How To Get Your Toddler to Drink Water

Toddlers are notorious for wanting their own way. And their own way often includes drinking milk or juice and shunning plain old water! Water is a vital part of the human body and it is important to replenish it frequently, so even juice-happy toddlers need to drink it.

Setting a good example is a good start. If you only drink sodas and juice, your kids will want the same, but if they see you chugging water, then they will imitate you. It can be difficult to wean yourself off your favorite beverages, but the increase in water is good for you as well as your toddler.

You might also try separating drinking items. For example, the bottle for milk, a sippy cup for water. Some children really enjoy drinking from sport top water bottles, so it is worth investing in one and using it for water only. Specifying that a very special cup or bottle is for water will make it seem more exciting to your child and he will be more interested in drinking water.

Drinking a bottle at night is a big no-no, but many parents just can't deal with weaning their toddler completely off the bottle. Instead, try giving milk in the first bottle of the evening, and only water after that. There will be some tantrums, but it is far easier than taking the bottle away completely and gets your toddler drinking water. This is a good way to determine if your child is waking up because he likes milk or because he is thirsty. You will often find that the bottle of water is still half full by morning, whereas a bottle of milk would have been finished off.

When all else fails, try trickery. Rinse out a fast food soft drink cup and put some ice and water in it. Add a dash of lemon juice and close it all up. Stick the straw back in and let your toddler drink from this. Often, the simple act of drinking from one of these containers is enough to make the kid forget that he is used to drinking sodas from these containers! And the lemon will give the water just enough flavor that he will be likely to keep drinking.

Getting some pure water into your little one can be difficult, but it is very important in terms of health. Set a good example by drinking water yourself and make it a rule that juice and milk are limited to mealtimes. In between meals and at night, water should be the norm. Be prepared for some tantrums and protests, but in the end, water will win out.