Why is my toddler waking every hour for water

[MommaSmith1606]

So, my toddler has NEVER slept well. There’s always been one thing or another. But now I feel he’s at his worst.

For a while now he has been waking pretty much every hour for water and he drinks a lot. Not just a sip, he appears to be actually thirsty.

He doesn’t go off to sleep with a milk. And when he stirs for a drink he’s pretty much asleep, he will not settle, he won’t have his dummy or a cuddle etc, he wants that water. I have to change his nappy 2/3 times a night.

We are literally exhausted. Even though at the same time we feel fully used to having broken sleep and definitely expect it.

I’m at a loss what to do. We have to co-sleep else we are up and down to his cot bed every hour at least. He no longer will settle in his cot he screams blue murder.

I swapped him from having milk at night to water thinking he would stop drinking (that’s what my eldest did) but instead it’s just got worse. If I don’t give it to him he whines that much he then wakes up and takes ages to go back off to sleep.

Will we ever sleep 😂💁🏻‍♀️

Have you been to the doctor’s? It’s most likely not but excessive thirst is sometimes diabetes

Does he drink a lot through the day as well? Drinking a lot could be a symptom of diabetes. If its just at night it could just be a good ruse to keep getting up.

What they said. This is something needing excluded.

Perhaps he’s hungry? Maybe he needs an extra snack before bed? Does he nap well in the day? I’ve read that toddlers who have daytime naps sleep better at night. Have you spoken to your health visitor about it?

Speak to the GP, that's a lot of water

Have a look at obvious reasons (before jumping to diabetes...)

Is he too hot?
Is he actually thirsty or drinking for comfort/habit?
Is he hungry?

As other PP have said, excess thirst can be a sign of diabetes so I’d get that checked out

He needs seeing, at the very least by GP, but if you’re not managing to get an urgent appointment for a blood sugar, then you wouldn’t be unreasonable to turn up to paeds A&E with that history, especially if there are any other symptoms, lethargy or weight loss for example.

Why would people jump to diabetes.when op hasn't mentioned any other symptoms at all?

How old is he OP?

Why would people jump to diabetes.when op hasn't mentioned any other symptoms at all?

Because waking every hour overnight to drink water is not normal.

No I haven’t been to the doctors as I just thought he wanted it to settle but the more I think about it, I don’t think that’s the case, he guzzles it down.

Did he wake every hour for milk before you swapped milk to water?

If so then likely it’s a sleep association and he doesn’t know how to get back to sleep without you and a drink of some sort?

He eats plenty 😂 he has three meals and three snacks a day. Plus two bottles of milk. I don’t think he’s hungry. He drinks 2/3 300ml bottles of water in the day and I’d say 2 again at night.

I’ve not seen or heard from a health visitor since we moved to Devon (we lived in Birmingham) but I never saw one there either to be honest. His last check was 12 months when we moved here but we were told there isn’t a baby clinic or anything (at the time) due to Covid.

I will ring the GP on Monday just to be sure

No he didn’t wake every hour for milk, we were at about every 3 hours. He’s 18 months now and has a bottle of milk in morning and one before bed (but not to go to sleep)

He goes off to sleep for his nap and for bed ok his own. He doesn’t need me or a drink. He sleeps for an hour or less in the day. He doesn’t nap well either, never has done.

When he whines for the water, he doesn’t even appear to be awake. He doesn’t wake up until he whines that much, it wakes him up. (If I don’t give the water)

A friend of a friend had this with her toddler drinking loads one evening. Went to A&E and they diagnosed diabetes straight away with a blood test. I’d ring 111.

Why are you changing the nappy so often? You don't need to change then for every single wee?

He’s been doing this for a good few months now so I will ring the GP on Monday and see what they say.

I’m not changing his nappy for one wee I’m changing it because they’re so full.

This could also be a sign of diabetes insipidus - it is quite rare but the symptoms fit.

Because guzzling down water particularly at night and having 2/3 wet nappies per night are the symptoms of diabetes in a toddler.
OP if your child uses a potty did you notice sugary / syrupy look to the urine? That's what my child's pee was like before he was diagnosed with diabetes. If he vomits or becomes lethargic go straight to A+E.

Thats quite a lot of water during the day too. Have you not started giving water in a cup rather than a bottle?

Why are you changing the nappy so often? You don't need to change then for every single wee?
OP obviously knows this. Nappies only hold so much! If a child is drinking lots, they’ll be peeing lots too. Nappies aren’t designed to last 12 hours with a child drinking hourly.

He has a NUK bottle with a straw like. We’ve tried a cup, he can drink from it but it just gets thrown everywhere. We are out a lot in the day so we use the bottle with the straw. And sometimes the cup in the house. He doesn’t use a bottle with a teat in the day or night.

Please do call the GP on Monday, it could well be habit / behavioural but I’d want to rule out T1 diabetes and diabetes insipidus.