How Do I Get My 10 Months Old to Drink Water?

in short - if you offer him only water, he WILL drink it when he gets thirsty. it's okay to drink other things too. my kids love gatorade's G2, it has only 25 calories for every 8 ozs! my kids don't LOVE water either.... good luck.. : -)

Children are "little people" and every person is different. Some people enjoy water while some would rather drink fruit flavored water. You could possibly try the mixes that can be added to water to flavor it a little bit. This way, he won't really NOTICE that it's really water that he's drinking.
I hope this helps some :)

To get my son to drink water, I bought him a really cool bottle that had something on it that he liked. I didn't make an issue or try to coax him. I just made a habit of always carrying the bottle with water when we went somewhere. I also had one for me. We carry them everywhere. When we got out of the car to go in somewhere, I said "Drink a sip before we go in so you won't get thirsty. He eventually just started drinking out of it. Treat it like this is something we do.
Good Luck!

Don't give him juice. There really isn't any nutritional value to juice. That's mostly what we all drink here at our house...water that is. With my first two children, I gave them juice but diluted it half and half, then was told by the pediatrician that there wasn't really any nutritional value to juice, so watch it on the juice. I guess I kind of already knew that....I mean, why do we give our kids juice? (It's a rhetorical question.)

He'll drink water when he is thirsty. You can cut cold turkey or start diluting more and more until he doesn't really have it anymore. He's getting a sweet drink that he loves, why would he want to drink water!

neither of my kids drinnk juice, my daughter doesn't even like it a little bit. They are both milk or water kids. My 15 month old does perfer cold water or ice water. & he loves to drink out of a water bottle.

Hello Juila W.
I'm L. W. and it's great meeting you. Guess what there is a way to get the baby to drink water. I've found that if I buy the 8 oz nestle pure life water bottle and add the Wyler's Light sugar free singles to go, has been awesome. I cant get my 6 year old to drink anything else. First make one for yourself and see how great they taste. Then introduce it to the baby. They come in many different flavors and can be found at any Walgreens, or Family Dollar. There are 8 pack per box and the box is only $ 1.00. Also each pack only has 5 calories. Email me and let me know if it works. They taste just like juice. ____@____.com.

Try sugar water. SMILE!

My son doesn't like plain water much either.. so I trick him. He wouldn't drink the juice watered down, but he loves ice! and he loves water with ice in it. So we either fill his sippy cup with ice before we put the juice in it, so he's mostly getting water, or we give him a big boy straw cup with water and ice in it. He will drink both. The ice in the juice melts before he's finished. He thinks it's something special.

Is he still getting breastmilk/formula? If so, then I wouldn't worry too much about it. As long as he's hydrated and you are getting wet diapers.

Ice Popsicles! It worked with mine! You can make watered down kool-aid to give it some flavor. I even froze a few pieces of fruit on the inside to make it interesting. Have fun.

Another cool trick is a straw...they drink faster out of a straw. Plus for some reason, it's fun for them.

My 16 mo old doesn't like plain water either, but he will drink it if it's flavored. It doesn't have to be much either. I put about 2 oz juice in his sippy cup and fill the rest up with cold water. He likes it just fine. Good luck.

My daughter started drinking only really cold water out of a sippy cup with one of those straws when she was 7 months. She loved it sometimes she just didnt want formula she wanted some water. Try that kind of cup if not dont worry as long as he's drinking formula he is getting enough water.

Hi J.,
I have 2 yr old who loves water fortunately. I think a good way to get him to drink more water would be to dilute his juice with more water until eventually it's mostly water. Also, I know my son started to drink and still does enjoy drinking from my cup and I drink water quite a bit so that may help also.

With my first child i had to stop giving juice all day. Dilute his juice half and half in the morning and when he finishes that do not give him anymore juice in between meals Then give him milk with his regular meals and water in between. Just put water in his cup and offer that everytime hes thirsty. Eventually if hes thirsty enough he will drink it, believe me. It's really better for him to have water than juice.

I would suggest slowly diluting the juice a little more every few days until it's almost all water and a little juice. Do it slowly so he can't really tell the difference day to day. An ounce of juice with four ounces of water gives them a little flavor without all the sugar.

I had the same problem with my now 2 year old. I went to www.onestepahead.com and got the no-spill sippy tops. They go on various water bottles. Then he felt like he was drinking from actual water bottle like mommy & daddy (who he sees drink water all the time). I also allow him to have his own water - Nestle or Dasani flavored water or water with Crystal Light one per day. Now he will drink an entire 16 oz bottle in one sitting. He loves his special lids and will get them for me and tell me when he wants some water.

I would agree with Donna H. Just don't give juice. He'll drink the water if he's thirsty.

Hi J.! I want to chime in with everyone else, but in a slightly different way.
1) If he's getting formula, then he IS getting some water, and when all else fails, in the heat of summer you can simply give him more formula.
2) If he won't drink water from a sippy or bottle (as my 9mo daughter won't either), I give it to her from our cups, holding it for her. It's MESSY!! and I spill more down her front than goes in her mouth, but she seems to like it, and it's the only way I've found that she'll drink water.
3) I agree with everyone else that juice isn't a very good option (so thank goodness my DD doesn't like that, either!).

Also, I believe that we all need some plain water every day. I don't always do that for myself, but especially when it's hot and your baby and you sweat - share a water bottle or glass of water together. You might both have fun! :)

P.S. I haven't tried giving her ice with her drinks, but I think I will! It seems like fun!

My babies favorite drink is tea but when I think he has had too much I just fill his sippy cup up with cold water (especially at bed time) and even though he doesn't really like water, he knows that it is his only option so when he gets thirsty enough to drinks it.So if you give him water in the sippy cup he has no choice but to either drink it or go thirsty.And if he's anything like mine, if it's juice,tea or anything sweet he drinks it like he's dying of thirst,no matter how many cups you give him.That's when I know my baby is just drinking to get the sweet rush rather than b/c he is thirsty and I just put water in the cup.He can only drink what you give him.

Hi J.. My son's peds Dr. said not to give juice at all 'cause it's loaded w/sugar,even it's watered down.I gave him small pieces of fruit to eat and that was his serving of fruit.Does your son drink formula still or at all,'cause if he does,that's water mixed in right there.That's what the peds Dr. said. Have you tried letting him drink water from your glass(holding it for him)?My friend holds a cup of water for her 8month and she drinks a little bit that way.My son never cared for water when he was an infant,and I was worried about him not getting any, until his peds Dr.told me what I told you.He's 3 1/2 and his favorite drink is ice water(it has to have ice cubes)through out the day, then at meals he drinks milk.good luck and I really woudn't worry about it.Talk to his dr.and get his/her opinion about wether you should worry about the water. take care and have a good day.

My son who is now 11 years old was an apple juice lover when he was little, I breastfed him until he was one and he didn't really even drink anything else until he quit nursing.
When he did I would dilute the juice with water. The drink he will request now is water. At this point he is my only one who loves water the younger ones (8, 6, and 3 1/2)are still being encouraged to drink water but prefer juice. Don't get discouraged.
Just keep trying to give water and water down the juice.
At least that is my opinion.

My son is 3 years old now and will only drink water out of MY bottle! But...my mom has been putting water, at least half or more, in his juice, and sometimes milk, ever since he started drinking out of a sippy cup. He hates plain water if I put it in his sippy cup but he will drink water from my water bottle for some odd reason. Anyway, I suggest giving him 1/2 water with his juice, everytime and see how that works out. Hope this helps!

Try putting a little sugar in it. This will also help with gas!

My children are 10 & 4 but what worked for us was the flavor packets you add to water, they couldn't get enough of them. We picked more like vitamin water products, instead of Kool-aid type packets. We can go through a 24 pack of waters in about 2-3 days just between the 2 kids!!

your son should only get 4 oz. juice a day...you should offer water only the rest of the time (or milk) try a different sippy cup or drinking it from a water bottle or straw cup. you need to eventually phase out the juice (more and more water in the juice until water is about 90% and juice is 10%) then totally water.
MY 16 mo old likes to drink our water from a water bottle or straw- I give him water ina sippy cup in the car and for carrying around the house...juice is only a special drink....good luck! He'll start drinking it when he's really thirsty...it may take a week or so - but he'll get it.

J.,
I would talk to your Dr. My Dr. Says that a child under one doesn't need additional water as long as he is getting his formula (since it is made with water).

Make it fun, I had the same trouble with my daughter. I gave her a special cup, that isn't the no drip but still has a cap, and let her drink from our water cups. She also likes to drink from a dixie cup. In anything special I would give water. Also those netted feeder's I would put ice in it. If you start putting flavor in things she will get used to it and always want flavored. The only way I give her flavored water is if she has a possible bellyache, then I give her warm water with a touch of light carro syrup. But now she takes water in her sippy cup with no problem.

Hope this works, take care.

If you have a water bottle you can try that. My daughter wont drink much from her sippy cup, but if its in mine or my husbands water bottle, she will drink it. good luck to you