How to determine a child's appropriate water intake.

3kidsin3years

Hi there!

Need some help. My 5 year old daughter just isn't into fluids, of any sort. She doesn't drink much water, will pass on the milk or juice that's on the table and hardly every has to go to the bathroom. The other day, I think it was noon before I could convince her to drink anything at all. I know this isn't good for her, we've tried a few different ways to motivate her and she always sees me with a big glass of water, but she still shows no interest. She's very healthy in every other respect, not a health concern to be found. I just recently started to really focus on how much water I drink, to make sure I get what I'm supposed to, so now, I have a glass that is 8oz and I have my self on a schedule to drink that glass every 1 1/2 hours, on a schedule, so I know I'm drinking what I need. I think I'd like to do the same with her, and all three kids for that matter, but don't know how much they should each get. At one point, I heard half your body weight in ounces (ie: I'm 138, therefore approx 70oz of water a day). The oldest is 6 and 50lbs, she is 5 and 45lbs, the youngest is 3 and 40lbs, all are fit, healthy kids, other than fluid intake. Does anyone have any ides on this? Should I not even worry about it since she's great otherwise? Thanks for your help!

fzyfrog

Perhaps your pediatrician would be a more appropriate person to ask. But that is just my opinion.

HealthyishWithMaggieG

I don't know how to determine how much she should drink. But, I would suggest, if it's really a concern, try getting her to eat more foods that have a higher water content, like watermelon. Just google foods with high water content. Trick her into getting hydrated.

mangos4music

i dunno how much they should be drinking, i dont have to worry about that with my daughter. she is the exact opposite! she never seems to be NOT drinking! i would definitely worry about it tho. i know when i was a kid i had lots of bladder, kidney, and urinary tract issues for as long as i can remember from not drinking enough

CalorieNinja

Pediatricians recommend a child drink half their weight in water in ounces. So a 50 lb. child would drink 25 oz. of water a day. You will know when your child is drinking enough water when their urine is pale yellow to clear.

catcrazy

If she is hardly going to the toilet then she probably does need extra fluids but if shes not into drinking them maybe you could try getting her to eat them. Fruit and veg have losts of fluid and all contribute to your fluid intake. Next time youre shopping ask her what she'd like to pop into the shopping trolley to drink...i'm not saying give her carte blanche but say hold up half a dozen child friendly drinks for her to choose from. If you choose some sugar free/low calorie soft drinks you could make them into ice lols or slushies. No point pushing the water, if she doesnt like it she doesnt like it.

ct1986

I don't know about how much but I do know that with my cousin who NEVER wanted to drink anything my aunt go "special" cups and straws (basically just silly ones that my cousin would find fun) and they were only for water. Since he thought this was fun it worked. Just a thought.

lilmissy2

I once sat through a fabulous presentation about hypo/hypervalemia given by a wise biochemist who insisted that the human body is a force to be reckoned with - if you truly need water, you will feel thirst unless something is VERY wrong. If she is otherwise healthy, I wouldn't worry about it except perhaps in times she is ill e.g. diarrhoea where her body reactions may be skewed and her fluid requirement would be higher.

NoAdditives

Perhaps your pediatrician would be a more appropriate person to ask. But that is just my opinion.

Yep. The pediatrician can also help you figure out how to get them to drink more as well.

tlp8rb

I once sat through a fabulous presentation about hypo/hypervalemia given by a wise biochemist who insisted that the human body is a force to be reckoned with - if you truly need water, you will feel thirst unless something is VERY wrong. If she is otherwise healthy, I wouldn't worry about it except perhaps in times she is ill e.g. diarrhoea where her body reactions may be skewed and her fluid requirement would be higher.

I believe our bodies send us signals when we're not getting enough fluids but we don't always listen to them. Dry skin is one signal - our skin is better hydrated from the inside than from the outside. Headaches, dry nasal membranes, dry eye, and dry chapped lips are other signs.

I am not normally "thirsty" but since starting to drink half my weight in ounces of water every day my skin no longer looks dry and scaly even in our hyper-heated home, and I've been able to stop using eye drops to alleviate dry eye.

Hydrate, people!!

3kidsin3years

Thanks for all the input folks, I do appreciate it. Not entirely sure what I'm going to do yet, but will take all into consideration. We have her normal checkup with her doc in a month, so will try to remember to ask him then, I just usually forget those things, even with list in hand. Hope everyone has a great weekend!