept going every day and gradutally he got used to it, then I just switched it into the cup and now he drinks fine from it.