My Toddler Drinks 3-5 Cups a Night

I would put something within his reach at night so he can get his own drink. In general, kids call their parents to do this because they're bored, or lonely, or just want somebody to be at their beck and call. Is he in a crib, or bed? If he's in a bed, put something - water bottles, juice boxes, whatever - on his night stand. If he's in a crib, put it outside the crib but reachable. Let him know that this is all he'll get - he can't call you to say he needs more. At his age and older, everybody learns how to get through the night without feeding themselves or getting a lot to drink - he will, too. When he's old enough to go potty, it should actually be simpler - with a stool in the bathroom, he can get his own drink AND go potty.

When my son was 2ish he'd drink apx 24 ounces of milk right before bed, and then 24 again right around 2am. He was hungry and growing. During growth spurts he'd drink more... that was the average.

As far as potty training goes... giving kids LOTS of fluids right before bed for nightime training is really beneficial. We did it on accident, but a growing number of families are doing it on purpose. By potty training time they've already got some control, and a full bladder feeling (and being soaked afterwards) is unmistakeable... the brain seems to learn very very quickly how to night train in this circumstance... as opposed to restricting fluids, where the idea is to learn to be dry by not needing to go. I personally like/think it makes more sense to be learning to be dry by knowing WHEN they need to go. I now know about 30 families IRL who intentionally push fluids at night (instead of restrict them)... because night time training happens soooo much faster that way. The average is 1-3 nights, when the child is already daytime trained. After that no accidents at all except for what's to be expected (a couple times a year with dreams/nightmares/illness).

Don't give him the vitamins at night or late in the day... it can make the body pee a lot. And make sure he is taking the prescribed amount of vitamins for his age... if too much, he may be wanting to drink a lot to flush it out of his body, unconsciously.

Next, does he drink a lot of juice? Certain juices can be diuretic. Like lemon juice/lemonade.

Does he drink enough during the day time? Does he perspire a lot? Maybe by the time night comes, he is just dehydrated?

All the best,
Susan

Ask your pediatrician about screening him for diabetes incipitus.
This is different from diabetes mellitus or "sugar" diabetes.
This lesser known problem, simply put is the body's inability to recognize
that it is no longer thirsty. They don't feel satiated. If your child is always
thirsty it's worth asking about.
Good luck.
Jen

Please know that anything that is sugar free is a neurotoxin to the brain which means it is a chemical that causes damage to how the brain functions and with children this can be especially harmful as their brains are still doing a lot of growing and changing. You need to talk with the pediatrician or even a nutritionist and take control of what he is eating and drinking at night. I completely agree with the other post about why are you giving him vitamins at nighttime as well. Maybe that is the problem...

Hang in there.

Are you saying that he drinks this much through the night? Or with dinner? If you are sure it is not diabetes, I would suggest only giving him water to drink, and not anything with sugar or sugar-free. Most of the artificial sweeteners are NOT good for children, and drinks that are "sweet" in taste can make kids want to drink them even more. Give him plain water to drink, and see if that makes a difference.

Good luck,
T.
Barefoot Books Ambassador
www.ReadandGrow.com

Both my kids like to drink water at night...not that much, but they always have their sippy cups at bedtime and wake up and have a sip when they want to.

My oldest is 4 1/2 and this wasn't at all a problem with potty training. He's been dry at night with no accidents for about a year and a half. My youngest is still just 16 months, so I don't know how it'll go with him, but maybe it won't be a problem?

-M

Hi C.
I Agree with a few of the other moms, I never allowed my toddles to dring that much at bed time, the one mom said give the lots of liquids is good for night time training, I have 13 years experience in potty training and no that is not a good idea. I believe it's one of to things, the vitamins at night are having negative side affect. or it is more habit than thirsty, and or he is charge instead of you. Vitamins are to be taken in the morning usually with or at breakfast, never put juice boxes out for any child to drink through the night, if you do that you may have so heck of dental bills later, also all sweet drinks just make you more thirsty. J.

I woiuldn't give him vitamins at night, only in the morning with breakfast. Also I'd make sure you offer him plenty of water through out the day. He's developed the habit of getting his fluid intake at night so it might take a couple of nights of not giving in but if he's thirsty enough in the morning he'll start drinking what he needs during the day. Don't let him be in charge. I let my 27 month old son have one sippy cup of water at night in his bed so he gets a sip if he needs it but most of the time in the morning it's still mostly full. Good luck and see if you can enlist someone's help to teach your son some new habits.

I would say have him tested again just to make sure it is not diabetes. It does sound more like a habit to me though to avoid sleep! Does he do it during the day? Does he do it because he knows you will get up and give it to him and he will get the attention he wants. They can be manipulative little buggers at this age. My daughter around the age of 20 months would start yelling HELP, HELP ME MOMMY, at like two in the morning. When I would go in she would give me this huge smile. Scared the heck out of me the first time, but I learned quick. I still went in a couple times just to make sure she was pulling my leg, but when I stopped she stopped. Good luck and I hope it is just that. : )

one of my kids does the same thing. he doesn't drink much during the day. I just figure he should drink during the day, and when he finally stops, he realizes, "hey, I'm thirsty"....That is my theory.

you need to talk to his pediatrician. why are you giving him vitamins at night? i've always heard to do those in the morning. they can do funky things to your pee, probably make your thirsty too. not sure a healthy 22 month old needs vitamins that would make him want 3-5 cups of water? i'm confused. talk to your pediatrician. i am pretty sure trying to potty train will be extremely difficult right now. my feeling is that you're just letting him run over you, but this seems awful extreme.