ok so my 12mo just does not like drinking!!!

[Timeoutofmind]

I have tried everything, water from every single cup on the market, juice, camomile tea, red bush tea.

She will only take a sip most of the time (but a lot of the time turns her head away). We have some days when she will take more sips that others and I finally think I've cracked it, but then other days she won't take ANYTHING. It's so worrying!!!

She has 2 bottles a day and as much fruit as I can down her. I don't know what to do anymore!!!

Unfortunatley I don't have any pearls of wisdom, just saw your post and was surprised nobody had replied, plus i'm in a similar situation but with us it's not drinking formula thats the problem!
Perhaps all the milk and fruit she is having means she's just not thirsty? - I live in a very hot country and my DS really only drinks about 50ml of water in a day. Does she get constipated? if not then I would think she's getting enough fluids?

the bottles probably provide as much liquid as she needs

hello, I also have a drink abstainer and am getting very worried! My DS is nearly one and is still breast-fed. He took a bottle from 2 weeks old and we always used to give him a bottle of formula for the night-time dream feed. However, we dropped that a few months ago and since then he hasn't regularly had any bottles... big mistake as he is now refusing bottles completely. I've been trying to get him to take a beaker for the last 6 or so weeks (have tried loads of different cups and different drinks - e.g. water, diluted juice, formula and cow's milk), but he also refuses them - he pushes them away, gets upset and rarely even takes a sip.

So at the moment he's only getting fluid from breastfeeds, but I'm going back to work in a few weeks so I'm really worried about what he will do. I do a breastfeed first thing, and then normally one c.4pm and one at bedtime. I've tried to drop the 4pm breastfeed the last couple of days as I thought that maybe if he got really thirsty he'd then take a cup, however instead he's just got really upset and then also refused the bedtime breastfeed (e.g. so he's really only had one drink a day at the first thing breastfeed).

He eats like a horse and has lots of dairy so I'm not worried about him not getting nutrients/calcium, just really worried that he must be getting dehydrated. He seems fine but has been quite irritable of late. I've tried getting my husband/mother to give him a bottle instead of me, but he refused it from them too. In fact we left him with my mother for 24 hours at xmas for the first time - and he didn't drink ANYTHING in 24 hours...

Would really appreciate any advice...

wrenna your LO is nearly one so don't stress about the bottle. It's time to move off it! They are supposed to be off bottles by 1 as the slow flow allows liquid to puddle around their teeth which promotes tooth decay,

Anyway, just stick with one type of cup and use it every meal and snack. I use the tommee tippee free flow flip top cup. It's small and babies don't need to tip much to drink from it.

At first I offer the cup by holding it in front of DD mouth. If she put her mouth around the spout, I tilt it up so water comes out. Now at 10mo she can pick up the cup herself and sips. But she still likes to bang the cup on the high chair tray, throw it away, or leave it upside down on her lap.

Since yours is nearly one, maybe you can just leave the cup on the highchair tray and let him explore it. He will figure out how to use it sooner or later! Good luck.

Btw I started DD on the cup at 6mo. So she had 4 months of practice on it. Your LOs only been on a cup for 6 weeks, isn't it? He will get there in his own time.

Thanks for advice. I think you are right that it's a case of persevering and giving it time. He does have the cup to play with throughout his meals (lots of banging and floor-watering, just no drinking!).

Think we may have had a small breakthrough today as he did seem to take a few sips (admittedly it was diluted apple juice to tempt him... realise water would be better, although my mum did say it took hot chocolate to get me drinking from a cup as a baby in the 1970s, probably not advised now!). Will just keep trying...