Author Topic: fluid strike  (Read 1166 times)

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Offline jank

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fluid strike
« on: March 14, 2007, 23:25:28 pm »
I have a 13 mo that has recently substantially refused fluids of any type.  Before this started, she was taking 3 bottles a day, about 7-8 oz each.  After she turned one, we slowly transitioned her to cow's milk (took about 2-3 weeks due to the gassiness) and also dropped the afternoon bottle for snacks instead (we still offered her milk/water with snack).  Then, she started to decrease her morning milk bottle usually if she had woken up in the night and had some milk (gave her watered down milk if she woke up to deter habit).  Now, she hardly takes any milk in the morning at all even if she's had nothing overnight and the same for her bedtime bottle.  She does drink from a sippy cup also but not as much as in a bottle when she does take it.  In a day, she can have as little as 2-3 oz all day!....hardly sufficient for someone her age.

She does not seem dehydrated, has wet diapers, and is otherwise in good spirits.  She just refuses to drink a lot of fluids although we've tried offering both milk and water to her at every meal and during the day (she does not like juice).  Every once in awhile, she will take fluid if she's really thirsty but usually, it's in the form of the night wakes.  However, saying that, she sometimes refuses anything to drink even if she wakes up in the night and still drinks minimally during the day.  Obviously, she must get her fluids in her food (ie watermelon, other fruits, cereal, etc) but I still worry that she is not getting enough.  I don't find she's eating more in the day now that she has cut down on her milk/fluid intake.  What should I do?


Offline nwmm

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Re: fluid strike
« Reply #1 on: March 15, 2007, 00:13:41 am »
Could it be the sippy cups?  They do seem hard to get much liquid out of.

Offline jank

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Re: fluid strike
« Reply #2 on: March 15, 2007, 13:46:14 pm »
The main milk she gets is in the morning and before bedtime, both of which are in a bottle.

One breakthrough though, she usually has her dinner around 5-5:30 and when we finally eat our dinner around 6-6:30, I sometimes give her a bit of what we eat if she's interested and also try again to give her some milk out of my glass.  She usually only has several sips.  Yesterday, we gave her nothing between her dinner and her bedtime bottle and she finally took 3 oz.  Not a lot but she slept through the night (12 hours) and took 4 oz in the morning.  Again, not stellar but more than before.  Maybe this is enough for her.  Anyways, we'll see how it goes. 


Offline nwmm

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Re: fluid strike
« Reply #3 on: March 15, 2007, 18:26:39 pm »
Ask your Dr. how much she should get.  We were given a range.  Mine drinks the low amount of the range (4 oz 4 times a day).  This was the answer I got at the 12 and 15 month appointment.

I know this is not your problem, but might be worth mentioning.... In order to get more liquids in my lo, I put a couple of ounces of water in her bottle/cup.  She *needs* the liquids so I do whatever I can.


Offline * Paula *

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Re: fluid strike
« Reply #4 on: March 15, 2007, 19:46:23 pm »
The intake that they should have at this age is 20oz, but this can include milk in cereal, cooking, custards, yogurts, cheeses etc.

Do you think your lo could be teething?  When my DS was teething he would constantly refuse his bottles?
Thomas Michael - 12 July 2005
Abigail Louise - 23 October 2007

Offline jank

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Re: fluid strike
« Reply #5 on: March 17, 2007, 17:57:57 pm »
No teething as far as I can see.  She eats a lot of yogurt and cheeses and drinks about 4 oz of water during the day.  She's up to 6-10oz in a day not including what she gets in her food.  Still not the greatest but better than before.  Found out that she'll drink more milk if offered in a bottle and sips water throughout the day.  STill won't take much at bedtime though (2-3 oz milk).  When should you look at getting rid of the bedtime milk anyways....and if you do get rid of it, does it mean that dinner time is moved closer to bedtime so they'll be fuller when they go to sleep?  My lo has dinner around 5-5:30 and sleeps between 7:30-8:00pm.  Usually, that 's enough time to get hungry enough for a bottle before bedtime but not lately.

Offline * Paula *

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Re: fluid strike
« Reply #6 on: March 18, 2007, 20:02:15 pm »
My DS dropped his evening milk at around 19 months.  We kept his dinner at the same time and just offer him a yogurt before bed instead.  This seems to keep him going until bedtime.
Thomas Michael - 12 July 2005
Abigail Louise - 23 October 2007