I Need Help with My 2 Year Old Girl..

My son was the same way as an infant. All he wanted was milk and the milk craving has followed him over the years. An allergist told me that it is a milk allergy and that it is that problem creating the need. He is 39 now and I am a grandmother, and he still guzzles down his milk. It very much reminds me of addictive behavior.

I also need to say that his pediatrician told me not to let him have so much milk as he would become anemic and I did give in to his milk cravings and the doctor was right (not one of my prouder moments as a mom).

G.
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Hi. My almost 2 year old does the same thing. I think she drinks way too much so my pediatrician says to only offer her her cup with meals and snacks only.

My daughter always used to ask for milk and at her 18 month appointment my dr told me she was drinking twice as much milk as she should be. I started giving her snacks when she asked for milk. Turns out she was hungry but didn't know how to ask for food so she would ask for milk. Now she only drinks 3 or 4 cups of milk a day and eats a couple snacks between meals and right before she goes to bed. This might help for you too. Less liquid, less wetting the diaper. Good luck

Not to be pessimistic, but have her blood sugar checked. Sudden changes in thirst can be a blood sugar issue.

I would check in with your pediatrician as the fact that she is drinking what sounds like alot is ? concerning....

I do agree with all the others below, you should call the doc. As a mother who is diabetic, its not somthing you really want to mess with. Best to get it takin care of and make sure it is or isnt. If your not able to make an appt that comes up soon enough just try to give her these low sugar drinks. Water is good too, flushing out the body. Well Hope all is well just let us all know =) Take Care

my daughter is almost 2 and does the same thing!!!! i call her my juice junkie! your not alone.

Hi E.,
You may want to consult your doctor about this ,just to be sure there isn't something else there (medical reason), for her wanting to drink so much. I know my daughter likes a little milk in her sippy cup to fall asleep, but not 3 cups worth. Better to be safe than sorry. Hope all works out for you!

I would just try to limit juices, and when she is wanting immediate refills, offer only water. I usually don't limit my kids milk intake, only because it's still good for them right? And so many kids I hear don't even like milk. So I guess my advice is that it appears that your daughter may just need a lot of fluids, and two isn't the easiest age to try to limit things I know, but restricting to only water may just sway her from asking for another cup, and save her from taking in too much sugar from juice. Hope that helps. :)
-T.

Hi E.

yes, I was in your shoes with my now 5 year old. She would do the same thing with juice before bed then pee through everything. I finally just decided this is it and would only allow her 1 cup before bed. I sat her down and explained it to her so she knew that she was only allowed 1 cup. Of course for the first couple of nights she threw tantrums the same as your little girl but she did get over it and yours will too. Don't feel guilty when she pulls the tantrum and definitely don't give in. she will eventually stop.
Hope this helps and good luck.

I just wanted to give you hope. My son has always loved lots (usually warm) milk before bed. One trick we did to slow him down on the milk was to require a cup of water between each cup of milk. He likes water, but not with the same urgency as milk, so it did slow him down. When he was in diapers, I ended up using cloth diapers (because no disposable could stand a chance with him) and triple diapering him to try to stop him from soaking through to the bed. Since he has been three (and now that he is four), he still likes his milk before bed (but we try to limit him to two cups). But, he is dry all night even when he sleeps for 10 hours...Trust your instincts and trust your kid (if she wants a drink so bad her body must be telling her something). Good luck!!!

please don't get panicy over this - but have her checked for diabetes.. one of the signs is eccessive thirst. does it affect her eating? you can try just giving her water when she's thirsty... I'd make a call to the ped though , a quick call to avoid something bigger...

If it is excessive thirst check her out with a pediatrician for juvenile diabetes. Good luck and lets pray it isn't.

I would check with her doctor, one of the signs of diabetes is being thirsty alot. My friends son was diagnosed at 3. good luck!

I have the same problem with my 21/2 yr old son. He loves milk and needs it before bed. Potty training should be fun, huh? I swear to you that Huggies Overnight diapers let my son sllep thtrough the night without wetting through!

I can not say that I have been in your shoes with thissubject, but I can say that I have felt the same feelings that you are experiencing right now.
I learned one thing that helped me out a whole bunch.
This time will pass.
I would give her the milk. Probably have her use the toilet right before bed, and just deal with the diaper thing until it goes away. I am sure that this is not the best response that you'll get. I probably sound crazy. It's just that when you let go of the things that you can not control, you concentrate on things you can, like being really patient and waiting for her to use the toilet bfore bed, then you'll feel less stressed.
There is no magic answer, but do what keeps you at peace.
Good Luck.
Who ever thought that these tiny creatures would have so much control over us, huh??? :)

Hi E.! You've gotten a lot of good advice. I would recommend checking out the diabetes thing, but don't be nervous. It is VERY age appropriate for toddlers to want to drink around the clock. I would definitely up the amounts of water or water the juice so excessive amounts of sugar aren't going in... But I think something important about this is: IF it's gotten to the point where she is having a tantrum about wanting to drink something, you've got to stick to your first answer. Giving in to tantrums is the fastest way to teach your daughter that she is in charge instead of you, and you don't stick to your word. As hard as it is to see her cry (it kills me), you're training her now for life-long behaviors that will stick with her forever. Good luck, consistency is the biggest key. And she'll probably outgrow the drinking thing, just give it time and work as well as you can with it now.

Sounds like you've gotten a lot of good advice. The only thing I would ad, is that my son also went through a time of drinking a lot of milk. It was when he was refusing to eat a lot of food. They go through their picky phases. My only recomendation would be to try the goodnights. They hold so much more then pull ups. If she's too small for them, Huggies makes an overnight diaper that works pretty well. Good luck.

If this is something new, I would contact the pediatrician. It could be something medical. Signs of diabetes is increasing thirst...Not that I am an expert, I would ask the pediatrician.