How Much Water Does My Toddler Boy Need to Drink in a Day?

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How Much Water Does My Toddler Boy Need to Drink in a Day

Pediatricians state that toddlers should drink about 1.3 liters of fluids in a day. Bear in mind that ‘fluids’ means not only water but also soups, milk, and juices. Soda doesn’t get a mention because toddlers shouldn’t be drinking carbonated sugary drinks by default as they are bad for their health.

Today the awareness of health problems that come from insufficient hydration rises among the adults. ‘Drink 8 glasses of water a day’ is a piece of advice included into nearly every healthy lifestyle guide. We have smartphone apps to remind us to drink and water bottles specially designed to look well with a formal office outfit.

Sadly, the thought that children need much more motivation and reminders to develop healthy water-drinking habits seems to escape many parents. CNN reports Harvard surveys that indicate over 54% of schoolchildren don’t drink enough water daily, which compromises their health and weakens the immune system. Such data for toddlers is not available, but the numbers are hardly different.

Teaching your 2-year-old son to drink enough water daily is an essential step that can be a great help for him later in life. Today you can use a variety of tools to help you, but the most important thing is to get him into a routine of drinking regularly, much like your smartphone app does do you. Be sure to remember that toddlers don’t understand the concept of ‘it matters for your health’. What you need to succeed is to make the experience fun, because enjoying life and learning together is one of the basic parenting tips for raising a 2-year-old boy.

4 Tips on How to Get Your Toddler into the Habit of Drinking More Water

1.      Make the water available

Ensure that there’s a sippy-cup filled with water waiting for your child everywhere they play, study, or sleep. Basically, you need to take the trip to the kitchen out of the equation so your kid doesn’t ignore his thirst because he’s too captivated with what he’s doing. Place the cup where the child can reach it easily.

2.      Start with five sips

Toddlers are driven and once they’re into something, distracting them will be hard. So you’ll have to remind your child to drink more often than not. If the boy starts being difficult about it, ask him to only take five sips. Explain that this will only take a second and he’ll be able to go back to playing. Five sips should be enough for thirst to assert itself so the child will drink more voluntarily.

3.      Make drinking fun

Do you love your stylish water bottle? Give your child one they will lose as well. It can be a sippy-cup with their favorite character or your water breaks might be ‘adult time’ when they sip water through a straw from a crystal glass. Find out whatever your son likes and give them something that will motivate the child to make those water breaks. You should definitely mix different strategies to prevent your son from getting bored.

4.      Set a reminder

Program your smartphone hydration app to sound reminders for your son’s ‘drinking schedule’ as well. This will ensure neither of you misses the important time.

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