If you have a 12 month old or older, what does your pediatrician say...

... about fluid intake? I spoke with mine yesterday because Jesse does not seem interested in drinking anything most of the time (we're lucky if we get 10 oz of anything into him daily). I asked our ped how much he should be drinking, and he said zero to 24 oz a day. That's right - zero. I asked about dehydration and he told me that Jesse will not allow himself to get dehydrated, his brain will tell him he's thirsty and he will drink when he wants/needs to. The only danger of dehydration is when a child is vomiting or has diarrhea. I asked about milk intake, and he told me the same thing, zero to 24 oz. It doesn't sound right to me - I thought they need milk every day. Jesse is 13 1/2 months now. What have your pediatricians told you?

Re: If you have a 12 month old or older, what does your pediatrician say...

Yesterday, my ped said 16 - 20 oz.

Re: If you have a 12 month old or older, what does your pediatrician say...

My daughter is still nursing, so I'm quite used to having no clue how much fluid she intakes.

On the question of whether or not they need milk every day, the answer is no, they do not need milk every day. If your baby is eating cheese, yogurt, broccolli, etc he is getting his calcium other ways.

If your baby is eating fruit, there is liquid in that as well.

A healthy baby self-regulates. You can't force him to eat. Just make sure a sippy cup is always available, and he'll be fine!!!

Re: If you have a 12 month old or older, what does your pediatrician say...

Claire is 18 months now and I dont track her fluids because it really varies from day to day. With milk some days she will have as little as 5-6oz and other days as much as 18 oz. I offer her milk in the morning, before her afternoon nap and before bed. As for juice and water she usually averages around 8-15oz a day, the sippy cup is always there if she wants it. The only time I worry is when we have hot days and she is running around outside sweating, then I push the sippy cup more.

Re: If you have a 12 month old or older, what does your pediatrician say...

My doctor said about 16-24 oz. Jake usually has 2 8oz bottles of milk and then his sippy cup is always available with water in it.

Re: If you have a 12 month old or older, what does your pediatrician say...

DS drinks 28 oz of milk a day still (well thats what I give him, he probably leaves 2-4 oz through out the day)


AND he drinks 4-8 oz of water a day - and my ped wants it to be 8 oz minimum - even with his high milk intake!!

Re: If you have a 12 month old or older, what does your pediatrician say...

Our ped. said 16-24 oz. also. I find it really difficult to get Andrew to drink that much. So now I take to leaving sippy cups all over the house (on weekends and evenings) at his level so he might grab and take some sips here or there.