Over Hydration????

Ok, honestly, do you hear doctor's complaining of over-hydration? Nope, not me, just being dehydrated. Babies are supposed to have wet diapers, that means he's healthy. :)

Here is information from two different websites, I hope it helps!

This is from www.keepkidshealthy.com

15-18 months
You may now give your baby homogenized whole cow's milk. Do not use 2%, low fat, or skim milk until your child is 2-3 years old. Your baby's diet will begin to resemble that of the rest of the families, with 3 meals and 2 snacks each day. You should limit milk and dairy products to about 16oz each day (in a cup or bottle) and 100% fruit juice to 4-6oz each day (offered in a cup only) and offer a variety of foods to encourage good eating habits later.
Your child should want to feed himself with his fingers and a spoon or fork and should be able to drink out of a cup. He should have given up the bottle by now. Remember that your baby's appetite may decrease and become pickier over the next few years as his growth rate slows. Your baby should also have given up middle of the night feedings by this age.

To avoid having to supplement with fluoride, use fluorinated tap water. If you are using bottled or filtered water only, then your child may need fluoride supplements (check with the manufacturer for your water's fluoride levels).

This is from www.earthsbest.com

How much water should my toddler drink every day?

According to the Institute of Medicine, a child between the ages of one and three needs about 1.3 liters of water a day. Keep in mind that total water intake reflects the sum of plain drinking water and the water content of all foods and beverages consumed during the day. That means your toddler may meet much of his water need from the milk, juice, fruits, soups, yogurt, etc. that he is eating. In order for your child to fulfill his fluid needs without an obligatory intake of unnecessary calories, be sure to offer plain water during meal and snack time, and between times in response to thirst. Many factors will affect your child's unique need for water including the climate you live in... a hot, dry climate will increase a child's need for fluid, activtiy level... active kids will need more water than sedentary ones, and fever or other physiological conditions may increase a child's need for water. Normal hydration can be maintained over a wide range of water intakes. The body has many mechanisms for achieving water balance. If not enough water is drunk, the kidneys will conserve water, and when fluid intake is high, urine output will increase. One way to make sure your child is drinking enough water is to pay attention to his urine output. If he is urinating frequently and the urine is pale yellow and with little smell, he's getting enough, but if his urine is bright yellow and acrid smelling, it's a good indication he's not getting enough fluid and his urine is very concentrated. Offer him plenty of plain, refreshing water to get back into balance. It's rare to get too much water and you needn't worry about that with a toddler who is allowed to drink in response to needs.

My daughter has always had lots of wet diapers, about 10 a day. Experts say we should drink at least eight 8oz glasses of water a day, so that's 64oz. I'm not sure what the requirements for kids/toddlers are though. The only thing I could think of is that they do have something called water-poisioning, you could research that. It's when you drink too much water in a short period of time.

I'm not real sure about overhydrating him but I am positive that you will have problems when he gets older. My nephews drink a lot... too much in fact and they are twin 3 year olds. They have started daycare and they have to use the bathroom a lot during the day and its very disrupting. The constantly want to use the bathroom or want something to drink and its hard for the teachers or aids to do what they have to because they have to continuously take them to do something. I think now while your son is young, you need to slack him off of the drinks. Also, all of that milk will cause him to be a milk baby and his weight will begin to rise as he drinks more than a child his age should consume. Personally, I think its too much. Another thing, too much water can be toxic. You really need to cut him back.... I am concerned for him. Please dont take offense to this response, its just a personal point of view.

Hey! Just a thought... Does he seem very thirsty? Extreme thirst is a sign of diabetes. Might not hurt to check in with your pediatrician if your son seems more thirsty than normal. Could be he likes the cup for security reasons or something like that, my niece was that way. But the thought just occurred to me when I read your post that thirst can accompany diabetes. It's one thing to encourage a child to drink plenty of fluids, but it could be a warning sign if he's always thirsty.

no such thing as over hydration. the baby is going to pee! what you are doing is good. liquids flush out the toxins in the body!

I'm not sure where I read this, but for a 2 year old it is recommended they intake 16 oz of fluid a day. So, I think you are safe. Plus you are providing him with healthy drinks and that's great!

It is possible to drink too much water. My ex-husband used to carry one of those 44-oz convenience store cups full of ice water aroound all day and would go through at least six of them. When he went to the doctor after he started having chest pains, and they did blood work, they found that he had depleted his sodium levels to the point where it was affecting his heartbeat. (The nerve impulse that regulates the heart requires a certian amount of sodium.)
Many times, extreme thirst is a symptom of diabetes. Talk to your pediatrician abiut having his sugar levels evaluated.

Have you had his sugar checked. Sometimes if children have low sugar they become really thirsty. Otherwise he might be a really thirsty kid.

Unless you are forcing your son to drink a lot during the day when he doesn't really need it, I honestly don't think over-hydration would be an issue. It is much much better than him being de-hydrated because of getting too little fluids. Just please be careful how much juice you mix with the water. When my son was little, he had beautiful baby teeth that all rotted because I did not provide him with enough unsweetened water. Maybe you could try putting a tad of different flavorings in the water instead of juice, like vanilla extract. Or the little packages of sugar-free flavored drink mixes that are sold specifically to add to bottles of water? In any case, it's great that you and your husband are concerned with your child's health.

I'm not 100% sure, but I really don't think over hydration is possible since our bodies are 70% water. You could probably just search it on the internet to find out. Both my boys always drank alot at that age...I wondered where they put it, lol. Anyway, let us know what you find out. : )

I also have a fifteen month old and I do the same. About 3 cups of milk and water all through the day. I think it is better to have lots of fluids than not enough. I think it is fine, especially in the summer they need even more water.

It may not be over hydration. I would have him checked for diabetes. Drinking lots and going to the bathroom lots are signs. My son was 6 yrs old and we noticed that he was drinking lots of water and going to the bathroom even in the middle of the night. He got up one morning and was so weak that he couldn't stand up. He was diagnosed with diabetes. We didn't know the signs at the time and had no clue. He would also go through having no energy and just lay around.

Yes, there is such thing as Over Hydration, it's called Water Intoxication. It can mess up sodium and potassium levels. It has actually happened to someone I know recently. Not a child, but an adult. Here's a link discussing it:

http://chemistry.about.com/cs/5/f/blwaterintox.htm

You definitely need to talk to your pediatrician about what is a normal amount of water a 15 month old should be drinking. It may be that the amount you are giving your child is ok, but I would definitely ask your ped.