How to Encourage Toddlers to Drink More Water
Renee Lim left this comment the other day:
Hi,
I was following your blog for a few months and am impressed by your bentoing efforts and childcare tips.
And I am wondering if you have any tips to help my 14 month old boy to drink more water. I have been giving him Yakult diluted with water to tempt him, but am not so sure if it is healthy to do so on the long run.
Grateful if you or the mummies reading your blog can help.
So, let’s share our mothering tips, shall we? 
Renee, I don’t think I have ever really asked my kids to drink water since they are young. Furthermore, my kids are breastfed, so they would nurse if they were thirsty. Anyway, water comes in fruits and veggies too. If your boy doesn’t like the taste of plain water, some juice will be fine. As long as he’s hydrated and pees and doesn’t have constipation, he should be fine. A bottle or 2 of Yakult per day is fine for kids, my kids are taking Yakult or yogurt drinks daily.
Now that my kids are older, they will bring along a tumbler to school but I notice that they hardly drink much or finish their water. Firstly, my kids have UHT milk at school which are kept at their locker in the classroom and they take 2 (or 3 for my boy if he has Taewondo) packets per day throughout their schooling hour. There is a drinking area at the cafeteria where the kids can take the cup to fill up the water and drink by themselves during break and lunch time. Thus, my kids don’t take much from their tumblers.
But being a typical Chinese mother, I “poi tong” (boil soup) almost everyday. We drink a bowl of soup after dinner (should be taken before dinner if you wish to lose belly fat 
) and it can be considered as liquid to me. Our kids started this habit quite young, maybe like one year old or after they have started taking rice almost like adults. And due to the many years of influence by my mom and MIL, I like to boil “leong sui” during the weekends. Most Chinese believe that leong sui will cool down the body and we are less likely to fall sick because our bodies are less “heaty”. Ahem…I know not all mothers agree on this practice but so far, my kids hardly get sick. *touch wood*
In short, I think water comes in all forms so I won’t be too worried as long as my kids are hydrated.
So, will you please kindly share your tips on how to encourage your toddlers or kids to drink more water? Thanks!
My elder dd also hates drinking water but since started kindy last year, normally she would finished her water in the tumbler at the kindy. I noticed that the teacher will asks all the children to do so which I think is good. Other than that, I have tried giving water using different cup, tumbler etc or anything interesting. This trick seems to work too!
Em… getting kids to drink water is harder than asking him to drink juice or giving them some cold treats. When Rey is younger b/w the age of 2 – 3 it will be easier to ask him to finished a bottle of water compare to now(when he is 5) he will find all sort of excuses on why must he drink water *faint*
So i agreed on what “shoppingmum” has shared, we can include water in various form like juice, fruits, yoghurt or even soup…. :p So it’s won’t be so boring as just “PLAIN WATER” itselt.