How to get them to drink water

Hey, I have two kids who have recently started to refuse their water at snacks and lunch. I only serve water at morning snack and lunch, and then milk at afternoon snack. If they want more after they finish their milk, they get water. So, today, one child did not drink the entire day. I gave him his water at afternoon snack to see if he would drink it, he did not. Then I gave him a small bit of milk in a cup, and he didn't drink it either. However, once I removed him from his chair, he started to cry.
I am not going to offer juice as an alternative. I know they are refusing water at home, and I think they get milk or juice instead.
Should I give in and give them milk, or should I enforce my rules? Also, should I give them milk at afternoon snack, or stick to water only until they start drinking it again? I just don't want them holding out until afternoon snack to get the milk...kwim?

I put Fresh fruit at the bottom of my water piture (sp) IE lemon, watermellon, honeydew barries of any type....yummy! we are love it

I actually only serve water, all day! I started out serving juice @ snack and milk at lunches...then cut out the juice (they were filling up in it)...then just milk@ lunch. I was throwing so much milk out at lunch I decided to just go with water; they get a very well rounded, healthy variety of foods in their day that more than make up for it. I am very up front in interview about this as well. Lots less dishes to wash as well! Keep in mind that they are getting liquids from their food as well. I would not let it bother you too much if they don't drink tons of water. IMO if you are getting at least 4 wet diapers in a day, they are hydrated.

I too use fresh fruit to flavour the water. I myself cannot stomach 'plain water' for some reason so adding a little hint of something helps me get it down.

Fresh fruit in the water is an awesome idea, thanks ladies! I'm doing that to see if it works. I serve a splash of juice in their sippy cups and fill it up with water so I'm just flavouring their water. Same difference if you buy the nutritious fresh pressed juice.

I have a sippy cup/spill-less straw cups for each child with their name on it that is full of water and I leave it out for them all day. I find they drink quite a bit as they play.

I only serve water

I give juice, but they get one juice and when that's done it's just water. That being said I mix my juice- 1 part juice to 3 parts water.

I put ice in there clear sippies they love how cold it is and shake the cups which keeps them interested....great for teething too:)

I only do water also and am glad to read I am not the only one.

I started off offering apple juice, water or milk.

Then last year I eliminated the juice and told parents that there would no longer be juice available. I felt it was bad for them since my own child ended up with cavities.

So now we do water and milk and I would not offer more than 1 cup of milk a day. The reason being that they probably had milk with breakfast or dinner plus you are likely sering some calcium during the day i.e cheese cubes or yogurt so they don't need constant calcium. Too much calcium and dairy can make them constipated.

So most days I now offer water only.

Sometimes when I try to offer milk they gulp it and ask for another and another and refuse water too.

Honestly - going to water only for anyone over 18 months has been great and made them eat better too.

I also only offer water - they will eventually drink it, just don't give up!
I would probably stop offering milk in the afternoons if you think it is discouraging them from drinking water.

Wow !! I offer milk at breakfast and lunch, 100% juice at snacks and water during the day (mostly in summer) as much as they would want but they dont drink much of it. I only give a little bit of juice and milk and ONLY after they eat their meals or else, they will drink, fill up, and wont eat.

I see no harm in juice and especially milk !!! Milk does your body good :D and its important. I dont like throwing it out as well (or food in that matter) because its a waste, but that is why I give only a little bit at first and at lunch they get their desert after they drink at least 3/4 of the milk (used to be desert before but then wouldnt drink milk). If in the end there is a waste, I was reminded once that its the parents that technically pay for it :\

Kids mostly drink when I give them a straw, they looovveee it :)

I do water at snack, milk at lunch. I make it clear at interview I dont serve juice.

I've cut out the juice (you don't realize how much sugar there is in juice until you give it to 6 small children, hahaha).
Now they get a HALF serving of milk at snack time, and a regular serving at lunch. Totals up to two servings (not two full glasses/cups), which doesn't seem excessive to me. If they finish the milk and are still thirsty, they have water. If they are thirsty in between, they have water. I also keep a cup of water accessible to them all day.

Mine get 4 oz of milk at snack and lunch. In the summer I give juice mixed one can to 4 water as we take it outside as soon as they wake up. Right now I have one that drinks only milk out of choice - won't drink juice and one that drinks only juice and brings a cup of it from home and I ration it out and top up for after nap if needed. The two little ones do milk at all snacks and meals. Anyone that is still thirsty at any time get water. There are no seconds of milk or juice for anyone.

I make it clear at the interview that since juice as been identified as one of the number one causes of childhood obesity, I neither purchase nor serve juice in my home. I tend to attract the kind of parents who appreciate my attention to proper nutrition and none of them serve their children juice at home either, so it works well. The children are all used to getting only water to drink. It does make it easier when the rules are the same at home and in the daycare.

I also only serve water. I have one DCB that dosnt like to drink it but I keep offering it. He does drink a little here and their. Eventually they get used to it and drink it. They will come to realize that they won't get juice at your house.

One thing to note is that there is new research that suggests that too much milk can actually lead to iron deficiencies...the calcium blocks the absorption of iron. Now, 2-3 cups of milk per day is fine, but if you are serving milk with every meal and parents are serving it at home, that is something to consider. And for juice, I just don't see the point in serving it when they get the vitamines out of fruit and I think it's important for them to learn to like water right from the beginning. If we add juice to their water every time, even just a little bit, then they may develop an aversion to plain water. And kids get so much sugar these days, I don't think they need the extra that comes in juice (even if it is 100% fruit juice, it is very high in sugar).

Its really no big deal to serve juice. Of course I serve 100% juice, and yes there is still sugar in it, but at least it changes the taste and its not that harmful ladies. Juice has been invented for years, nobody dies from having a little bit of it.

I definitely think water is good of course, but drink allll day, pretty plain for the taste buds. Mine only get less then 3 oz of juice and only if they had their snack. None of my parents gave me problems for it. Or a good one is also the smoothie, the kids love the banana and strawberry one !

Its like me, I need my little bit of Pepsi Max during the day. I drink more water then I used too but I have to have my cola at least once. Or some need their coffee. Okay weird example but...

I don't see any big deal with serving juice either, never have. However, I serve a small amount of juice and fill the cup up with water. I buy the good quality fresh pressed natural juice also, not the concentrate. I want to keep the children hydrated. I've had groups in the past who drank several cups like this in a day and milk with lunch and afternoon snack also. Right now I have a group of children who will NOT drink milk for various reasons so it's juice and water all the way. I got tired of throwing my milk down the drain every day.

I have a set pattern that they learn and accept...if they are here for breakfast, OJ but watered down; snack is water as we always have fruit; milk at lunch; water available in sippy cups all day, inside and out; and juice after school but watered down. In summer I encourage watery fruits like watermelon, cucumbers etc to add fluids...

I have never understood the sudden complaints about juice either. A glass of orange juice for morning snack to ensure the extra vitaminC would go a long way to some of the health issues we are experiencing this month. Like any food - moderation. One serving of juice a day is not wrong - to replace all drinks with juice is a different matter. Fruit is naturally high in sugar and hence so is juice. Many young children will not eat the equivalent amount of a variety of fruits and juice can provide a good supplement. Juice does not make children obese. Eating too much period does.

I also find when kids wake from afternoon nap and especially in the summer that their blood sugar is low and they are dehydrated since it has been about 3 hours with no liquids and a quick small drink of juice brings everyone back into reality. Then we can settle to have our snack of fruit and cheese and crackers or whatever.

Water is available all day and they have milk with meals. I don't serve juice. I have had a few clients who didn't drink much at all in general so I've had to work with the parents to increase their liquid consumption but I've never had a child refuse water before.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by LittleFeet

I have a sippy cup/spill-less straw cups for each child with their name on it that is full of water and I leave it out for them all day. I find they drink quite a bit as they play.

---

Same here plus my kids drink 2 to 3 sippy cups of water each almost everyday, plus chocolate milk before quite time (the older kids 3 +) only if they eat all there lunch. I seriously don't put a lot of chocolate in there milk just enough to give it flavour. PLUS juice with there lunch!

I serve water with morning snack, Lunch and afternoon snack. I also keep the sippy cups in a bin that the children can help themselves to when they need to. I only serve my children 2oz of milk after they have finished eating their lunch. and I rarely serve juice and when I do, I put 3/4 water and 1/4 juice. I would definitely not give in to what the child wants in this case. If a child is thirsty he will drink, and they get a lot of water from their food as well. When we come in from outdoor play I also have all the kids sit down and drink water. They are all getting used to it now, and drinking well over 8 oz while in my care.

We have water for AM snack, milk for lunch and water again in the afternoon. If anyone wants a drink in between it's water. About 1-2 snacks a week we have juice, watered down 50/50.

I don't think there's anything wrong with juice in moderation either, but almost all the kiddies I have drink LOTS of juice at home so I try and help them develop a taste for water here. All the kids love milk as well but since only 2 servings of dairy a day are recommended, I only offer 1 cup of milk as we also eat cheese and yogurt regularly.

I give water at snacks. Due to bowel problems for two of my children they "have" to drink as much water as possible. I have them drink app. 4 ounces in the morn. Milk for lunch. For the bowel problem children - 4 ounes of milk. Others can have up to 8 ounces. I feel 8 ounces is a lot but they "have" to eat everything in order to get more than 4 ounces of milk. 4 ounces of water for aft. snack. They can always have more water and some do. I have a water machine so the older ones are learning how to use it. :) No juice, and I tell all my parents I serve no juice.

I serve mostly water. It's always available. If someone isn't drinking I remind them, and will pull them out of something to have a few sips. I flavor it with fruit, too. Or I'll make fruit cubes and put those in.

We don't have juice at all. I have water available for the children all day long.

My husband and I have started juicing for breakfast and lunch. The difference between real juice and store bought juice is extreme. After actually seeing the difference I will never ever buy juice again.

Most store bought juice has very little nutrition and a lot of sugar. Why not provide lots of fresh fruit and veggies and water? Also, you save money as water is free :-)

Love the idea of putting fruit in the water for some extra flavour! Muddle it a bit like a mojito!

Kids will learn to drink and enjoy what is offered. And they rarely will dehydrate themselves, just as with food, if they are hungry or thirsty, they will eat and drink.

I only provide water. Parents can provide milk if they want to. I only give the milk after lunch so the child will not fill up on milk. I serve other dairy at every snack or lunch, such as yogurts and cheese, so there is lots of dairy on the menu.

Unless your dcb is having constipation issues, I would not worry about him drinking. He's just trying to test you to see if he can get his way. When he realizes he won't get juice, he will realize how thirsty he is for some nice cold water.

I started off serving milk, watered down juice and water. Now it's usually water and milk at lunch depending on what it is. The juice is a treat and isn't given very often. I buy the 1L things of juice and dump it into a 2L milk jug and fill with water. This easily lasts us 2 weeks. I too don't think juice is bad. I think everything in moderation is key.

I like the idea of putting fruit into the water. I think I may try that even though my dck's drink water really well as it is.

**just curious as this question came to me while I was reading through this thread....those that are opposed to juice, are you opposed to flavoured milk as well? I sometimes give them chocolate or strawberry milk and don't really see the difference in that however, I have not compared the nutrition facts on the two.