My 17 month old has been drinking a LOT of liquids over the past five days or so. Yesterday he drank 12 ounces of water in one sitting and then another 8 ounces of juice about 2 hours later. Needless to say, he is blowing through diapers like crazy. Is this a "phase" thing, or should I call the doctor? He has also been eating less, as a result. Should I limit his liquid intake? He is old enough to ask for it now, so could it be that it is just fun for him to ask for "wa-wa" or "joo" and then enjoy the results, or should I be concerned that something is wrong?
I knew that excessive thirst could be a sign of diabetes, but his PKU test at birth was negative, so I though that meant he was not at risk for Type 1 diabetes. Thank you all for your concern. I am going to call his doctor today and see what he thinks.
Sorry I wasn't more clear in my post about the PKU. At the hospital where my son was born, they were doing a diabetes study and used the PKU blood test to also test for a genetic link to diabetes that babies with a predisposition for it would test positive to, but my son was negative. After doing more research based on everyone's posts, I realized that even though the test was negative, there are other factors (viral?) that can cause an onset of type 1 diabetes. I Spoke to my son's doctor, who is not concerned (for a variety of reasons too long to go into -but made sense to me, and I trust him) so we are going to see what happens over the next week or so before going forward with any testing. Thank you for you help and your concern.
I think it's normal, especially since it is so hot outside right now. They are going to need more fluids. I would stick with mostly water though, since the juice won't really quench his thirst. Yes, they also will fill up on liquids and not eat as much so you may have to limit it some, if you don't think he's getting enough to eat. Good luck.
E.
Hi! I would def. talk to your doctor about this. Excessive thirst is a sign of Type 1 diabetes. It probably is nothing but I would get it checked.
Excessive thirst and frequent urination are sypmtoms of type 1 diabetes (not to scare you), but children that age if diagnosed are usually hospitalized first with something else. I work for the American Diabetes Association here in Jax, so please let me know if we can do anything to help you, but I think it wouldn't hurt to have him checked out. A blood sugar test might put this worry to rest!
Good luck!
K.
If I were you, I would check with his doctor just to be sure. if he says nothing is wrong, try not making a big deal of it so he doesn't know this is bothering you. just give him water whenever he asks, I would go slower on the juices, especially those with added sugar and/or corn syrup. But don't act as if this is not normal.
good luck
O. H.
its hot out... what is considered excessive? Check for diabetes...but dont limit liquids or food either that can cause problems if there is something actually wrong.
Hi, M..
I see already that many people have mentioned the diabetes concern, so I won't go through all that again. I just wanted to give you a link on the PKU heelstick. (As new parents at the hospital, we don't always understand everything the dr's do for our children, or it doesn't get fully explained to us). Unless your delivering hospital did something out of the usual testing, the PKU does not routinely check for diabetes. It is for other disorders.
This link lists the diseases/problems that are routinely checked for with the PKU heelstick.
(So you know what they DID check for..)
http://www.justmommies.com/articles/heel-stick-screening....
Best of luck to you.
Take him to the doctor...excessive thirst can be a sign of type I or juvenile diabetes. It is probably nothing, but get it checked just in case.
B.
M. you should definitely call the doctor. Excessive thirst could be a sign of juvenile diabetes which a friend of mine's son has. Better safe than sorry.
Has he been in a lot of heat, so that thirst would be natural? And - yes - it sure could be fun to ask - but - if that were all it was, he wouldn't drink it all after he asked for it (well, mine wouldn't have...they'd have had a sip and then tossed tossed it aside, satisfied that they asked and received).
At just about that age, my son had an excessive thirst and, with a family history of diabetes, the doctor wanted to have him tested for diabetes. He did not have it (and, now at age 39 - still does not have diabetes). But - it is a symptom...If the heat doesn't explain it and it doesn't go away it a while - or if you see other symptoms (weight loss in a child is a pretty dramatic symptom) - I'd ask the doctor what he/she thinks...as for limiting the liquid intake, I'll leave that to others, but young children seldom need anything limited - except for sweets and fats (the juice should be limited - substitute water - if he's still thirsty - I'd give it to him.)
Good luck!
Children go through stages where they will eat more and then eat less and the same thing with drinking. If you feeling he is not receiving adequate nutrition because of the excessive drinking, you should make sure he eats before he drinks something. Sometimes kids will drink a lot and then have very little room for their meals. You should give the child the meal first and wait until the child is done eating the meal before you give fluids. Make sure the child is drinking more water than juice, since some juices contain sugar, making the child less hungry. You may want to start slowly with the fluids. Tell the child you must eat x amount of bites before you give him something to drink and increase the amount of bites taken before you give him something to drink. Like I said before, children go through stages. As soon as you get adjusted to one phase, they start another phase. Could it possibly be that when your child asks for something, he could be hungry and not thirsty. There's nothing wrong with drinking fluids, it is very easy for children to get dehydrated, just make sure they are getting adequate nutrition from foods as well. You may even try some fruits, since they contain water, so your son is not more than he is eating. The only concern would be the nutritional aspect. It sounds like just a phase, so just watch to make sure your child is receiving adequate nutrition. If you still have concerns, don't hesitate to call your child's pediatrician.
I don't want to scare you, but it's better to check with the doctor to rule out something serious. Excessive thirst and urination could be signs of type I diabetes. Don't wait. I hope it's nothing, but it's better to know.
My question is, are you out alot? In the outdoors, in the car, or backyard? If so it may be that he is needing the fluids more than the solids. I'd check with the doctor anyway. Mine always drank fluids often, now that she is 3 1/2 she is slowing down more. So who knows.
