14 1/2 month old daily fluid intake?

dublinlady

Quite worried about my 14 & 1/2 month old - she just is not a big drinker. Takes about 9-10 oz milk a day and if we are lucky 1-2 oz water . There's an oz or 2 of milk in her morning porridge but that is literally the total of her fluid intake. Last 2 days she was particularly bad and the total consumption was about 8-10 oz fluids as opposed to the normal 14ish. We offer her water at every given opportunity , she's had every type of cup. She drinks milk from bottles (loves bottle but still won't drink it lately). We've tried fruit juice, milk, water, diluting juice - weak medium strong...!! Everything!
She just says no and throws her cup on the floor if she doesn't want it. No persuading her. I'm just not sure what's normal but I don't feel this is... No signs of dehydration and she's eating well but I'm really uncomfortable about it - ESP the last 2 days...
All advise and experiences welcome!

LilMrsDahamsta

My first fellow would have been exactly the same at that age. He never took bottles and so he never got the habit of taking in large quantities of liquid all at once. He'd sip milk with meals and sometimes between them, but never very much. He only really got the hang of sippy cups around 15 months. Until then, I found giving him a real glass like I'd use myself was most effective, though very messy. He found it difficult to manipulate such a big, heavy object half full of liquid, so he took large sips and took pleasure in finishing the glass "like Mummy". The down side was that I'd end up changing his tops several times a day. Even now at 21 months, he still doesn't drink a whole lot, though he's better than he was when he was younger. Personally I only allow him drink milk, and water when he asks for it or in the car. It's the only way I can get him to get anywhere near the guidelines for his age.

Oral Slang

Wouldn't have a clue what my daughter drinks per day (almost 19 months) - still feeding her to sleep, once during the night & in the morning. Mad about milk, but she's been sick with a cold for a month, so have been limiting the dairy. She does like water, so I always leave a cup near her for her to drink when she wants to. She'd prefer like LilMrsDahamsta said, to drink from an adult cup, so a lot of the time I hold a glass with her & she drinks that way.

Have you tried a doidy cup?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=DOIDY%20CUP

My daughter her loves hers. Still have to keep a bit of a grip at the end, if she's not wearing a waterproof bib as she ends up soaking herself, but great for them to learn to drink from an open cup.

Or have you tried putting a straw in a drink? Another favourite here.

littlemissfixit

Are you worried about the small amount of milk, or amount of fluids? My daughter was never a big drinker 14-16oz milk a day between 1 and 2 yrs was a good day. There is a big emphasis on milk, but a lot of other foods provide the same or more nutrients.
Here's what I do:
Keep in mind for milk: cheeses, yogurts and other dairy foods also count, put more milk in mash vegs, make porridge with milk only no water, use wheetabix (I have to put about 3oz for my son's 1 biscuit)
And don't do a "day-to-day" count, maybe a weekly count would be better as they are so inconsistent at that age.

And for water: if she eats loads of vegs and fruits, they contain a lot of water, homemade soup would have a lot of water for her too.
If there is no constipation, dark urine or other signs, trust that she is getting enough fluid, even though its not all from the cups/bottles. But still always have the water at her disposal.

Has a previous poster says, my ones love drinking from a proper glass and my toddler loves the sports squirty bottles rather than sippy cups.
I wouldn't insist on other liquids, fruit juices etc. if they don't seem to be working, they are quite empty calories and may damper her appetite for the foods that will provide nutrients and fluids at the same time.

Oral Slang

Yeah, you could also try things like almond or hazelnut milk if there's no nut allergies, as cows milk isn't necessarily the best sort of liquid they could drink, rather than juices that aren't great for their teeth.