Help!!! DS has a drinking problem!

[COElizabeth]

I know James is capable of getting liquid out of a bottle, straw bottle, open cup, and a sippy cup (at least if there is no valve), because I have seen the liquid go into his mouth. BUT most of it goes right back out again, or he just doesn't get much to begin with. He can act like he's sucking or drinking and the fluid level never changes much. This has been going on his whole life!

The only container he is really get at getting fluids out of is me! Unfortunately, he now has a stomach bug that has been going on for days, and I am really worried about him getting dehydrated. I don't have a boob that dispenses pedialyte or gatorade, and I really need him to drink some of it! The ped's office suggested a medicine dropper, and I am trying that, too, but if anyone has any other suggestions, please let me know!!! Oh, and I will try to get the pedialyte popsicles, but where does one even find those?

Elizabeth, Mom to James, 9-20-02

[pritchettzoo]

Okay, first of all, LOL at the drinking problem--can't help thinking of Airplane! And the soda fountain boobs!

This may not help, but it came to mind when reading your post. I read somewhere recently about throwback parenting, how we're doing things that our grandparents did and thinking we discovered something new. Anyway, part of the article was about not wanting to use sippy cups, so the woman had two cups. She poured a serving of juice or milk or water into one cup and then poured it sip by sip into another cup that fit in her child's hands comfortably. He learned to drink from a cup without wasting it everywhere and making a huge mess. Maybe this would work? At least you'd be able to keep track of how much fluid he was taking in.

And will he eat popsicles? You could make popsicles out of gatorade or pedialyte in an ice cube tray. It could be messy though. A friend of mine used to put her son in the bathtub with popsicles when he was teething. That way she could just hose him off when he was through. (He would be eating the popsicles while sitting in a tub. Not a tub filled with popsicles. YKWIM! It's late...) How about gatorade granita? Eaten with a spoon? I know pedialyte makes popsicles, but they tried to make me drink that stuff when I was so sick with HG and it was gawd-awful. I don't know that I could force it on anyone else!

Good luck. I hope your little guy feels better and you don't get the bug too!

Anna
Mama to Gracie (9/16/03)

[calebsmama03]

Elizabeth,

Sorry James is still sick! We've got the flu here :(

I like the slushie idea since then you can kind of know whether it's actually getting into HIM rather than onto him! Also, I've seen at Target, etc popsickle molds that have a drip protector. Otherwise, ice cube trays with popsickle sticks in them work well.
Hope he's better soon!
Lynne
Mommy to Caleb 3/3/03