1 year old not drinking water

[Mc3209]

My 12 months old DS does not drink water. At all. He just plays with his cup, and if he gets the water in his mouth he tends to spit it out. We have all these types of cups, free flow ones, 360, doidy, open cup, straw cup... You name it, we have it. He is the most amused by open ones, because he can wash his hands in it. I wasn't too worried when he was under 1, thinking it will correct itself, he will get it. Now I am starting to worry. He just started nursery, and had a vomiting bug in his first week. I ended up getting water into him with a syringe. That's not a sustainable solution.

I always give him water after every meal, we all eat together at home and he sees us drinking water/tea/coffee all the time. I even modelled drinking out of his cups for him several times.

I'm still breastfeeding, so he is getting fluids this way, but I'm dropping day time breastfeeds now due to me going back to work and him going to nursery.

Experienced mummies, please help! What do I do?

mine hated water too.
originally EBF, then mixed fed (bf & ff) then ff, finally onto diary milk.
he'd drink weak tea with milk, diluted fruit juice or squash, milkshakes - literally anything but water.

so I stopped bothering him. sometimes he'd have a sip from mine and spit it out, sometimes he'd drink a few gulps.
I can't remember when he first started drinking any water properly (like a cup ful) but when he was 4 and started school they were only allowed to take water in a sportscap bottle and he was fine with that.

he's 20 now and drinks lots of water every day and has healthy teeth so his early Ribena and apple squash "obsession" didn't harm him at all.

I think the more you force it the more they refuse.
diluted squash is fine.

My DD will only drink warm water (boiled water mixed with cold water from tap) Have you tried that?

He'll start drinking more water as the BFing becomes less frequent, I really wouldn't worry.

You can always offer some water dense foods like melon, soup, jelly, broccoli, cucumber, strawberries and cauliflower.

Thank you both. I will be trying both suggestions.

He was a bottle refuser, and now doesn't like cups. He is not really keen on drinking cow's milk from a cup either. He sees them as toys, and whatever ends up in his mouth by accident he spits. He is an average eater, so that's something I guess. The battle continues.

He was a bottle refuser, and now doesn't like cups. He is not really keen on drinking cow's milk from a cup either. He sees them as toys, and whatever ends up in his mouth by accident he spits. He is an average eater, so that's something I guess. The battle continues

Both of mine were bottle refusers and neither would touch Cow's Milk until around 2 weeks after I'd stopped BFing.

Could sort of see their point really, although it was mildly frustrating.

He really will start to take more of an interest in water and other drinks as BFing starts to lessen

@SleafordSods thank you. That very reassuring, I needed to hear that.

@Mc3209 My 10 month old is being an utter pain with drinking water - has dropped breastfeeds to only 3 times a day and refuses bottles and likes to sip water and spit it straight out. Did your little eventually take to cows milk and water and any tips you can share? X

@poppet131 I'm sorry you are going through the same thing. I am glad to report that my now nearly 3 year old is drinking everything out of anything. Right now he trying to drink his breakfast cereal milk straight out of the bowl like a savage. I breastfed him until he was almost 2 and a half, night weaned at 2.
Unfortunately there was no magic solution to it, I just kept offering him water in a variety of vessels (sports cap children's water bottle proved to be the most successful with time), and made sure I used a lot of milk/butter/cheese in his food as well as water dense fruits/veggies. When he was ill and needed more fluids but wouldn't drink the , I just used a syringe to get them in. Stressful, but thankfully only had to do it through one illness. He got there in the end, yours will too! Good luck, and try not to stress about it if you can.

Also, ice lollies are great at getting water into them, especially in warm weather. You can make them yourself if you are worried about sugar content in the commercial ones.

@Mc3209 Thanks so much for the update! How long did it take before your little one was drinking water and cows milk from a sippy or straw cup? X

@poppet131 I can't remember exactly now (brain must have erased it as a traumatic memory 😂😂) but surely by 1.5 years. It was a gradual process. Sports cap children's bottle helped, and I suspect peer pressure in nursery.

Hi, my 1 year old is currently going through the same. Ebf and bottle refuser who also spits out sippy cup drinks.
What did you do about your milk supply? Would he just go without drinks all day then just breastfeed when you were home?
After a weeks hospital stay recently due to tonsillitis and nursing strike my milk has taken a massive hit and I now have a low supply but no way of getting fluids in as he spits water out everywhere. How long did it take him to actually swallow some?

@Heyln My little one is now 13 months and I stopped breastfeeding a couple of weeks ago. We just persevered with offering him cows milk in a tum tum cup at breakfast and water in a different straw cup throughout the day and warmed up cows milk which he has very gradually taken to. I think he realised that milk and water quenches his thirst so he now points at the cup when he needs a sip! Hope this helps and shout if you have any more questions - I’ve been where you are and it’s such a pain!! X

I think because of the breastfeeding I've been so rubbish at persevering with cups over the months but after our hospital stay it really highlighted the need to get on it! So pleased to hear positive stories. When your little one has a cup will he just take sips or actually drink a noticeable amount? How long did it take to get it ?

My 10mo is formula fed but I have recently really reduced his milk and all of sudden he is drinking water happily where he refused before.