My little boy won't drink

[satinandsilk]

My son (almost five) seems to have no interest in drinking anything and every day it is a ridiculous battle to get him to have even a few sips. The result is that he is regularly very dehydrated, which is obviously very unhealthy and also affects his behaviour. He has no shortage of energy and is generally very robust and well, but when he's dehydrated he gets very naughty, and also constipated. I am at my wits end with it - he will go 12 hours through the night without anything, and then not even want a drink before going to school in the morning. During the school day, I suspect he barely drinks anything at all.Has anyone had similar experiences? Any advice/tips? It doesn't seem that he dislikes the taste of drink (he hates fizzy drinks/cola etc) and I am happy to give him juice/Ribena rather than water/milk if that gets something down him - it's more that he has no interest in drinking. Is this a doctor case?

I would say doctor if regularly dehydrated to check electrolytes etc.

Maybe a sticker chart for a coveted prize...

A sticker for drinking X amount in the day then prize for 10 stickers.

Or at least sticker for the drinks you witness him having.

I have to remind DS (4) to drink sometimes .... but he does with prompting.

Last thought is to increase juicy fruits like melon that have lots of water...

thanks. it's a difficult balance to strike. Recently he's become a bit deceptive about it - throwing drink down the sink when we're not looking - which seems to suggest we're pushing him too hard. On the other hand if we don't push then he won't drink anything at all. I'll try a reward chart - sigh....

Gotta love reward charts ...sighs in sympathy...

Maybe some 'parental','peer' or 'hero' modelling?

We have noticed that Fireman Sam/Luke Skywalker/the Wiggles do lots of things that DS can do too... amazing!

He may also be picking up on your anxiety about it? Hence deception?

Boys also love races .. bet I can drink mine first ... but maybe not ...

My DS was the same, we nagged and nagged but if he was left to his own devices he would go all day without feeling the need to drink. His skin is very dry and he has gone through phases of looking v unhealthy, but finally at the grand old age of 12 he seems to have got the hang of it!

Agree with water by stealth! DS often leaves half his glass of water as he has two gulps and that is it, so include some watery foods to help him along. Lollies are good too - you could make them with milk or juice if you want them to be healthy & can buy 100% fruit ones.

I'd go for the wet foods option too - like melon/ pears/ soup type things. I'd also offer him any drink he really likes.

My DS is prone to constipation, and only really gets lemonade if I think he needs to drink a bit more.

Does he have a nice special cup or straw? DS has a Very Hungry Caterpillar cup which is a bit special and is the only thing he will drink plain water from. He used to have a fancy bubbling Lightening McQueen straw cup until I melted it in the dishwasher.

What about turning drinks into lollipops?