Would you encourage juice in this situation?

[DevaMajka]

Ds1, almost 6yo, does not drink enough water. The most he ever drinks on his own is about 1/4c a day (this is without drinking any other beverage). I'm starting to worry that he's dehydrated.

He's never drank much water. We've been working on it since he stopped nursing at 3.5yo, but allowed juice freely for a while. It's been about 6 months of focusing on trying to get him to drink water, and very little juice.

He'll play outside with friends for hours, running around in the sun, and not drink any water until I "make" him. He'll drink juice happily if I offer it, but he doesn't ask for it anymore.

We've tried a "water chart" (his idea- he was in charge of it), we explain the importance of water, he sees dp and me drink water throughout the day. We made a "rule" that he couldn't have candy/junk sugar until he'd had a cup of water through the day. For a while that worked, but now he just doesn't have candy (which is good, but isn't hydrating him). We remind him through the day to drink water- at the end of the day, he'll have drank about 1/4c.

In order to get him to drink a cup of water, I have to be with him and keep telling him to drink it all. He doesn't seem to really mind me doing that. It's not that he's being stubborn (he's not a stubborn person). He just doesn't like water, and he doesn't feel thirsty.

We've tried ice, straws, fancy water bottles, lemon (he'll drink it, but only with sugar added), and probably other stuff. It does work if someone races him to see who can drink their water first, but I don't really like turning water drinking into a competition, kwim?

Now that it's getting warm out, I'm truly concerned about him being seriously dehydrated. He looks dehydrated- dark circles under his eyes, red ears, red cheeks (that come and go). I know those could be symptoms of allergies, but since he's drinking so little water, that seems more likely.

I'm starting to think that the lesser of two evils is to let him drink juice whenever he wants it. At least he wouldn't be dehydrated. Maybe that would at least get his body used to more hydration, and he'd start to recognize when he's thirsty.

[Storm Bride]

I don't think I'd go with juice, but I can understand why you're frustrated.

What does he eat? The symptoms you describe may not be dehydration, and he may be getting more fluid than you realize from his food. DH is a camel. I can't believe how little fluid he needs to drink in a day. DS2 seems to be a bit like him in that respect, although he does drink more water than you're describing. I really think some people just need a lot less water than others do.

hmmm...trying to think of ways to encourage him to drink more water, but I'm coming up dry...

Have you tried herbal teas? Some of them are quite nice chilled...maybe peppermint?

[daisymommy]

Maybe try cutting the juice with half water. Or if that is too much water, start with 3/4 juice, and 1/4 water for awhile and work backwards from there, adding more water in a week or so.

[serenbat]

I would push watery fruits- watermelon and other melons as well.

I would make frozen pops - yogurt, fruit & water.

Water ices as well- the ice shavers are cheap and you could add your own flavoring (watered down juice-100% no sugar added)-fresh lemon aid is also good.

Can you get in "mint" teas? we drink them without any sweet stuff added.

tinted ice cubes (juice) and add to sparkling water as a treat with a cool straw

freeze things in the ice cubes--you have to drink the water to melt the cubes and get whatever (berry, lemon slice, etc)

[SpuglyRoo]

I know that I personally don't ever drink enough water. I was pregnant and nursing and was still finding myself only having had maybe two glasses of liquids in a 24 hour period- not good! I tried lots of things to drink more (and I mean more anything, not just water) but never seemed to realize that I was thirsty and so I was still constantly dehydrated. Now I just make sure I down a full glass of water at least every two hours. On the weekends I have to set a timer, because our schedule is a bit crazy then and I end up forgetting.

Maybe you could try setting a timer for your son for every 15 minutes or 30 minutes and giving him a tiny (like 2 oz) glass of water (or as one of the PP suggested, an herbal tea) to drink with Mommy. That way you aren't trying to get him to drink so much at once (his stomach is still pretty small). I think that it is actually better to drink a little often, rather than a ton all at once. And finishing an ounce or two every half hour is probably a lot easier on him.

Maybe even "reward" him with juice (watered down a bit). Put all the water in a small pitcher and if he drinks his water every half hour in between meals and finishes the pitcher he can have a half a cup of juice with lunch (or snack or dinner, or all of the above).

[Alyantavid]

You could try decaffinated tea. My kids love it and it's very watery. Or make popsicles out of watery fruit, watermelon is very popular.

I don't have a big problem with juice, my kids get a cup of 1/2 juice 1/2 water a day, but they drink alot of water too. You might try special cups, we have one that turns red when it gets cold so of course it has to be drunk and refilled constantly.

[kittywitty]

I would not unless it were cut with mostly water-even sparkling water if you have to? My kids don't drink enough water, but I remind them all the time and model it by drinking tons, myself.

[ThisCat]

If your location is up to date, then no. I would only consider resorting to juice if I were dealing with a child that wasn't drinking enough water and dealing with rather extreme heat. Does it even get warm in BC?

Anyway, I think in your situation I'd just them him self-regulate with water, although a gentle reminder to drink when he's out playing might not be a bad idea. He might just be getting a lot of fluids from his foods.

[DevaMajka]

I will try all of the ideas posted. Some I'm hopeful about, some I doubt will work- but hey, anything's possible!

My gut says he's not drinking enough and is dehydrated. I don't think it's just that he's one of those people that doesn't need much water. Or maybe he is, but he needs *more* than he's drinking.

He does like herbal tea, but will only drink it with honey in it. He'll try it without, but doesn't like it enough to have more than a drink or two.

Originally Posted by SpuglyRoo

Maybe you could try setting a timer for your son for every 15 minutes or 30 minutes and giving him a tiny (like 2 oz) glass of water (or as one of the PP suggested, an herbal tea) to drink with Mommy. That way you aren't trying to get him to drink so much at once (his stomach is still pretty small). I think that it is actually better to drink a little often, rather than a ton all at once. And finishing an ounce or two every half hour is probably a lot easier on him.

I've not actually tried giving him teeny cups, but I have tried reminding him often through the day to drink "some" (as much as he wanted). He ends up taking bitty sips, that add up to less than 1/2c.
Maybe giving him very small amounts will help- he'd at least feel like he finished it.

[cristeen]

Juice, as in from a bottle, no.

But there are other alternatives. You've gotten some good ideas so far. Iced herbal tea was what did it for my DH, who was a soda fiend when we met.

We drink a lot of watermelon juice during the summer, but it's not actually juice. I take a seedless watermelon and stick it in the blender, so you still have all the fiber and cellulose, but it's in a drinkable form. I don't lump this in with juices that have the pulp strained out.

Another option is coconut water, which is high in natural electrolytes, and naturally sweet. It is not processed really at all. You can buy the young green coconuts by the case from your HFS or you can buy the juice in cans, bottles or tetra packs. I mix this with water for my 9 mo who refuses to drink water straight.

Will he drink smoothies? Or slushies? If you make them with ice, whole fruit and a fat source (coconut milk, yogurt, whatever), then he can have a snack and a drink all in one.

How about homemade lemonade/limeade sweetened with honey? It's not ideal, but I've found that I like it a lot less sweet than commercially available lemonade, so overall I get a fair amount of water for my bit of sugar.

Other than juice, what other liquids does he drink? Can you put ice in them? I know some people who put ice in their milk. It seems weird to me, but that's one way to get extra water into him.

How about nut milks? Will he drink those? Those are mostly water with some healthy fats, and if you make them at home you know precisely what's in them.

[Artichokie]

what about fruited water? You cut up an entire lemon or orange and put the slices in a pitcher of water. It gives the water a little flavor without being overpowering and looks impressive, too.

[evening start]

Personally, I am going to go against the rest of the thread here. I think you should trust your gut, and that some juice, especially watered down juice, is much better than dehydration. I work one day a week and my now 14 month old stopped drinking from a bottle at 8 months. He would also not take expressed breast milk from a sippy cup (he was never fond of expressed breast milk, although he loves it from the source). After a couple days of coming home from work to a dehydrated baby (no wet diapers all day, and very cranky) despite my in-laws pushing water all day, I discussed the issue with my pediatrician. He agreed that even minor dehydration one day a week could cause long term problems, and he felt that we should offer watered down juice to see if he would take that more readily. It definitely helped him drink more, and also increased his skills with a sippy cup (clearly not an issue with a 6 yo though). He now drinks cow's milk, so my in-laws mostly offer that and water when I'm at work, but I still send him with watered down juice. Unfortunately, they are against juice and will often "forget" to offer it to him now because they think he should just drink the milk. Personally, I would rather him get liquid in, and I have no problem with children drinking some juice in moderation. I think the problems with juice come from overuse, and it doesn't sound like your son is likely to guzzle juice to the exclusion of other food. I also tend to offer juice only with meals, and offer water between meals, but if he wasn't drinking, I would definitely offer him juice if I thought he needed more liquid.

Again, you know your child. Go with your gut and don't feel guilty giving juice if that's what he needs.

[DevaMajka]

I do think that we will start allowing juice, but keep "pushing" him to drink a cup of water a day, as well as try all the suggestions in this thread. I have ice pops in the freezer, lemon wedges, and herbal tea.
I just really think he needs to feel what it feels like to drink enough. So if he's recognizing his thirst and wants juice to quench it, that's a step in the right direction.

Today, he wanted juice and poured himself about half a cup, so I don't think he's going to overdo it, kwim? I also managed to get him to drink a cup of water, and it seemed easier than usual.

I think if I rotate the suggestions in this thread, that will really help with the water, so hopefully the juice is short term. It's starting to get hot here (mid 80's) and he plays hard!