Obsessive drinking - please help!

[Frasersmum123]

I have tried googling this, but all I seem to get is links to binge drinking!

Fraser(ASD) is obsessed with drinking - he hasnt managed to work out other cups, so he is still using a tommy tippee basic cup,but he demand sdrinks all day, and gets really upset (close to meltdown) if he dosnt get a drink. He is probably having 20 cups of diluted apple juice on any given day, plus bottles of milk when he wakes up and before bed.

I dont know what to do for the best - I am going through nappies like they are going out of fashion, and im using nearly a carton of apple juice a day, but the stress of him not having it is even worse. I have tried offering water but he isnt stupid and he just wont drink it but screams even louder.

I took him to our GP who was useless - he doent think its diabetes so its just bad parenting basically!

Should I ride it out? He has no understanding of any kind, so I cant even explain to him.

Please help - you all have so much knowledge and I need help!

Apple juice makes my ds wee past himself. I know what you mean about the melt down if not having a drink constantly he is like this too. If this has been a sudden thing then I would speak to your gp as it can be a sign of diabetes.

I can totally sympathis with you on this. DS2 is exactly the same! I call him the human sponge. He isn't as bad as hat he used to be, and I think that going to nursery has helped him with this, as they don't give him a constant supply of juice/water/milk. However, as soon as he comes in from school he asks for a drink.

Can't remember if F is in school/nursery yet though.

Dd2 drinks all day, i would say she drinks around 10 pints (water/juice) a day and just keeps bringing me her cup for a refill, if i say 'no' she has a complete meltdown, i have started just half filling her cup each time which has helped a little, dd2 has no understanding (apart from the word 'no'). I want to potty train her but she just pee's all day .

DS used to drink and eat constantly. The only real solution came when he started at school, and the cycle was broken. He has now gone the other way, and will only drink if he is told it is just a little bit as he doesn't want to keep going to the loo.
When he is not at school I now stick to a strict timetable - breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, otherwise he just demands food constantly. Setting clear routines has helped.
How old is your DS? I know drink should be freely available, but would he understand a planner showing when drinks will be given? You need to find a way to set his boundaries, but only if you can be sure that there is no medical reason for his thirst.

I am sorry the GP was no help!
Ds used to drink constantly too - though I do not know why. He seemed genuinly always thirsty. This changed when he started on extralong fatty acid oils at rising 3- although it was only a few weeks later I noticed! His dribbling and sore face reduced too. I do not know if it was the oil ( we used IQ at that stage now use Eskimo for kids)- or just coincidence but possibly worth a try if not already.
The things I worked on before this was gradually increasing the dilution to water, and insisting he sit to drink (this naturally limited drinking time for hyperactive ds with zero attention span). Ds also had no language but a fearce determination at that age!
Is there a sn team or autism advisory team (have just discovered ours and ds is 9 now)in your area that may have experience to help?

Thanks fr you replies - Im glad im not the only one.

I have made another appointment with the GP to make sure there is nothing medical behind it. I think I might have to re-introduce his dummies back in the day, as it seems to have flaired up again since I bought in the bed-time only policy a couple of months ago.

To be honest I think it might be the sucking - he will suck clothes, muslin cloths and even went through a stage of sucking baby wipes.

I am going to try cutting down the amount in his cup and see if that helps

My DS sucks baby wipes too! They must taste disgusting.