Author Topic: My 23 moth old daughter drinks a lot of watter during the night  (Read 1292 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline tamlev

  • New & Learning The Ropes
  • *
  • Showing Appreciation 1
  • Posts: 39
  • Location:
Hi,

My 23 month old daughter loves to drink water.
She used to sleep with a sippy cup in her bed so she can take a drink during the night.
Several months ago we tried to stop with this habit in preparation for getting her toilet trained (when she is ready hopefully at the end of the summer).

We had some nights with out her drinking at all but we are not quite there yet. there are many nights where she wakes up several times and asks for water so we give her a bit to drink and then take it away (rather then leave it in her crib).

She also asks for water when we put her in bed, we try to talk her out of it but she asks very nicely (saying please etc.). asking nicely is good and I want to keep that...

anyway, I would like to hear if anyone has any ideas since we will not be able to toilet train her (during the night) if she keeps on drinking...

one thing to remember, it is now summer and it can get hot during the night so she may be thirsty.

Thanks a lot!
Tammy

Offline :: ANA ::

  • BW Devotee
  • ****
  • Showing Appreciation 17
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 370
  • Previously n&a's mommy
  • Location: Mexico
Re: My 23 moth old daughter drinks a lot of watter during the night
« Reply #1 on: June 22, 2015, 20:05:49 pm »
Hi Tammy,

I'd say if she asks for it and drinks it, she needs it...As far as I understand, night-time dryness doesn't always come simultaneously with day-time dryness, it's a different process in the body and it may take a while before she stays dry at night, even if she is fully potty trained during the day.  I think it's not that much about how much you drink, but rather about your body developing what's needed to help you wake if you need to go to the bathroom or help you hold more in.  Of course it's gradual and accidents may happen but I personally wouldn't limit the amount of water.

I don't know if you have read this post, it touches some interesting points regarding night-time dryness.
Nighttime Dryness

I hope this helps!
Good luck
Ana








Offline creations

  • Feeding Solid Food & EASY
  • Forum Moderator
  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 496
  • Posts: 21993
  • Location: UK
Re: My 23 moth old daughter drinks a lot of watter during the night
« Reply #2 on: June 22, 2015, 21:24:27 pm »
When you say a lot of water - how much is she drinking in a night?

Agree with pp, about night time dryness, it isn't something you 'train' and I wouldn't limit drinks if she is thirsty.
Does she drink ok in the day?
Does she breath through her moouth or snore at night which cold lead to a dry mouth and feeling thirsty?
Do you think the drink is a prop for sleep?

I doubt I'd be able to offer help as such but I think the answer to these question may be useful for other members of the community who may be able to offer support.


Offline Katet

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 608
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 14364
  • Sydney Australia
  • Location: Sydney
Re: My 23 moth old daughter drinks a lot of watter during the night
« Reply #3 on: June 22, 2015, 21:54:27 pm »
'd say if she asks for it and drinks it, she needs it...As far as I understand, night-time dryness doesn't always come simultaneously with day-time dryness, it's a different process in the body and it may take a while before she stays dry at night, even if she is fully potty trained during the day.  I think it's not that much about how much you drink, but rather about your body developing what's needed to help you wake if you need to go to the bathroom or help you hold more in.  Of course it's gradual and accidents may happen but I personally wouldn't limit the amount of water.

This ^^ Honestly night time dryness has nothing to do with how much or when you drink water, but to do with the body's production of the hormones that regulate urine production that shut it off at night (rather than waking to go to the toilet)

How much water is she drinking throughout the day, is she drinking an excessive amount all day or its more that she likes it at night?  Over the course of a day I think at that age it is about 1-1.5 L of fluid that is a reasonable amount, but that includes milk, juice & even the fluid in fruit & veg.

dc1 July 03, dc2 May 05

Offline tamlev

  • New & Learning The Ropes
  • *
  • Showing Appreciation 1
  • Posts: 39
  • Location:
Re: My 23 moth old daughter drinks a lot of watter during the night
« Reply #4 on: June 23, 2015, 05:02:29 am »
Hi all,

Thanks for your replies!

to answer your questions:
1. she sleeps well and breathes through her nose
2. she drinks a lot in general, also during the day. she used to drink almost 2 cups of water during the night and we managed to narrow that down to about half a cup.
3. drinking from her sippy cup used to be very much a prop and that is also the reason we tried to have her not walk around with the cup all the time but put it down when she is done drinking. I still think that during the night it is somewhat a prop.

I heard that when toilet training, some children are trained day and night simultaneously and some take a while to train at night. I understand that and that seems reasonable. I am just wondering if this drinking during the night may postpone the dryness at night unnecessarily...

thanks :)

Offline creations

  • Feeding Solid Food & EASY
  • Forum Moderator
  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 496
  • Posts: 21993
  • Location: UK
Re: My 23 moth old daughter drinks a lot of watter during the night
« Reply #5 on: June 23, 2015, 08:45:03 am »
Wow 2 cups at night is a lot.
I don't want to panic you, but have you had a chat with your doctor about this?  Just to check that there isn't another reason for her wanting to drink so much?

I heard that when toilet training, some children are trained day and night simultaneously and some take a while to train at night. I understand that and that seems reasonable. I am just wondering if this drinking during the night may postpone the dryness at night unnecessarily...
Well, it might interfere yes, but it might also make no difference and you won't really be able to tell.
When mine was 25 months he had his first dry night, he was not fully dry at night for another 6 months.  He had a developmental check around the 25 or 26 ish month mark and our health visitor said he'd had a chance to enlarge his bladder (helping with dry nights) because at 12 months I cut the BT bottle and he took his large milk drink in the morning instead of BT (larger morning drinks help because LO is awake and aware of holding and releasing rather than weeing in a nappy when asleep). But that was an entire year earlier than his first dry night. Yes it probably helped that he didn't have a big milk/water drink before bed, but I didn't withhold water in the evening or at BT, and actually the hormone development plays a much bigger part of the process. So really I think it's only in hindsight one can say that reducing (large volumes of) liquids at night helps towards night dryness. I mean there are kids aged 7 still not night dry and that is unlikely to be due to vast quantities of water being drunk over night, it's just that their body is not ready yet.
it's equally important a LO is not dehydrated as the concentrated urine is harder to hold.


Offline *Ali*

  • Breast Feeding & Pregnancy/Childbirth
  • Forum Moderator
  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 373
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 22302
  • Caught in the act!
  • Location: London uk
Re: My 23 moth old daughter drinks a lot of watter during the night
« Reply #6 on: June 23, 2015, 09:42:22 am »
It could be that she is using asking for water as an excuse to call you. I wonder if just leaving the sippy of water next to her bed where she can reach it would help reduce the need for it. I'm thinking she wouldn't be "rewarded" by you coming in to keep her company at night if she just reached over and drank from it so it might lose its novelty.

Both my boys take their water cup to bed and drink unrestricted and have done since stopping night feeds (mostly EWs) shortly after their first birthdays. My DS1 often drinks up to 5oz at BT and overnight if he wakes and helps himself. He has been dry at night for about 2.5yrs though and hasn't had an accident for about 18 month. So it is possible definitely.

Cadan Dec 2009 and Colby Aug 2011


Offline tamlev

  • New & Learning The Ropes
  • *
  • Showing Appreciation 1
  • Posts: 39
  • Location:
Re: My 23 moth old daughter drinks a lot of watter during the night
« Reply #7 on: June 23, 2015, 10:43:40 am »
Hi,

I don't think there is a medical issue (but I will check this out), especially since she doesn't drink 2 cups anymore, we mannaged to decrease the amount.

I think that the need for watter is partially a way to call us in the room but once she drinks she immidietly goes to sleep. she doesn't start playing around.
That is why initialy we let her keep the cup in bed so that when she wakes she can grab it herself and not need to call us (and we can STTN too  ;)). This indeed worked and she took the cup byherself when needed (but ended up drinkiong about 2 cups a night) so we decided to take the cup out of bed since we felt it was more of a "comfort drink" and a habit that was not necessary for the night...

Offline Buttonbobs

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 124
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 6873
  • E - born 20/10/11
  • Location: Hampshire - England
Re: My 23 moth old daughter drinks a lot of watter during the night
« Reply #8 on: June 23, 2015, 12:29:06 pm »
If your instinct is that it is a habit at night, what about talking to her to explain that she can have a cup of water in her room but that once it is empty that is it until morning, and working using ST. techniques if she wakes and cries for more in the night.

This way, you're not restricting her from drinking, if she really needs it. You're not maintaining the prop of calling you for more water, and you're reducing the amount when's taking over the nighttime.

I do agree with others though, try not to worry about the PTing yet, this will happen when she's ready, and stopping/reducing night drinking now may have no effect in the longer term.
~ Naomi ~




Offline Katet

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 608
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 14364
  • Sydney Australia
  • Location: Sydney
Re: My 23 moth old daughter drinks a lot of watter during the night
« Reply #9 on: June 23, 2015, 21:41:19 pm »
I heard that when toilet training, some children are trained day and night simultaneously and some take a while to train at night. I understand that and that seems reasonable. I am just wondering if this drinking during the night may postpone the dryness at night unnecessarily...

Some children are, but it has absolutely no relationship to their fluid consumption or their bladder size, night time dryness is totally & completely hormonal & as a parent it is something you have no control over.
The key factors really are is her urine during the day nice & clear or slightly yellow - then she is getting the right amount of fluid. As she gets closer to night time dryness her morning urine will be a darker yellow (more concentrated) because the body effectively keeps the fluid in the cells of the body rather than diluting the urine. So in terms of the Biochemical side of it, the amount of water she drinks & when she drinks it is pretty irrelevant. The reason an adult wakes at night to go to the toilet from drinking more is because of habits & it's kind of the same with children. Some children just won't be (about 3%) night time dry until they are 10yo &  about 30% of 5yo aren't dry at night & it isn't about the parenting or the fluid they drink & when they drink it, but totally about the Biochemical balance of their bodies.  Given that 70% of the population don't drink enough, you may find that she probably is not drinking an unreasonable amount & it's more about the habit that you struggle & the timing of her drinking.
dc1 July 03, dc2 May 05