Getting a 9 month old to drink water?

[Vicky1989x]

My almost 9 month DD has recently dropped her 11am bottle. I’ve now moved her 3pm bottle back to 1:45pm just before her nap. She was having 4 x 6oz bottles a day, now trying to get her to take 3 x 7oz (she never drinks more than this - she has reflux so it’s always been a battle).

However, she still doesn’t drink enough water. I offer it with every meal and have done since weaning but she just takes a mouthful and then starts squirting it out of her mouth. 🤦🏼‍♀️ Her nappies are still wet, just not as wet as usual.

How can I get her to drink more water? (I’ve even tried diluted juice but she won’t drink that either).

I’ll get flamed for this on here - but try squash. No added sugar squash. My friend’s DD was like yours - wouldn’t drink. She really wanted her just to have water, which clearly is optimal. But her DD wouldn’t drink it and had all sorts of problems/urinary infections as a result. Being well hydrated is the most important thing.

They all go through the water squirting / dribbling phase! I wouldn't worry. It's a game to them.

I'll hold my hands up and say I give mine weak sugar free squash. They guzzle it down

If shes taking over 20oz of milk then she won't need a lot of water. Offer alongside meals and snacks and stop worrying about amounts

P.s. artificial sweeteners aren't recommended for that age group so I wouldn't give sugar free squash

I started giving them sips of water from a cup at that age, they liked feeling grown up etc. And meant they were able to drink properly from a cup from a young age.

I did do some sugar free squash or diluted fruit juice when they were a bit dehydrated, or off their milk because they were unwell. Sometimes made into homemade ice lolly's! Hydrating foods like watermelon and cucumber are great to boost their liquid intake too. They really don't need that much if eating meals and having milk. I think it makes a difference whether they are having quite dry salty meals like chicken nuggets and chips, or more 'wet' foods like soup, stew or chili.

You could dilute fresh fruit juice rather than using squash if you wanted to add flavour

I find that as they start to drop bottles and drink less milk and eat more food they become more interested in water. It happens gradually, and as long as she's having plenty of wet nappies, there's not much you can do other than keep offering it and drinking lots yourself as they like to copy you.
I wouldn't go down the route of adding anything to the water like squash or juice, however dilute, unless they were getting dehydrated - I've seen lots of children become water refusers because they've got used to drinks tasting sweet as babies.

Please don’t give your 9 month old squash. They absolutely don’t need it. She will drink water when she is ready.

Don't give squash (sugar free or otherwise) or diluted fruit juice.

Just keep giving the water.

And remember milk is mostly water. As long as her nappies are wet,she's fine.

How much water are you expecting her to drink?

@dementedpixie

You could dilute fresh fruit juice rather than using squash if you wanted to add flavour

There's absolutely no need to give a 9momth old anything but water or milk to drink...

Don’t worry, I don’t plan on giving her squash. I never drank much water as a kid so don’t want her to do the same.

@00100001 Just a couple of oz over the course of the day, but she barely drinks 10ml.

She'll drink more when she's eating more. Please try not to worry. If she's drinking 21oz of formula,she's drinking, 21oz of water.
Plus any water she's sipping and liquids from food.

Look at the colour of her wee as better guide.

I really wouldn't worry about the amount of water she is drinking at 9 months OP! They do say introduce the water so they get used to it and allow them to sip at it frequently during the day but as for measuring the amount, I didn't do that until DC was a bit older and he stopped all night feedings when he was 3 months old. If you don't kind me saying, I really wouldn't encourage juice / squash etc, just stick with the water and allow her to drink as much or as little as she wants. Good luck :)

Mine at the same age drinks very little water. But I have noticed literally in the last week when I offer it he sips it and swallows most of the time. Where as even a week again he would sip, then dribble it all back out 90% of the time. So maybe it’s just time and practice

You could try changing the temp of the water? Mine seems to like really cold water for some reason. Or offer sips from your glass? That always seems more popular with my DD.