Getting Toddler to Drink Something!

My son will drink an entire water bottle - he likes the CamelBak kids ones but won't drink much from a straw cup or regular cup. Buy a few different types and see if that helps. My daughter will drink out of anything but also seems to prefer the CamelBak ones (I found them at Target in the fitness/water bottle section).

popsicles. freeze OJ, milk, yogurt, etc.

Even offering watered-down juice and chocolate milk is a better option to what he is getting into him now (i.e. no liquids). Even ice cream has liquid in it.

Try offering yogurt. Juice boxes. Horizon even has a regular milk juice box.
Soups, raviollios.

Did you try the sippy cups that have straws? Sometimes they like those better.

I suspect that your toddler is saying NO just cos he can! Try lightly pinching the skin on the back of his hand. If it smooths down immediately as soon as you release it he is not dehydrated. If he is dehydrated take him straight to an ER cos dehydration is very serious in a baby or young child. Just like "food battles" what you're going through is most likely just your child trying to assert his indipendence. Rest assured that if you leave a sippy cup of water within reach and STOP trying to MAKE HIM drink - he'll naturally drink when he's thirsty! No child will voluntarily dehydrate himself. Also rest assured that there are liquids in a lot of the food he eats - especially fruit and veg. Good luck!

I would go with juice pops, and gogurt.

Keep trying. Offer it in a regular cup (water to start!), and those w/ straws. I would also try popsicles and applesauce and soup to keep the liquids up. Fruits also have lots of liquid in them too. My neice did this for a while, and finally outgrew it. Hang in there, and I agree - don't go full strength juice etc.

Try putting an ice cube in it.

Yep -- try straws (get colorful, fun ones or even squiggly straws-as long as they aren't hard for him to sip through); keep offering; keep feeding healthy foods that are watery. Please stick to your guns about not offering him chocolate milk and lots of straight juice! That develops a kid's "sweet tooth" and you are right that once you start that, it sets a precedent and they don't want to go back. I think the toddler stage of "I hate drinking" is one reason our niece, now 11, will drink only chocolate milk, hot chocolate and sodas -- she despised water and plain milk as a todder and frankly, her parents indulged her with whatever she would drink as long as it was liquid -- and now she guzzles only sweet stuff. She finally started drinking water more as she got older but she definitely was indulged into a wicked sweet tooth and still is allowed to drink a lot of junk.

Popsicles are great but please don't get store-bought ones; they are pure sugar and artificial colors. Make your own with well-watered juices or even with plain water -- some kids love the idea of ice more than the idea of water. Be sure he can't bite off chunks, though, because that could be a choking hazard. You can get popsicle "molds" online and even at many grocery stores.

Meanwhile, ask your pediatrician for ideas if you are concerned about dehydration. I guarantee, the doctor has seen this many times before and will have suggestions for foods and other strategies. It's not at all unusual for a kid this age to dislike fluids. I think they often dislike the "texture" of fluids and feel like "I'm going to gag because it's too thin" though they don't say it that articulately!

I have a three year old that has never been that big into drinking, I think some kids just aren't. He never really drank milk (I breastfed until he was two, so I wasn't worried then), and after that I always pushed water. Each day, at the most (now and when he was younger), he drinks a very small amount of milk or juice (2, maybe 3 ounces total), and a little water (a couple of ounces). He will only drink when he is thirsty, and I don't push it anymore. They actually get water from food as well, and he does drink when he is thirsty, like on a hot day out playing he will drink a lot, so I know he does need it sometimes. He always has plenty of energy, and is rarely sick, so I figure he gets enough, even though it is a small amount. Lately he has been drinking a little more water, but not much. Don't give in to the sugary stuff just to make him drink, he really will drink if he needs it. Try to always have water available, we always had a stainless steel water bottle (with sippy top, it NEVER leaked) available to him in the house and when we went out, and now he can get water from the fridge himself.

have you tried a straw in a cup...my youngest wouldn't do sippy's right away and would only drink out of a straw