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Offline mumofalice

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Waking at night asking for water
« on: January 07, 2010, 06:48:37 am »
DD has always been a relatively good sleeper - and the odd night waking that we do have she usually resettles herself or we go in and find her lovie (usually the reason she's upset), give it to her and she rolls over and goes back to sleep.

Over Christmas she had a cold and ended up with ulcers in her mouth which would dry up at night causing them to bleed  :'( :'( :'( She had a rough couple of nights for her - and when I went in to blow her nose, clean her face, etc, I offered her a drink of water (something I'd never done  :o) as her mouth was so dry. She did drink the water - and would actually sign for it if she wanted some when I did go in to her.

Her mouth is now healed and although she's still a bit snotty (aren't all toddlers permanently snotty? LOL) she's back to her normal self. However, we've had the odd NW and she signs for water - I've given it to her a couple of times, but am not entirely convinced that she needs it (she just has a sip) and am worried it's a bit of a habit. She's also done it a couple of times in the last few days before nap and sleep time - which just seems like a stalling technique.

When I put her to bed last night she wouldn't lay down and signed water - I got some for her and told her that she now couldn't have any water until the morning. She woke at 11.30pm last night - just called out Mummy a few times and that was it (she didn't 'need' me, so I didn't go in). She woke again sobbing at 4.30am, when I went in she signed for water. I laid her down and said the water was all gone and it was bed time. She was a bit upset but settled down again - called out Mummy a few times for the next hour, but no crying. She then woke at 6.10am and we went through the same thing. This time she was still upset when I left the room. I went back in and she was signing for a tissue - so I blew her nose, gave her lovie, tucked her in and she settled back down - I did think we'd have an early start to the day (usually start at 7-ish) but it did seem to work.

Anyway, after all that background info (I do go on a bit  ::)) just wanted to hear any thoughts. Do you think it's habit? How would you go about tackling it? As usual am worried that I did the wrong thing by saying no - maybe she did really need the water . . . but she's 28 months old and until now has never needed it.
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Offline lilisuze

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Re: Waking at night asking for water
« Reply #1 on: January 07, 2010, 07:33:35 am »
is she in a BGB? could you leave a beaker on the side? if she's in a cot, you could put a beaker on the top of the bars ( a non spill one!)
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Offline rinajack

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Re: Waking at night asking for water
« Reply #2 on: January 07, 2010, 08:36:37 am »
I give both my kids a nonspill cup of water to take to bed with them.  I do live in a hot climate, and that is how it got started, even when DS was still BF.  I myself drink water during the night.  DD didn't start with the water until DS was getting it at bedtime, rather than me getting it during the night - she was at least 2.5 yrs old then. I certainly wouldn't think it something worth battling about, but equally found it much less tiring to get it at bedtime and leave it available, than to be asked and have to get in the middle of the night.
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Offline Mashi

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Re: Waking at night asking for water
« Reply #3 on: January 07, 2010, 11:32:52 am »
A couple of other things pop into my mind as well -

If she has a cold at the moment, is she drinking enough water during the day? If she's not, then the long stretch of night sleep may be too long to get through without hydration. Any way you can get more water into her in the daytime?

Also, I know it's been stupidly cold in the UK the past couple of weeks, and with that the air may be a bit drier than it usually is? And/or you have the heat on higher or for longer and it is drying out the air, which will make her thirster than normal. Just increasing the humidity level in her room (or in the whole house) might help a bit as well.

Or, yes, it is a habit ...
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Offline mumofalice

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Re: Waking at night asking for water
« Reply #4 on: January 07, 2010, 11:45:05 am »
Thanks for all your replies ladies  :-*

She's still in a cot at the moment - so would have to be a non-spill cup in with her . . . my only worry is on the whole she drinks out of a cup and doesn't really like sippies anymore (you know how grown-up you are when you're 2 and a bit, right  ::)). Maybe I could give her a sports bottle - but don't think they're non-spill unless you push the top back down . . . would she remember?  :P

rina - think you're right, it's probably not worth battling about  ;) and probably much less tiring getting it at bedtime  ;) - but sometimes I think I just need to battle LOL. Just seems strange that it's happened all of a sudden, kwim?

Mashi - funnily enough she's drinking more water during the day at the moment, which I'm really pleased about as DH always has a pint of a juice on the go (the dilute / cordial type stuff as opposed to fresh juice) and I was worried that she was becoming a bit too addicted to it as she always wants to share Daddy's Juice  ::)

As far as temp goes - you could be right. It has been really cold the last couple of weeks - but we haven't really turned up the heat as we leave our central heating on constant rather than whacking it up and turning it down. Was wondering if she might be cold at night the other day when I saw a thread about what LOs wear to bed . . .

Quote from: mashimaro on January 07, 2010, 11:32:52 am
Or, yes, it is a habit ...

That's what I'm thinking . . . but sometimes I wonder if maybe I'm a bit tough  :P
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Offline rinajack

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Re: Waking at night asking for water
« Reply #5 on: January 07, 2010, 21:20:02 pm »
Re the liking an open cup....my almost 4yr lets me give her a nonspill cup, but only at night - 2.5 yr old DS is similarly grown up and independant during the day (my kids can actually go to the fridge, get what they want, pour it into a cup and put it back in the fridge! - both of them can do this), but they know that it would be too easy to spill the drink and it would wet their bed, so night times are for nonspill.  And re the need to battle - surely a 2andabit year old is giving you plenty of other battles you could focus on??? LOL I know mine sure is!
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Offline Purplecattypants

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Re: Waking at night asking for water
« Reply #6 on: January 07, 2010, 23:02:31 pm »
Josh has a sippy at night in his cot, has done for quite a while now. He's like my mum, drinks a lot of water in the night - I hear him sometimes, I swear he does it in his sleep!  ::)

I know its probably not the best thing, especially for when he comes to potty train as he'll be up needing to wee, but if I didn't give it to him he'd wake and ask for it, and tbh I like my sleep too much  :P

Nice to see you Berni  :-* :-* :-*
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Offline rinajack

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Re: Waking at night asking for water
« Reply #7 on: January 07, 2010, 23:20:23 pm »
Re the night time toilet training - our paed says having water at night is not related to night training.  She actually encouraged me to allow it to my DD, who is not PT at night - but honestly, the paed is right, she wakes dry on nights where she drinks loads at times, and other nights drinks none and wakes wet.  It isn't related.
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Offline Purplecattypants

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Re: Waking at night asking for water
« Reply #8 on: January 08, 2010, 14:55:39 pm »
Quote from: rinajack on January 07, 2010, 23:20:23 pm
Re the night time toilet training - our paed says having water at night is not related to night training.  She actually encouraged me to allow it to my DD, who is not PT at night - but honestly, the paed is right, she wakes dry on nights where she drinks loads at times, and other nights drinks none and wakes wet.  It isn't related.

Ah, thanks fantastic! I hope Josh follows the rules then  :P Sometimes he wakes with a soaking wet nappy, other times there's hardly anything in it, but tbh I havent taken note of how much water he's had or if it relates...maybe i'll start keeping an eye. Although tbh he is nowhere near being ready to PT so really it doesn't matter yet!

Thanks for the reassurance though Rina  :-* :-* :-*
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Offline mumofalice

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Re: Waking at night asking for water
« Reply #9 on: January 14, 2010, 07:05:41 am »
Quote from: Purplecattypants on January 07, 2010, 23:02:31 pm
Nice to see you Berni  :-* :-* :-*

And you too me dear  :-* :-* :-*

Thanks again for all your ideas and suggestions.

Rina - your LOs sound like they are so clued up. Agreeing to have sippy cups at night and helping themselves to drinks - I'm impressed. Only yesterday DD reached up to get a cup of water from the worktop which I just filled (I turned round to get her snack out the cupboard) and she got a right shock when it poured all over her LOL!! She's good with an open cup has been for months, but obviously hasn't got the whole gravity thing just yet. And yes, there are a few battles developing - for some reason this was one that bothered me. I *think* maybe because I felt like I'd created it by offering her the water when she was sick - before that she never woke and asked for water.

Anyway . . . the 'problem' (which isn't really a problem, just in my silly head  ::)) ended up sorting itself. DD asks (signs) for water as soon as I put her in her cot (now both nap and bedtime), I give her a drink, she says 'no more' when she's had a sip, and then goes to sleep - and I don't hear from her again til the morning. So other than the pre-sleep top-up she's not waking for it anymore . . . will think about the sippy in cot / by bed for the future tho.

Interesting point about the night time toilet training - I too would've thought drinking water through the night would be related to it.

Thanks as always ladies - you rock  :-*
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