Toddlers not drinking water!

Tee has always detested drinking. It's genetic. My mother doesn't get thirsty. Neither do I. We literally have to set alarm clocks to remind us to drink. So when Tee started showing signs of not drinking (apart from milk), I was worried. People suggested I gave her juice or sweeter drinks. That didn't work. She is just not a drinker!

So how do I get her to drink?

Now that she is in her Terrible Three's (What, you think it stops at Two? Let me tell you, it goes beyond Three! Even Four!!!), she is purposely rejecting drinking water because she is just the little rebel that she is. I have a very willful child. The female version of Billy Idol.

Due to her pure willfulness, whenever I ask her if she'd like to drink, she'd automatically say no. Her mouth is already programmed that way. Second strategy. Don't ask. Say DRINK. It doesn't work. She will still not drink. Why should she do what Mommy tells her to. She'll do what she wants, when she wants. When you have a toddler like mine, no amount of caning, spanking, scolding, time-outs (not that I give her any of these, apart from scoldings and time-outs) will make her do what she does not want to do. I am not kidding.

After pure observation, the Hubs has identified that we need to put water in front of her lips when she is busy doing something. When she is in the midst of a jigsaw puzzle, or building a tower, or drawing.......we place some water with a straw in front of her. Tada!!! It works. She drinks! I'm not sure if it's because there is no request to drink and water is just placed in front of her mouth that she drinks or whether she is busy concentrating on the task at hand that she just wants you out of her face as soon as possible, so she drinks to make you happy so you'd just go away. Whatever the reason, it works for us.

So as hard as it is that we have to be on the ball to see when she is busy to feed her with liquids, we'd rather not have her dehydrated. Sometimes we resort to threats. Like tell her she will lose a toy if she doesn't drink. But sometimes that backfires as she will say, OK. You can take the toy. *smile*

More tips on how to make your toddler drink water and fluids.

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