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13mo drinking 8 cups of water a day! and generally an "unhappy baby"

808 views 11 replies 12 participants last post by  LookMommy! 
#1 ·
big sized sippy cups and bottles. That CAN'T be normal, is it? It's my brother's girlfriend's daughter. She asked the doctor, and he said that it was ok. But wouldn't that signal something to you? I mean, wouldn't you think that the dd is drinking that much water *because* something is wrong. Also, it can't be good for her to drink that much. She drinks water every time she wakes up at night- she needs her diaper changed multiple times at night.
Also, I don't know if this could be related at all, but she is NOT a "happy baby". I've been around her twice, for a long time each time, and I have yet to see her smile- about anything. She's quite the serious baby. My brother says they work really hard all the time to keep her happy (which I think could be part of why she's NOT happy, but...). You can tell by her body language that she really wants some space sometimes, and it seems like they are ALWAYS in her face and picking her up against her wishes. When she plays with a toy, and doesn't get it right away, they come and show her- It really seems to me that she WANTS to try to figure it out on her own, kwim?
She won't have anything to do with anyone but her mom and my brother. I understand not wanting to be held by anyone else, but she won't even take food from a container that I put on the floor really close to her, even if I back off a bit. She'll take it right away if her mom hands it to her. Don't get me wrong- I'm not bothered by it at all, and I try to be really respectful of her (my brother was pressuring her to give me a kiss goodbye, and I backed up and told her "You don't have to if you don't want to"). It just seems to me that there could be a *reason* that she's like that, more than "that's just how she is". kwim?
Her whole living situation is pretty unstable (mom and dad are divorced, mom just started dating my brother a few months ago, and now he's expected to "play daddy"), so maybe that's why.

My main question is, what could be causing her to drink SOOOO much water? Could this have anything to do with allergies or food intolerances (there are none that they know of)?
And is there anyway to tell parents that their kid needs some dang space? (not expecting that there is. I'm sure I'd never be able to tell them that. But I'd like to. kwim?)

Tia
 
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#2 ·
what else is she eating? it is possible that she is drinking to much and not getting enough calories, vitiens, nutrients, fiber etc but still feeling too full to actually eat real food. a good rule of thumb fo water is half your body weight (which is a lot) So a baby who weighs 25 pounds should not have mroe than about 12-14 ounces a day. She should be having milk/formula and solids if she needs something in her tummy. my guess is it is more about sucking than actually getting anythign in there. I wouldn't worry abouth er disposition. I have seen plenty of kids like that. that is probably more parenting than food/water related.

if she is drinking that much water, peeing that much, and still eating normal I would be very concerned about an underlying health problem.
 
#3 ·
Don't want to be alarmist, but excessive thirst can be a sign of diabetes. That was how I figured out what was happening w/ my diabetic dog. He began drinking massive amounts of water, and peeing day and night.

Here are some more things to look for (in people):
Frequent urination
Excessive thirst
Extreme hunger
Unusual weight loss
Increased fatigue
Irritability
Blurry vision
 
#7 ·
One of my friends sons used to drink massive amounts of water as a toddler. I used to worry that he had diabetes too. But he is now 6 1/2, healthy, and does not have diabetes, or any other disorder. I think that just like some babies use a paci, or nurse for comfort, some may drink to self soothe. Or perhaps some people process fluids more quickly than others?
 
#9 ·
Well... I don't want to be an alarmist and maybe I'm way off, but when I read your post I first thought polydipsia (the clinical term for excessive water drinking) and then the observations about her social behavior, wanting a lot of space, and not being happy in general, pointed to possibly autism or a related disorder. Polydipsia in children can indicate emotional disturbance as well.
 
#10 ·
I am thinking maybe reflux, if the diabetes is ruled out. My dd has severe reflux that is getting better over time. Her doctors wanted to try her off her Prilosec for a couple of mos and she started drinking 24 oz of water a day, on top of the 16 oz of liquid she gets through her g-tube every day. She was also not as happy. I put her back on the Prilosec and 5 days later she's back to almost normal drinking, and much happier.

Reflux causes pain (heartburn) and will make a very unhappy baby or child, uncuddly, poor sleeper, and poor eater. Also look for coughing, throat-clearing, and bad breath. To rule out reflux, try giving her Mylanta 4x a day for a week. If she seems to drink less water and acts better then it's probably reflux. If not, I would certainly get her checked out to rule out other things.
 
#11 ·
I'm with USAMma on this one...ask some questions about her nighttime sleep cos it would be simple to see if the problem is reflux.

Is her breath stinky when she wakes up in the middle of the night? Is she waking up screaming/fussy and asking for water almost every time? Does holding her upright on the parent's chest help get her back to sleep?

Try a non-aluminum tums or Children's Mylanta (available where I live but not sure in the U.S.) to see if this helps with her night waking and mult. water requests. Aluminum products should not be given long-term.

BTW thanks, US AMMA for your advice...Our dd is already MUCH happier in the daytime after giving her several doses of antacids throughout the night. It helps with her sleeping more deeply, and drastically affects her daytime mood!
 
#12 ·
From the time she was 18 months when she weaned herself off formula (nursing probs, long story) until she was 4 and we weaned her from a bottle, my dd used a water bottle for self calming. She's never been a big eater, not then or now, but she now drinks a normal amount of water. At the time, iit was in the car, at night, in the middle of the night, first thing in the morning, when she was upset, etc. She was a not so happy toddler, ery slow to warm up and rather rigid in routines, prickly with anyone but me, etc. She is now a shy but otherwise normal 12 year old with friends and a reasonable personality, although very thin. We never figured out what was going on with the water, or what effect it had on her. My other two children did not have similar issues at all (but they were nursed, ds for 16 months and dd for 36 months, don't know if that's relevant).

Hope that helped??
 
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