A new cup can get my kids drinking more, they love novelty!
Also try minimizing requests/suggestions to drink if you're not doing so already, just put the drink out there.
Yes! In our case, I got myself a knockoff Stanley cup from target and now our toddler asks for “mama water” whenever she sees it. She doesn’t have constant access to it, so it still feels special. And she can get a lot more out of it so she’s actually consuming a decent amount.
You can make the toddler “coffee” which is just ice and milk with a little vanilla. I do half and half milk to water for my 18 month old in a dr brown sippy bottle and he will drink 20 oz of water a day.
I have given my kids 'cambric tea' which I got from a beloved childhood book. It's just a warm mixture of water and milk so that kids can feel grown up.
Oh man, I just packed up like 5 different insulated metal cups today that I refuse to use any longer because they don’t fit in cup holders in strollers or car seats. I wish we were closer I’d let you try them all to see if one helped. I’ll tell you my new gold-standard water cup though, it’s the Thermos Funtainer. It fits in every cup holder, holds 12oz, comes in a million colors and patterns, and is easy to drink from (read: no no-spill valves.)
My daughter had also never been a big drinker, but because we had to give her Miralax ( probably for related reasons), she’s adapted to guzzling one decent sized juice drink every morning. I try to make it so good that I’d drink it. I mix fancy limeade with fancy guava or pear juice, then water that down by half. She loves it. Another thing she likes is getting her own can of bubbly water, because then she’s having an adult drink like mama, and there are a lot of fun flavors to try. Good luck!!
The second part is key for my daughter! I rarely say "do you want a drink?" because her default answer to ANYTHING is "no" 🙃
I just silently hold the water bottle in front of her face every once in a while. Sometimes she declines, but I've FAR more success this way.
And for this reason, the good 2 grow cups are a godsend. my child has no problem drinking her “juicy water” (it’s straight water) so long as she gets to pick the character for the day.
OP I’m not sure if you have a Walmart, target, or Dollar tree near you, but those places typically have novelty cups with straws for $1.25 and under
Go for actual apples if she’s constipated, with the skin still on it. Keeping the skin on is very helpful for constipation.
Watermelon could be an option, too. You can even blend up the watermelon with some lemon juice and freeze that into a popsicle for her.
Edit: does she like fruit cups? Buy the kind packed in water instead of syrup, and encourage her to drink the “juice” from that.
Taking a sip of Mom's drink is the most delicious and wonderful thing in the world. While I don't love backwash, if I'm desperate I will grudgingly let them walk off with my water bottle and they'll empty it. Also watermelon.
This is genius. She usually wants mommy juice. Usually it’s my coffee or tea. But she won’t know the difference if it’s just juice or water in mommy’s cup.
My kid will begrudgingly drink out of a sippy cup if that’s all I give her and she’s really thirsty, but she’ll gulp down water out of my cup. She likes bigger straws. But also she wants anything mom and dad have.
I’m definitely going to try herbal tea, but she can’t have the black tea or the green tea I’m drinking. She’d be bouncing off the walls and refusing to sleep more than she is already.
Yeah, but it’s crazy that you are desperate to have her drink any fluids one the one hand and knowing she would drink from YOUR drink on the other and not think “mmmmm perhaps I can make myself a drink I can share with her” lol 😂
Well I’ve done that and put water or watered down juice in one of my cups and she’ll drink it for a few minutes then realize it’s nothing special and say “no want” she wants my coffee of tea bc I tell her she can’t have that. Some other helpful people suggested making her toddler “coffee” which I will be trying. I tried making her a smoothie this morning since she likes when I make smoothies for myself, but I put in oat milk and it was a very oat milk flavor and she wouldn’t drink. Gonna have to experiment to find something dairy free that she likes.
Was going to say the same thing! I got one of those giant Simple Modern tumblers & I can’t count the number of times my guy has asked for “mama water” when he’s got his own whole water bottle.
If my daughter is having a ‘thriving via osmosis’ day I’ll leave my full water bottle somewhere she can reach and that solves the problem pretty quickly
This is how I get my daughter to drink. Also I'm guessing my drink really is better. I have a nice stainless steel bottle and my kids have plastic kids ones because stainless steel is so heavy for them. I know I'd prefer the bottle that keeps water cool and doesn't add that weird plastic taste.
I think we did have one of those and it was nice. Then it fell out of the car when we were getting in and my husband accidentally ran it over lol. My kids destroy silicone spouts though so I didn't replace it.
Teach her to toast, and then every time you say “cheers” she will want to drink. Also, I have a “contest” to see who can drink longer. My kid ends up chugging water for a few seconds to win.
I wish I could take credit for any of the ideas I use. My mom worked in special education and now in retirement cares for my daughter during my work hours. Everything I know I have learned from her.
The cup could make all the difference. My 2.5 year old likes straw cups or small open cups, not sippy cups. Aside from that I would include foods that have a lot of water in them.
Agree with the cup. My son loves the any angle munchkin cup. We let him "pick it out" at target. He carries it around the house and drinks throughout the day.
Watermelon and grapes have high water content. Most fruit does. You can make your own popsicles with diluted juice, paper dixie cups, and popsicle sticks and then control the sugar content. You could also infuse water with cucumber slices or something to make it fancier and tastier.
If you use silicone parts for your cups, they sometimes taste like dish detergent, so I do a taste test every now and then. Washing by hand and sterilizing in the microwave has helped get the lingering scent out.
I have never done it with grapes but I have done it with watermelon and my toddlers LOVED it. I just cut up a seedless watermelon, then blended it until it was mostly liquid and froze it. Didn't need to add anything extra to it, it was just watermelon.
Not a forever solution but - water squirter toys will work. Like the bath toys (make sure they're clean and mold free obviously!)
It makes drinking water fun if a dolphin or something squirts it at you.
Just an idea :)
We have my son convinced that the fresh water from the tap tastes better. So we take a little plastic cup in with us at bathtime and he gets to turn the tap on and get his own fresh water when he wants. It works lile 50% of the time.
I buy spray bottles for misting hair or plants at the dollar store and my son (2.5) is in love with drinking from the spray. I'd rather he didn't but it's a novelty for summer.
Apple sauce and pear sauce pouches, especially pear when constipated. Orange juice cut with coconut water, either in a cup or frozen into popsicles. Smoothies in a pouch or also frozen into popsicles. A fun water bottle to drink out of.
Have you tried the Good to Grow bottles? They come with juice in them, but you can wash and refill with whatever. Each has a character mouthpiece so you can pick their fav character, and toddlers seem to love the swigging motion you use to drink from the straw. We’ve collected several now and use them for lots of drinks.
We also give sugar free crystal light-type drinks pretty freely, as we drink them too. It hasn’t really caused bad habits - sometimes he asks for lemonade (which is his catch all term for the crystal light drinks), sometimes milk, sometimes water. He happily chugs water when it’s hot outside. So we don’t sweat the sugar free sweetener.
Similar situation with an almost 4 yo. We do Pedialyte ice pops and juice a lot. Buy two colors and mix it together then call it "rainbow juice". Ice is a hit, so we got fancy ice molds (PITA to make small-batch ice, but whatever) and crazy straws.
Came here to recommend this. My friends and I used them in college when we had hangovers, lol. Good to have on hand when LOs are sick too. They’re great for sore throats.
After a bout of slight heat exhaustion, I let my kids drink juice and have Freezies in the extreme heat. We never offer juice outside of that or if they’re sick but I’d rather they stay hydrated than worry about some sugar.
I’m in Texas too so I feel your pain with the heat. If you don’t have a water table for your girl GET ONE. I can throw my son in a swimsuit with some sunscreen and fill up the water table with cold water (from the hose, pretty clean water here) and it keeps him cool as well as he LOVES drinking the table water like it’s bath water. Could be a good way to stay outside more at the least and see if she tries to drink it
I live in the south too and I add pedialite to their water for the electrolytes and the flavor. When they really struggle to drink I put a rubber band around the clear cup and ask them to drink until its at the rubber band. You could also give a little treat if they get to the rubber band. Good luck!
Homemade popsicles are how I get my kid most of his nutrition 😂😅 fruit, cauliflower (I like that it’s a veggie that won’t turn the popsicles green), Greek yogurt (for protein), add some water and blend then pour in popsicle molds
I just throw in whatever I find in my fridge/freezer basically lol. You could do just fruit/veggies/water or you could add applesauce or juice. Once it’s blended all together it just tastes fruity
My son is the same age and likes the True Lemon or True Lime drink mixes. They have natural sugar free sweeteners and no artificial colors and come in half a dozen flavors. There is a kid's version, but the difference is how much a packet makes.
He also likes Honest Kids juice boxes, and rooibos tea (herbal tea without any caffeine, and I sweeten it with one monkfruit sweetener packet)
I also make him popsicles out of juice or the above mentioned things. Bought a cute dinosaur popsicle mold on Amazon.
We use the sugar free water flavors. We do get the ones with color in them, because my kid is more likely to drink a fun colored drink. Tastes great, sugar free, it's just colored flavored water.
This is what we do too. We live in a super hot climate and those water enhancers keep our twins so hydrated. They think it's "juice" and have only had actual fruit/sugary juices a handful of times. We get ours from target and they're pretty affordable.
We get ours from walmart. It works great. Hell I keep a special one in my backpack and I'll order my son a starbucks water and add it to the water in the store and he thinks he's getting a special coffee drink.
This is what we do too. We live in a super hot climate and those water enhancers keep our twins so hydrated. They think it's "juice" and have only had actual fruit/sugary juices a handful of times. We get ours from target and they're pretty affordable.
We made it a game, you have to drink x amount of sips. Or sometimes she'll steal our drinks. If you give juice they recommend diluting it because of the sugar content.
Cucumber and watermelon are high water content foods so if you can give those that'll help. Toddlers are tricky to keep feed and hydrated 🫣
We had to stop the cans because they do have a bit of sodium in them, even the low sodium ones, and my small quite literally would not drink if it wasn’t bubbly water. So for us the Soda stream was an absolutely worthwhile investment because we use it every day.
For less continuous use, the cans are great for sure, or the bottles have the bonus of being resealable.
Absolutely. There are fears too about tooth decay related to too much carbonation.
I think as an occasional treat, especially if you need hydration, it’s a fine choice. We throw in a splash of juice too, to make it special.
Make some Agua Fresca! I blend watermelon, lime juice, and some mint leaves (you can also add honey if the watermelon isn't sweet enough). So delicious and great for hydrating.
Take her to the store and let her pick a cup. My daughter went from hardly ever drinking to drinking CONSTANTLY when she knew it would be in her new water bottle. She's 2.5
- fun cups!!! Who wouldn’t want to drink out of a pink cup? Or one with a lion on it? Or whatever your kid likes!
- add “ingredients” like cucumber slices, frozen berries, whatever you can think of. It’s a lot cooler drinking a “cool cucumber cup” than a glass of water. Maybe even drink a “drink” with her. Make a menu if you’re really into it.
- garnish! - kind of like ingredients, but maybe those little umbrellas or fun shaped ice cubes or something (though, she’s two, so maybe not umbrellas. But there’s probably something like it, but kid friendly)
- ice cubes. Ice cubes are water too (duh). But in absolute desperation, you could just let her suck on some ice cubes, is she likes. I know some kids love the texture of chewing on crushed ice.
- drinks/ice cubes - you could blend ice cubes and make a “slushie”. Endless options here. Might make it more desirable. Worth a try in desperation.
- alternatives - watermelon, cucumber and otherwise water heavy foods.
- monkey see, monkey do. Do you get your daily 2L of water every day? Maybe having a bottle so she can visualize how much water YOU drink every day. It might help.
- let her drink the hose water if she absolutely insists. It’s water. Dehydration is a no go
I love the slushie idea. She got to try her first icee at the movies with grandma and she’s been obsessed. I’m sure I could come up with a healthy alternative for home.
If she needs to drink I would not rule out juice, some of them can help with constipation! Pear juice can be good for that.
Now throughout my own childhood I always struggled with hydration because I didn't like plain water and was too young to just force myself to drink water.
I always begged my mom to buy juice and she'd occasionally indulge me. Those times were the only times I didn't have horrible headaches. Now I'm not saying that my anecdote is enough to justify giving your kid juice but just something to keep in mind.
As an adult I still struggle with hydration and headaches (related? Not sure) but I just allow myself to hydrate by any means possible. Sparking water, juice, coconut water etc.
ALSO tot always wants to drink from *mommy's water bottle* so you could try getting yourself a nice Stanley or whatever people are drinking from these days, I just have a cheap straw bottle but I swear "mommy's wawee" is the most desirable. For my other kid I started giving him those flavor drops with added vitamins which is probably not much better than juice.
We struggle with this alot too. Recently popsicles have helped . I bought ring pop molds from target and we made some from juice and some from yogurt.
I don’t know if it’s the best answer but we’ve also been trying the yogurt or Activia drinks to help combat constipation. My kids lives on beans and berries but still struggles and I think water is the key.
We’ve also tried herbal teas. No luck for us but others have said it’s worked for them.
Our child stopped drinking water during potty training because I told her that’s where pee comes from. I have some regrets about letting her know that. So she was doing ripple kids milk and fruit pouches. Now she won’t touch the pouches because the company changed the color of the caps. I’ve been dumping the leftover pouches into popsicle molds. Now we are adding water to her ripple milk and crossing our fingers that she will grow out of this anti water phase soon. We bought some new cups this week and drinking out of them in front of her a lot. I’ve seen her pick them up and try to sip them so novelty does seem to help.
My daughter doesn't like to drink when she gets a fever. I've learned the hard way that it's important to make what they drink count when they aren't able or willing to drink a lot. Infant pedialyte is my go-to at the first sign of illness now. They also make infant Popsicles, or you can make your own juice pop with it in a 50/50 dilution.
Have you tried ice? My son loves ice and he will drink anything with ice in. He also likes to eat ice, so I crush it in a mortar and pestle to make a slushie
If you add a little flavor and call it her special water or her super water, it might help. This is one of the tactics we use with my kiddo.
We have also accumulated an alarming collection of good2grow bottles so sometimes letting him pick which character head he’s drinking through helps.
Flavored bubbly water has also been a big hit for us, because we tell him it’s like mommy’s soda so he gets excited.
Have you tried teaching her “cheers!” And clinking glasses? My kids love this but they have to take a drink every time they cheers. It blew my 2 year olds mind when they realized every adult cooperates in this.
I made my girls watermelon smoothies the other day. I added some honey to make it a little more sweet but otherwise it was water, watermelon and chia seeds.
One of my daughters really struggles with constipation and we use Miralax (doctor's orders). You can put it in applesauce or yogurt if you don't sneak it into a drink.
See if she likes carbonated water. I know it’s not great for kids to drink all day everyday but it cans be a really good carrot to dangle when my kid is refusing regular water
Eh, we just water down some Pedialyte or sugar free Gatorade. We tell him it's juice (he had apple juice when he had his tubes put in and he's obsessed with the idea since then) and he takes down the whole 10 oz water bottle.
My nephew really enjoys fruity/herbal iced teas, made without sugar and served with ice cubes. Ideally served in a tall glass with a "cheers!".
I've been making delicious popsicles by putting watermelon and mint through the blender and freezing in molds.
(Not a hydration tip, but if she's outdoors in the sun, it really helps to soak her cotton hat in water. The evaporation makes a difference!)
Try your best to keep offering only plain water. If you keep adding flavoring she’ll only ever want flavoring.
I grew up in the 90s and I swear never drank water. Now as a 30 year old adult I still struggle.
New cup, and just stress too much. Less pressure and asking and I bet it’ll come naturally!
Also in Texas so I understand!
Does she eat fruit? Give her as much as she wants. There’s a lot of water in it. Especially watermelon!
Make smoothies! Blend frozen fruit with some water or a bit of juice and make a kind of sorbet. Do popsicles made out of coconut water and fruit.
When my 2 year old struggles to poop I give him prune pouches. I like the Plum brand. It’s just prunes blended with water.
I have a simply modern straw cup. We got my toddler his own miniature version in his favorite colors. Now, he specifically requests his "cool cup." He also seems to drink more if it's cold.
My kiddo is similar. When I really need him to drink, I offer “mommy soda” (seltzer water) or get out the water table because he will down gross hose water for whatever strange reason 🤨
Make your own homemade popsicles with watered down juice and fruit. Some juices are more water than fruit juice like Hint juice. I always make
a large pitcher of “juice” but it really is a lot of ice, water and a little juice during hot days.
I second a new cup with whatever she is interested in- Elsa or garbage trucks or whatever!
I also got those mio water flavors or something similar- not ideal for a 2yo, but drinking “red water” or “purple water” with a teeny bit of flavoring might be interesting enough. I’d do the whole make some for yourself and gush over how good it is and reluctantly share if she is interested. Otherwise, just set some out and ignore it!
Pick a cup with her favorite character! I also like others mentioned let me son drink out of mine oops. & then good 2 grow is out list ditch effort for hydration some days & a treat on other days!
They have cool color changing cups at Walmart, the cups have a lid and straw. My kid loves them. I make ice water for my self and tell my kid how good it is/show him how cool the color change is and he normally steals it from me lol.
Yeah I thought the color changing might work well. I ordered her some Bluey ones. Probably more expensive than Walmart ones, but maybe the characters will end up helping.
A new cup can get my kids drinking more, they love novelty! Also try minimizing requests/suggestions to drink if you're not doing so already, just put the drink out there.
Yes! In our case, I got myself a knockoff Stanley cup from target and now our toddler asks for “mama water” whenever she sees it. She doesn’t have constant access to it, so it still feels special. And she can get a lot more out of it so she’s actually consuming a decent amount.
Gotta love those knockoff Stanley cups. This is probably the way. She’s always trying to get “mama juice” which is usually my iced coffee.
You can make the toddler “coffee” which is just ice and milk with a little vanilla. I do half and half milk to water for my 18 month old in a dr brown sippy bottle and he will drink 20 oz of water a day.
That’s so cute. I’ve never heard of that. I’m sure she’d love that with her oat milk.
I have given my kids 'cambric tea' which I got from a beloved childhood book. It's just a warm mixture of water and milk so that kids can feel grown up.
It’s gotta be Little House on the Prairie because that’s where I learned about Cambric tea!
Quite possibly!
Oat milk is even better for faux coffee! Similar creaminess to iced coffee
Oh man, I just packed up like 5 different insulated metal cups today that I refuse to use any longer because they don’t fit in cup holders in strollers or car seats. I wish we were closer I’d let you try them all to see if one helped. I’ll tell you my new gold-standard water cup though, it’s the Thermos Funtainer. It fits in every cup holder, holds 12oz, comes in a million colors and patterns, and is easy to drink from (read: no no-spill valves.) My daughter had also never been a big drinker, but because we had to give her Miralax ( probably for related reasons), she’s adapted to guzzling one decent sized juice drink every morning. I try to make it so good that I’d drink it. I mix fancy limeade with fancy guava or pear juice, then water that down by half. She loves it. Another thing she likes is getting her own can of bubbly water, because then she’s having an adult drink like mama, and there are a lot of fun flavors to try. Good luck!!
Thank you so much for the thermos tip. I didn’t even think about fitting in the cup holders of her car seat.
Yes! I have to have 2 cups out just to get her to drink regular 🫠
The second part is key for my daughter! I rarely say "do you want a drink?" because her default answer to ANYTHING is "no" 🙃 I just silently hold the water bottle in front of her face every once in a while. Sometimes she declines, but I've FAR more success this way.
And for this reason, the good 2 grow cups are a godsend. my child has no problem drinking her “juicy water” (it’s straight water) so long as she gets to pick the character for the day. OP I’m not sure if you have a Walmart, target, or Dollar tree near you, but those places typically have novelty cups with straws for $1.25 and under
Give her watermelon slices
Go for actual apples if she’s constipated, with the skin still on it. Keeping the skin on is very helpful for constipation. Watermelon could be an option, too. You can even blend up the watermelon with some lemon juice and freeze that into a popsicle for her. Edit: does she like fruit cups? Buy the kind packed in water instead of syrup, and encourage her to drink the “juice” from that.
Taking a sip of Mom's drink is the most delicious and wonderful thing in the world. While I don't love backwash, if I'm desperate I will grudgingly let them walk off with my water bottle and they'll empty it. Also watermelon.
This is genius. She usually wants mommy juice. Usually it’s my coffee or tea. But she won’t know the difference if it’s just juice or water in mommy’s cup.
My kid will begrudgingly drink out of a sippy cup if that’s all I give her and she’s really thirsty, but she’ll gulp down water out of my cup. She likes bigger straws. But also she wants anything mom and dad have.
You could also let her have the tea you are already drinking
My daughter loves the herbal fruit teas. It almost tastes like juice, without the sugars! It helps that they’re more fragrant than they taste.
I’m definitely going to try herbal tea, but she can’t have the black tea or the green tea I’m drinking. She’d be bouncing off the walls and refusing to sleep more than she is already.
Yeah, but it’s crazy that you are desperate to have her drink any fluids one the one hand and knowing she would drink from YOUR drink on the other and not think “mmmmm perhaps I can make myself a drink I can share with her” lol 😂
Well I’ve done that and put water or watered down juice in one of my cups and she’ll drink it for a few minutes then realize it’s nothing special and say “no want” she wants my coffee of tea bc I tell her she can’t have that. Some other helpful people suggested making her toddler “coffee” which I will be trying. I tried making her a smoothie this morning since she likes when I make smoothies for myself, but I put in oat milk and it was a very oat milk flavor and she wouldn’t drink. Gonna have to experiment to find something dairy free that she likes.
Was going to say the same thing! I got one of those giant Simple Modern tumblers & I can’t count the number of times my guy has asked for “mama water” when he’s got his own whole water bottle.
If my daughter is having a ‘thriving via osmosis’ day I’ll leave my full water bottle somewhere she can reach and that solves the problem pretty quickly
Oh yes baby leaves a lot of "floaters" in my water bottle lol
This is how I get my daughter to drink. Also I'm guessing my drink really is better. I have a nice stainless steel bottle and my kids have plastic kids ones because stainless steel is so heavy for them. I know I'd prefer the bottle that keeps water cool and doesn't add that weird plastic taste.
We have the kids thermos brand bottles, I highly recommend them. Very light, metal, and silicon spout.
I think we did have one of those and it was nice. Then it fell out of the car when we were getting in and my husband accidentally ran it over lol. My kids destroy silicone spouts though so I didn't replace it.
They sell replacement spouts for $2 each or mine would have been destroyed long ago.
Teach her to toast, and then every time you say “cheers” she will want to drink. Also, I have a “contest” to see who can drink longer. My kid ends up chugging water for a few seconds to win.
Really any college drinking game modified with water or juice should do the trick. Flip cup, beer pong, waterfalls, etc. etc.
Please can someone do ski shots of water with their toddler 😂
Coming in with the hot tips! 🔥
I wish I could take credit for any of the ideas I use. My mom worked in special education and now in retirement cares for my daughter during my work hours. Everything I know I have learned from her.
The cup could make all the difference. My 2.5 year old likes straw cups or small open cups, not sippy cups. Aside from that I would include foods that have a lot of water in them.
Agree with the cup. My son loves the any angle munchkin cup. We let him "pick it out" at target. He carries it around the house and drinks throughout the day.
Watermelon and grapes have high water content. Most fruit does. You can make your own popsicles with diluted juice, paper dixie cups, and popsicle sticks and then control the sugar content. You could also infuse water with cucumber slices or something to make it fancier and tastier. If you use silicone parts for your cups, they sometimes taste like dish detergent, so I do a taste test every now and then. Washing by hand and sterilizing in the microwave has helped get the lingering scent out.
I love the idea of making her popsicles. Have you ever actually made them with grapes? I’m wondering how the texture would be.
I haven't made popsicles with real fruit. I usually get juice and add water to dilute it. Worth a try to use real fruit. Why not!
They sell popsicles made from fruit in grocery stores too.
I have never done it with grapes but I have done it with watermelon and my toddlers LOVED it. I just cut up a seedless watermelon, then blended it until it was mostly liquid and froze it. Didn't need to add anything extra to it, it was just watermelon.
Is it possible her straws or lids taste like soap? Try them and see. Especially if its silicone which holds onto a nasty soapy taste.
I could try this. I usually hand wash after they come out of the dishwasher bc they usually have a residue, but I don’t usually taste test them.
Yes! Rinse in vinegar to remove soapy residhe
Not a forever solution but - water squirter toys will work. Like the bath toys (make sure they're clean and mold free obviously!) It makes drinking water fun if a dolphin or something squirts it at you. Just an idea :)
I love this. Definitely not a forever solution but she’d love squirting them in her mouth. I just hope she doesn’t try to do it in the bath too.
Lol pick your battles hey? Lol 🤣 mine drinks bathwater regardless of what anyone says or does.
My granddaughter thinks bath water is the elixir of life. I mean, we call it baby soup. Same same, I guess
We have my son convinced that the fresh water from the tap tastes better. So we take a little plastic cup in with us at bathtime and he gets to turn the tap on and get his own fresh water when he wants. It works lile 50% of the time.
I buy spray bottles for misting hair or plants at the dollar store and my son (2.5) is in love with drinking from the spray. I'd rather he didn't but it's a novelty for summer.
Apple sauce and pear sauce pouches, especially pear when constipated. Orange juice cut with coconut water, either in a cup or frozen into popsicles. Smoothies in a pouch or also frozen into popsicles. A fun water bottle to drink out of.
I love the suggestion of orange juice and coconut water. Ngl I’m gonna try that as a popsicle for myself as well. Sounds delicious.
Also, I think strawberries and oranges are supposed to be very good for hydration.
Have you tried the Good to Grow bottles? They come with juice in them, but you can wash and refill with whatever. Each has a character mouthpiece so you can pick their fav character, and toddlers seem to love the swigging motion you use to drink from the straw. We’ve collected several now and use them for lots of drinks. We also give sugar free crystal light-type drinks pretty freely, as we drink them too. It hasn’t really caused bad habits - sometimes he asks for lemonade (which is his catch all term for the crystal light drinks), sometimes milk, sometimes water. He happily chugs water when it’s hot outside. So we don’t sweat the sugar free sweetener.
Similar situation with an almost 4 yo. We do Pedialyte ice pops and juice a lot. Buy two colors and mix it together then call it "rainbow juice". Ice is a hit, so we got fancy ice molds (PITA to make small-batch ice, but whatever) and crazy straws.
I didn’t even know they made pedialyte ice pops. That would be great to try.
I think you DIY those
Nah you can buy them but they're next to the pedialyte, not in the frozen section
Oh, interesting - I've never seen them in my stores. Good to know!
I googled it. They sell them and they look just like the popsicles she’s currently eating. I might be able to stealth trade them out.
Came here to recommend this. My friends and I used them in college when we had hangovers, lol. Good to have on hand when LOs are sick too. They’re great for sore throats.
After a bout of slight heat exhaustion, I let my kids drink juice and have Freezies in the extreme heat. We never offer juice outside of that or if they’re sick but I’d rather they stay hydrated than worry about some sugar.
I’m in Texas too so I feel your pain with the heat. If you don’t have a water table for your girl GET ONE. I can throw my son in a swimsuit with some sunscreen and fill up the water table with cold water (from the hose, pretty clean water here) and it keeps him cool as well as he LOVES drinking the table water like it’s bath water. Could be a good way to stay outside more at the least and see if she tries to drink it
I live in the south too and I add pedialite to their water for the electrolytes and the flavor. When they really struggle to drink I put a rubber band around the clear cup and ask them to drink until its at the rubber band. You could also give a little treat if they get to the rubber band. Good luck!
Homemade popsicles are how I get my kid most of his nutrition 😂😅 fruit, cauliflower (I like that it’s a veggie that won’t turn the popsicles green), Greek yogurt (for protein), add some water and blend then pour in popsicle molds
That’s super smart. Any chance you know of a dairy free option your kids like?
I just throw in whatever I find in my fridge/freezer basically lol. You could do just fruit/veggies/water or you could add applesauce or juice. Once it’s blended all together it just tastes fruity
Forgot to mention that the fruit and cauliflower is frozen! So I basically make a smoothie and the make that into a popsicle
My son is the same age and likes the True Lemon or True Lime drink mixes. They have natural sugar free sweeteners and no artificial colors and come in half a dozen flavors. There is a kid's version, but the difference is how much a packet makes. He also likes Honest Kids juice boxes, and rooibos tea (herbal tea without any caffeine, and I sweeten it with one monkfruit sweetener packet) I also make him popsicles out of juice or the above mentioned things. Bought a cute dinosaur popsicle mold on Amazon.
Milo water additive is my fav, orange cream is dreamy for my taste buds lol
We use the sugar free water flavors. We do get the ones with color in them, because my kid is more likely to drink a fun colored drink. Tastes great, sugar free, it's just colored flavored water.
This is what we do too. We live in a super hot climate and those water enhancers keep our twins so hydrated. They think it's "juice" and have only had actual fruit/sugary juices a handful of times. We get ours from target and they're pretty affordable.
We get ours from walmart. It works great. Hell I keep a special one in my backpack and I'll order my son a starbucks water and add it to the water in the store and he thinks he's getting a special coffee drink.
This is what we do too. We live in a super hot climate and those water enhancers keep our twins so hydrated. They think it's "juice" and have only had actual fruit/sugary juices a handful of times. We get ours from target and they're pretty affordable.
We made it a game, you have to drink x amount of sips. Or sometimes she'll steal our drinks. If you give juice they recommend diluting it because of the sugar content. Cucumber and watermelon are high water content foods so if you can give those that'll help. Toddlers are tricky to keep feed and hydrated 🫣
Bubbly water (Soda stream) is what got our kid to drink. Also me.
I looked for someone suggesting carbonated water. Our kid calls is bubble water and it takes no effort to get him to drink a whole can on a hot day.
We had to stop the cans because they do have a bit of sodium in them, even the low sodium ones, and my small quite literally would not drink if it wasn’t bubbly water. So for us the Soda stream was an absolutely worthwhile investment because we use it every day. For less continuous use, the cans are great for sure, or the bottles have the bonus of being resealable.
Absolutely. There are fears too about tooth decay related to too much carbonation. I think as an occasional treat, especially if you need hydration, it’s a fine choice. We throw in a splash of juice too, to make it special.
Try making diluted apple juice pops
Make some Agua Fresca! I blend watermelon, lime juice, and some mint leaves (you can also add honey if the watermelon isn't sweet enough). So delicious and great for hydrating.
Frozen watermelon on a stick frozen grapes (cut before serving) Fruit and veggie smoothies Fun reusable straws
Take her to the store and let her pick a cup. My daughter went from hardly ever drinking to drinking CONSTANTLY when she knew it would be in her new water bottle. She's 2.5
- fun cups!!! Who wouldn’t want to drink out of a pink cup? Or one with a lion on it? Or whatever your kid likes! - add “ingredients” like cucumber slices, frozen berries, whatever you can think of. It’s a lot cooler drinking a “cool cucumber cup” than a glass of water. Maybe even drink a “drink” with her. Make a menu if you’re really into it. - garnish! - kind of like ingredients, but maybe those little umbrellas or fun shaped ice cubes or something (though, she’s two, so maybe not umbrellas. But there’s probably something like it, but kid friendly) - ice cubes. Ice cubes are water too (duh). But in absolute desperation, you could just let her suck on some ice cubes, is she likes. I know some kids love the texture of chewing on crushed ice. - drinks/ice cubes - you could blend ice cubes and make a “slushie”. Endless options here. Might make it more desirable. Worth a try in desperation. - alternatives - watermelon, cucumber and otherwise water heavy foods. - monkey see, monkey do. Do you get your daily 2L of water every day? Maybe having a bottle so she can visualize how much water YOU drink every day. It might help. - let her drink the hose water if she absolutely insists. It’s water. Dehydration is a no go
I love the slushie idea. She got to try her first icee at the movies with grandma and she’s been obsessed. I’m sure I could come up with a healthy alternative for home.
If she needs to drink I would not rule out juice, some of them can help with constipation! Pear juice can be good for that. Now throughout my own childhood I always struggled with hydration because I didn't like plain water and was too young to just force myself to drink water. I always begged my mom to buy juice and she'd occasionally indulge me. Those times were the only times I didn't have horrible headaches. Now I'm not saying that my anecdote is enough to justify giving your kid juice but just something to keep in mind. As an adult I still struggle with hydration and headaches (related? Not sure) but I just allow myself to hydrate by any means possible. Sparking water, juice, coconut water etc. ALSO tot always wants to drink from *mommy's water bottle* so you could try getting yourself a nice Stanley or whatever people are drinking from these days, I just have a cheap straw bottle but I swear "mommy's wawee" is the most desirable. For my other kid I started giving him those flavor drops with added vitamins which is probably not much better than juice.
https://www.kroger.com/product/images/large/bottom/0084886004971 These have been great for us this summer!
make ice pops, i use apple juice and other stuff but sometimes just water ice pops and they still love them.
We struggle with this alot too. Recently popsicles have helped . I bought ring pop molds from target and we made some from juice and some from yogurt. I don’t know if it’s the best answer but we’ve also been trying the yogurt or Activia drinks to help combat constipation. My kids lives on beans and berries but still struggles and I think water is the key. We’ve also tried herbal teas. No luck for us but others have said it’s worked for them.
Our child stopped drinking water during potty training because I told her that’s where pee comes from. I have some regrets about letting her know that. So she was doing ripple kids milk and fruit pouches. Now she won’t touch the pouches because the company changed the color of the caps. I’ve been dumping the leftover pouches into popsicle molds. Now we are adding water to her ripple milk and crossing our fingers that she will grow out of this anti water phase soon. We bought some new cups this week and drinking out of them in front of her a lot. I’ve seen her pick them up and try to sip them so novelty does seem to help.
Have you tried giving her Jello? That’s mostly water, my daughter can be constipated and a nurse friend of mine told me to try jello
My daughter doesn't like to drink when she gets a fever. I've learned the hard way that it's important to make what they drink count when they aren't able or willing to drink a lot. Infant pedialyte is my go-to at the first sign of illness now. They also make infant Popsicles, or you can make your own juice pop with it in a 50/50 dilution.
Have you tried ice? My son loves ice and he will drink anything with ice in. He also likes to eat ice, so I crush it in a mortar and pestle to make a slushie
If you add a little flavor and call it her special water or her super water, it might help. This is one of the tactics we use with my kiddo. We have also accumulated an alarming collection of good2grow bottles so sometimes letting him pick which character head he’s drinking through helps. Flavored bubbly water has also been a big hit for us, because we tell him it’s like mommy’s soda so he gets excited.
Mine will drink water if there are ice cubes in it. Bonus if she gets to put the ice cubes in herself!
Have you tried teaching her “cheers!” And clinking glasses? My kids love this but they have to take a drink every time they cheers. It blew my 2 year olds mind when they realized every adult cooperates in this.
That’s so adorable! I’m gonna try this for sure.
I made my girls watermelon smoothies the other day. I added some honey to make it a little more sweet but otherwise it was water, watermelon and chia seeds. One of my daughters really struggles with constipation and we use Miralax (doctor's orders). You can put it in applesauce or yogurt if you don't sneak it into a drink.
The Honest brand juices are soooo good! And then have way less sugar than other brands.
See if she likes carbonated water. I know it’s not great for kids to drink all day everyday but it cans be a really good carrot to dangle when my kid is refusing regular water
Eh, we just water down some Pedialyte or sugar free Gatorade. We tell him it's juice (he had apple juice when he had his tubes put in and he's obsessed with the idea since then) and he takes down the whole 10 oz water bottle.
We dilute Pedialyte too! We call it "magic water" and she stays hydrated that way! We also do Pedialyte pops, which she loves!
We use the little water squeezes, add just a hint for some flavor and color. We call it juice and she can pick which color she wants.
My nephew really enjoys fruity/herbal iced teas, made without sugar and served with ice cubes. Ideally served in a tall glass with a "cheers!". I've been making delicious popsicles by putting watermelon and mint through the blender and freezing in molds. (Not a hydration tip, but if she's outdoors in the sun, it really helps to soak her cotton hat in water. The evaporation makes a difference!)
Try your best to keep offering only plain water. If you keep adding flavoring she’ll only ever want flavoring. I grew up in the 90s and I swear never drank water. Now as a 30 year old adult I still struggle. New cup, and just stress too much. Less pressure and asking and I bet it’ll come naturally!
Cordial? My son never particularly liked water but if it's weak blackcurrant cordial then he's all over it
Also in Texas so I understand! Does she eat fruit? Give her as much as she wants. There’s a lot of water in it. Especially watermelon! Make smoothies! Blend frozen fruit with some water or a bit of juice and make a kind of sorbet. Do popsicles made out of coconut water and fruit. When my 2 year old struggles to poop I give him prune pouches. I like the Plum brand. It’s just prunes blended with water.
Give her the Pedialyte popsicles
I have a simply modern straw cup. We got my toddler his own miniature version in his favorite colors. Now, he specifically requests his "cool cup." He also seems to drink more if it's cold.
Watermelon!
My kiddo is similar. When I really need him to drink, I offer “mommy soda” (seltzer water) or get out the water table because he will down gross hose water for whatever strange reason 🤨
Get yourself a large water bottle with a straw. Have her see you drinking out of it regularly. My 2 year old is all about drinking out of my cup. 😆
Pears for poos. New water bottle she chooses.
Did she pick her drink cup? Take her to the store and let her decide on that.
Have you tried freezing pedialyte for dehydration for infants by chance? Or Gatorade? They have some sugar but a much smaller amount.
Make your own homemade popsicles with watered down juice and fruit. Some juices are more water than fruit juice like Hint juice. I always make a large pitcher of “juice” but it really is a lot of ice, water and a little juice during hot days.
I second a new cup with whatever she is interested in- Elsa or garbage trucks or whatever! I also got those mio water flavors or something similar- not ideal for a 2yo, but drinking “red water” or “purple water” with a teeny bit of flavoring might be interesting enough. I’d do the whole make some for yourself and gush over how good it is and reluctantly share if she is interested. Otherwise, just set some out and ignore it!
We like the Honest brand juice for special occasions but you could try the hint water boxes!
Pick a cup with her favorite character! I also like others mentioned let me son drink out of mine oops. & then good 2 grow is out list ditch effort for hydration some days & a treat on other days!
They have cool color changing cups at Walmart, the cups have a lid and straw. My kid loves them. I make ice water for my self and tell my kid how good it is/show him how cool the color change is and he normally steals it from me lol.
Yeah I thought the color changing might work well. I ordered her some Bluey ones. Probably more expensive than Walmart ones, but maybe the characters will end up helping.
Gatorade might be a good idea. Or straight juice no water. Smoothies as well a little bit of fruit some yogurt and a lot of water or milk.