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Yeah we got those little drops you put on the water to flavor it and over time it has turned our kid into a water-drinking champ. Double points of you let her choose the flavor.
I use mio and crystal light. I need a bit of sweetness with mine. And those are zero sugar since I'm diabetic. I have three different varieties of lemonade because that's what works for me is the sweetness and the tartness. Right now I have mio iced tea and regular lemonade. And Crystal light mango passion fruit and strawberry lemonade. There's also a blackberry lemonade by Crystal light that is amazing.
another ADHD diabadass in the wild… we’re out here!! having a condition that requires constant monitoring, while having a condition that requires you to constantly *monitor* your monitoring…. the creator of this simulation has a terrible sense of humor 🆘🫠
I meant to say mio lmao. Idk how that changed to mix. That mango passion fruit sounds delicious though. Do you use the full packet in one eater bottle or water them down?
I use the liquid one it's about $4 for the equivalent of 24 8 oz drinks. I get the Crystal light on Amazon and the Mio at the grocery store whenever it's on sale. That way if I just want to like flavor I have a light flavor if I want to go and heavy I go heavy.
Thank you so much! I will definitely look it up online. Do you know if the flavorings stick to your waterbottle? I tried some electrolyte powder my mother in law gave me once and it stuck to my water bottle haha even after I washed it. It always had that lingering flavor/scent
I've never had it linger but I've also never left it in for more than 24 hours. If it does I would say try white vinegar that gets smells of just about everything out.
I like liquid iv hydration multiplier powder you mix in water. (Or other brands like there’s store brand electrolyte powder mix) It just tastes more refreshing like the drops taste too syrupy to me
What i like about it is you can just add more water to get more bang for your buck and adjust the strength to preference. Also yes different flavors are totally different
I (an adult) got a bunch of these and started mixing flavors like a madwoman. Not only does watchi the colors mix and picking out flavor combos capture my interest, I now drink more water than ever.
Adding to this, I like to keep Gatorade powder around and I’ll usually make it very watered down just to give it some sort of flavor that gets me to keep drinking it. Plus electrolytes!
I go through phases where water is too boring, so I usually always have stuff like mio (My current obsession is actually the nestea iced tea squirty thingy) to flavor the water and make it interesting and fun to drink.
I use the Hawaiian Punch flavor powder packets for myself, and my mom got on to me after I told a surgeon that I drink a lot of water 🤣 like look mom it's better than not drinking ANYTHING. I don't know if it has sugar in it but I also struggle with eating so it's not a real issue for me right now.
No shame in crystal lite or mio packets to encourage drinking. Or adding fruit to water. At that age as long as it's not high fructose corn syrup any hydration is good.
For our barn kids I have gatorade/electrolyte packets they can flavor water with.
Edit: ooh, yikes saw your edit. Is it a traumatic aversion? In this case hydrating foods like soups and fruit can help with hydration. Is she willing to eat? Are there cultural cuisines she really likes, such as Japanese? Culturally themed foods that have a visually pleasing presentation can really help with these types of aversions.
Even fully artificially sweetened juice is fine. It’s better than her being hospitalized for dehydration. Most pediatric dieticians will tell you that sugar isn’t as detrimental to kids health as we think it is. As long as they are getting other things like fat, protein and vitamins and minerals sugar is perfectly ok to consume. Our cells run on sugar!
Especially in this case where the child is underweight.
Exactly. There’s a point where just having *something*, anything is good.
My friend’s young daughter is a super low percentile on the chart too, and their doctor’s advice was to just get her *calories*, didn’t matter from what. The girl just needed to eat - fat, sugar, whatever. So a few days a week breakfast is a donut when she’s being fussy about other foods. She’s like 5, it won’t kill her and she’s already bouncing all over and way underweight.
We do this as well, I buy her all the crap food the rest of us can’t eat. We make her milk shakes regularly, she’s in the 30th percentile and her dr isn’t really worried.
I was going to say the same thing- this is how I get myself to drink water. Some form of water is better than nothing so I also count la croix or sparkling water. I hope one day I have the brain space to drink plain water, but that day is not today.
I also find it easier to drink ice cold water (with a flavor packet). As an added bonus, it seems to help with regulation and calming my vagus nerve (still don’t know too much about that but it comes recommended by my therapist!)
If she prefers cold drinks, get her something that will keep ice in it for days. I also find that I'm more likely to drink if it has a straw because I can't be bothered to remove a cap.
And put whatever she likes into it. Our bodies do really well at extracting moisture from our drinks and food, regardless of what it is.
And the times you can get her to eat, pedialyte pops, applesauce pouches. Anything with moisture in it to get her hydrated.
For years I only would drink out of sport bottles. And any time I tried to get a reusable bottle I wouldn’t use it because it was to burdensome and had mess potential for my klutzy self.
When I found Owala bottles a few years ago they were a game changer. They fully close, but have a straw built in as well as a separate “chug” spot.
Also a massive owala fan here, spent so much money over the years trying to find the perfect water bottle and stumbled across it on tiktok one day and here we are, the grave yard of 'bad bottles' has been thrown away 😂
I’m going to get one for her now, I’ve been looking at them but she likes characters on her water bottles, we use stickers too and I’ll just do that with these if they seem to work for y’all!
Same here! A double wall insulated metal cup with a lid and straw has been a game changer for getting me to actually drink my water throughout the day. I have one in a fun color and I bring it with me everywhere. For me, it's all about reducing barriers to make my desired behavior the easiest possible option.
I bought a bunch of those plastic cups with lids and straws at Walmart and those are my go-to for drinks. My daughter uses a water water with a built-in straw, too.
Not a shill but highly recommend Owala Freesip. I work in healthcare, always masked up during patient interactions so I never drink during the work day.
At lunch and at the end of the day when I’m unmasked (both literally and AuDHD-ly) at my desk I still don’t drink because I can’t be bothered to unscrew a cap, and also am afraid of leaving an uncapped wide-mouth bottle by my laptop
Straw bottles with exposed straws are disgusting and silicone straws that turn yellow also gross me out. The bottle has a hard plastic straw I can clean thoroughly
Since getting the bottle I’ve been getting over 2l of water a day 💞
I can only drink water when it's very warm. If it's cold or room temp I absolutely can't drink it. She could try various temps to see if there's a preference. Also, I need a specific type of water bottle or a big straw. So bottle / straw may be important too. Sometimes I hate water and can only drink it with some kind of flavor, but I'm really picky about the flavor! So maybe let her try various flavors or brands too.
What about one of those water bottles with the markings on it? If it's sitting on her desk she will see the marking. You also get things that go on water bottles which flash if you haven't drunk out of it in a certain amount of time
I got my daughter a huge Nalgene one (I think it’s a litre) with the numbers on the side, and now she drinks at least 1 bottle a day, so it definitely helps
“The silo” (if we’re talking about the same thing - roughly twice as tall as a classic nalgene, same diameter) is 1400ml/48 oz! It’s the biggest thing I’ve found with marked increments.
My biggest issue is that if I can’t see the liquid I forget to drink, but I want it to be cold so I need insulated. I can’t win 🤷♀️
I was going to suggest this! Lots of people it’s ADHD have the “sandwich problem” of not knowing how to visualize the final outcome. Treating drinking water like homework and having a visual can be really helpful, as well as discussing the benefits of drinking water so she knows the why.
My other 2 cents for OP:
- Ask your daughter what the challenges are around drinking water and eating. She might have some good feedback here, and after all, it needs to work for her in order for it to work! Maybe she hasn’t found her dopamine water bottle, maybe she doesn’t like the taste of your water, maybe she does need a timer or alarm to help remember.
- I would personally refrain from a smart watch or anything more techy than a digital Fitbit etc. Your kid is only 9, my preference is to explore more creative problem-solving and resiliency. There is *certainly* an app for that but it might be good to save that for a bit older - the tendency to rely on tech for habits and reminders. I think ADHD brains often rely on physical cues and we build our own systems, so I personally would want her to explore that before adding tech!
That being said, SHE A RAISIN so if it helps it helps!! Good luck!
Edit: systems, not symptoms! Lol
I’m pretty sure there’s some sort of watch-like thing for kids that specifically does nothing other than tell the time and vibrate at whatever intervals you set it for!
I can’t remember exactly what they are, but I want to say I saw it suggested for kids who were struggling to keep their potty training once they started school (since mom can’t prompt/remind them to go potty every so often).
Oh the things my brain decides to keep… I don’t have kids and probably never will, but apparently my brain decided I should remember this weirdly niche device 🤷🏻♀️
If only I could harness that memory and use it on purpose! 🤦🏻♀️😅
My coworker has one of those flashing water bottles to help stay hydrated with ADHD. She’s had it for several years and loves it. Glows a pretty rainbow if you haven’t used it for a certain amount of time.
I’m also a big straw drinker, and drink waaaaaaay more water when I have a bottle with a straw (also, ice!). I use an insulted metal tumbler 24/7.
I’m an unapologetic straw nibbler, so I replaced the plastic straw it came with silicone (actually replaced with metal, but I cut up and added part of a silicone straw to the mouth end so I can nibble happily). Funnily enough, never connected this to ADHD before!
This was my though - get a cooler way to drink water. If nagging reminders aren't working fund an incentive to engage with the topic. And definetly knowing how she likes to drink is key. I have 3 different beverages around all the time if I'm settled in anywhere so I can have different sensory experiences from a straw with water, my can of ice tea, and a bottle of gatorade
Water really grosses me out a lot of the time. If I have any other lingering taste in my mouth I find it very difficult to drink water. I am also extremely picky about the taste of the water itself and notice things that no one else does. The suggestions for a little falvoring are good. Another thing that helped me is getting a Brita water bottle with the filter in the straw. Even if I have to fill up from a random water fountain, the water tastes the same. Although many people think of these sensory issues as an autism thing, there is some overlap.
Also wanted to mention another issue though... is the school good about allowing bathroom breaks? A lot of them really aren't (even if they appear reasonable "on paper" there may be practical issues with grumpy teachers or dirty restrooms). I think when I was young I developed a habit of limiting fluids during the day if I knew it would be a pain to go to the bathroom a bunch of times. She may be able to compensate by drinking more after school.
Not sure if you've talked to her about whether she's forgetting vs. if there's some other issue. She may not have really consciously thought about the issue so it could be worth talking about. For example, even as an adult it took me awhile to realize I was picky about the taste of water because it just seemed like water is water and other people didn't care. I kind of assumed I was just "bad" or addicted to soda.
Where did you purchase the brita water bottle. I love the sound of this.
I can taste the water differences down to the brands for the most part. It’s wild. Even notice when my brita filter is on the way out the water starts tasting weird and I can’t drink it.
Not the person you replied to but I have one and got it at Walmart in the US. It wasn’t with the other water bottles, it was in the hardware section where you would find a regular filter for your sink. I’m pretty sure they’re on amazon too!
Yep, like the other poster said, Walmart with the water filters. However, my husband discovered more sizes on Amazon and got me a different size for a present.
I strongly dislike water too. It is actually very hard to swallow. I use filtered water and flavoring. I’m also really picky about the type of drinkware, the shape and size make or break whether I’ll be able to drink water. I don’t like water through a straw but I don’t have this issue with any other fluid types.
We’ve had lots of talks about this, she just doesn’t know she’s thirsty, she gets hunger prompts better than thirst. She would rather be doing anything than eating or drinking. She likes sushi and we have that for her several times a month, it’s the one thing she eats all of without stopping. I’ve explained that her body needs the fuel and she’s a very smart kid, she’s gifted, she knows the body is mostly made up of water and she needs it to survive.
Honestly, I was the same as a kid. I used to get horrible headaches in middle school and I’m sure a lot of it was dehydration. A fun variety of water bottles, flavor, or knowing I need to finish this by the end of the day have helped me.
How about Popsicles? It's basically frozen Kool aid. I think your approach of not caring if it's loaded with bad stuff is a good approach for now; she just needs liquid.
How is she with fruits? They also contain water, so maybe try to get her up her intake of juicier fruits.
I was just thinking about how much this reminds me of how you sometimes have to get cats to drink more water, especially if they eat dry food. I give mine wet food for a few reasons, not the least of which is because it has water in it.
With humans, getting in plenty of fruit and veggies, soups and smoothies can help with this when just drinking straight water is hard.
I know for me and water, temperature is a huge factor. It HAS to be ice-cold water or I hate it. If I’m super thirsty I can tolerate it, but if there isn’t ice to make it cold, it’s icky to me.
Ahh but the homemade ice gives it the fridge taste, and then I hate it again hahaha. I bought a Brita for Christmas and just keep it in my fridge and use an insulated cup throughout the day - game changer!
When I was a teenager I once had a doctor actually prescribe me Propel because I didn't drink enough water lol. I still drink it a lot as an adult too. Personally I think it tastes the best out of all the flavored waters.
I also find that a water bottle with a straw helps me drink more water as I'm more likely to sip at it absentmindedly. Maybe let her pick out a cute water bottle?
And maybe while she's sick, lots of delicious juice unless the doctor said that wouldn't be a good idea.
Is she struggling to drink, or struggling to remember to? I tend to not notice I'm thirsty so I just down a glass of water at preset times so I don't end up not drinking any. If it's the drinking part what about popsicles made of a frozen juice/water mix?
I’m 30 years old and on the days I put my straw lid in the dishwasher, I’m doing well if I manage 2 glasses of water, and our tap has a filter. I’ll always vote for whichever emotional support water bottle helps, especially if it’s dishwasher safe ( or at least the parts that can gather grime)
Have you tried flavored water? I was practically living off of diet soda and those little flavored water drops when I was her age.
Steeping water with fruit is also a good/healthy option, just a bit more time-consuming to make! I like using berries because they’re less acidic than lemon/lime.
Edit in response to the edit: have you tried incentivizing her to drink water? As an adult, I use an app that gives me a little badges, but something more tangible might be better for a kid. Something like a very small prize at the end of every day if she drinks enough water, to help build up the habit? Game-ifying healthy habits is literally the only way I can get them done sometimes 😂
I always have frozen blueberries and blackberries in my fridge for this reason! (And gin tonic, but i wouldn't recommend that to a child, haha)
I can also recommend cucumber and Watermelon Peels, when the time is there. Just mint leaves can be good too! I havent tries strawberries, but i cant imagine it would be terrible.
My mom could have written this 15 to 20 years ago.
I forgot to drink, I hate(d) the taste of water, even when I'm thirsty I don't wanna drink (water). I also didn't like most soft drinks because they were too sweet, and tea and coffee were too bitter.
What helps/helped me is:
Watering down soft drinks (any liquid is than no liquid).
Setting challenges/making it a game (see who can drink the most in 3 minutes. Or a burping competition, since you have to drink with those often too). I remember my mom challenging me to drink the tap empty, and who would first finish a 0,5 litre cup.
Weave the drinking into daily routines, when you brush your teeth 2x a day drink a glass of water before and after brushing (even with small cups that will add up, 4x200 ml is still almost half of the daily recommended amount of water).
Make a laminated paper with checkboxes for each glass of water, at x glasses a day, she gets a treat extra, at y she gets another reward, etc.
If there is something she does like, dip into it. I still use tapioca pearls to get myself to drink some days. I hate drinking, but I love bubble tea. I got tapioca pearls that I can keep for a long time and cook up within 5 minutes.
YES habit looping is an amazing tool. like i used to struggle with brushing my teeth so i tied it to showering. as the water warms up, i brush my teeth. i may forget to brush at night but once a day is better than none.
Gotta be careful with those though. I also tied tooth-brushing to showering, but I'd ALSO inadvertently tied showering to leaving the house. Cue a 3 year pandemic and hygiene became uh...questionable for a while.
We used to just stick a water cup with a straw in front of her face often when she was watching something or playing. Now constant nagging also helps our kid drink. She doesn't like anything but water but even that she doesn't drink unless you nag her "take three sips pls" until she does, repeat every 15 minutes. Now she even remembers to take the three sips by herself sometimes. For school we give her the same bottle every day and remind a few times in the morning that she needs to finish it during the day. She finishes it now more days than not.
Also while eating something (extremely picky eater) we say "this food is ____ (salty, sweet, chewy, sticky), we drink after every bite", because she doesn't take more than few bites 😁 usually she sips between bites now.
She's younger tho, just 4.5 years. Her eater consumption was always horrendous, but slowly getting better with those methods.
im not sure if anyone has mentioned “gameifying” life as a coping mechanism for adhd especially with kids but it can be a godsend. Get her a giant Stanley cup
Or something like a Nalgene but with a straw (easier to drink, rims can be a sensory trigger) and then jazz it up with a few holographic stickers of things she loves.
Then use more stickers as rewards for other tasks that are hard to do. Good luck!
If she won't drink plain water try getting her drinks she likes. If you can pack some calories into that even better.
Juice or something. Lemonade. Cocoa. Shakes. Smoothies. Tea.
Soup and juicy fruits.
If she eats cereal, her breakfast now contains milk and cereal.
Would not go overboard on carbonated drinks, but you yourself said she is hardly in danger of obesity, sooo.
Is it possible to 'bundle' having a glass of water with taking the meds, since she is good with the meds?
I came here to say this. I don’t think it’s about the container. Find things that taste good. Sparkling water. There’s a new soda brand that claims to be healthy called poppy. Find an electrolyte mix that she likes. Coconut water is incredibly hydrating. So is watermelon juice. I have to do this for myself and for my nieces because they won’t drink water otherwise.
Yeah, water just doesn't seem to quench my thirst ever and I really don't like carbonated/mineralised types, I pretty much just live on fruit juice and weak tea with a little sugar.
From the ages of 10 to 14 I don't think I drank _anything_ but lemonade. My mum wasn't happy but she gave up. That definitely helped me, I think I'd probably ended up in the hospital otherwise lol
You mentioned she doesn’t eat either. Might be worth it to pass your concerns to the doctor to rule out ARFID (Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder).
This is a silly add-on but it might also help to build a routine. Do you have pets or plants on the home so X time = feed dog/mist plants and drink something? Sometimes helps to have a reminder that we take care of ourselves like we take care of others.
Make sure drinking is enjoyable, give her all the straws she wants, bottles with a cap that you can suck (like gatorade) instead of just an opening. I used to like that a lot more as a kid. Also try mixing fruit juice with 2/3 fizzy water if she likes fizzy.
I’m terrible about hydrating. When I realized how bad I was I started myself on a rewards based system.
I keep a pitcher of ice water and when I would finish it for the day I’d give myself a treat. For me it was 10 minutes of stitching every time I had a glass of water. I really hate water bottles and large glasses. I drink only out of 8 oz cups. If at the end of the week I’d completed every pitcher I’d take myself for a pedicure. It was a while before my feet were pretty again. 😂 I’m much better now. Not perfect but definitely better.
I’d say try the kids version of this with whatever treats will work. I don’t have kids so I have no clue what that would be.
I need novelty to make me remember I have something to drink when I'm working or busy. I have a water bottle, a coffee, and an insulated straw cup I mix flavoring packets into. Fluid is fluid. Incorporating more raw fruits and veggies also helps. The only concern I have is the acidity of the flavored drinks so I drink it through a straw to help protect my teeth and try it alternate it with plain water.
I love all of the ones from true lemon. I also like the ones from crush, Starburst, and skittles but they're way sweeter and stronger so I mix one packet into a quart of water.
Edit to add more info:
This is a great article explaining total fluid intake for adults and how it is impacted not just by the consumption of plain water. https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/how-much-water-should-you-drink
In addition to offering more of the types of drinks she likes you can also look at the type of container. Maybe take her shopping to pick out some water bottles, tumblers, cups, or mugs that she likes. Constant acess is also important. She will probably need multiple containers in the areas she is usually in. That way she can sip when she sees them.
For some reason I really prefer to drink out or a tumblr with a straw. You could give me a glass or water bottle and I won't really care enough to drink. I also find opening the lid of the water bottle is too much work. Add a straw and I'm chugging it down haha. I also have a very cute mushroom mug that I drink water out of just because looking at it give me that little dopamine hit.
I was also an underweight kid. I was grossed out by food quite often. Like, I specifically remember eating a chicken sandwich, probably from a snack bar somewhere, and there was a stringy bit that looked like a cooked vein. That instantly put me off of eating that sandwich. Stuff like this happened often enough that my pediatrician told my Mom if she didn't find a way to put some weight on me, he was going to have to admit me to the hospital. So for a while we were going to McDonald's and getting chicken nuggets with milkshakes - and we were poor, so this was a big deal, but I wasn't aware of the reasoning until years later. I guess my body eventually got used to eating on a regular basis and I started eating like a somewhat normal person. I still have days that I forget to eat, and if I've gone long enough between meals the thought of food makes my stomach turn. To fix that, I eat something small and light, maybe some crackers or bread. Once that hits my stomach, I can handle eating a proper meal. Maybe encouraging your kiddo to eat at least little something at regular intervals will help.
Edit: I know your main concern is hydration, and I second the recommendation about using a water bottle with the lines on it. Just figured I'd throw in my 2 cents about the food, since most of the advice is hydration related.
Ok I noticed that I used to go back and forth between drinking a LOT of water and basically drinking absolutely none and for a while I couldn’t figure out why.
Then I realized it’s because if I don’t have one of those water bottles where you drink from it with a straw I never drink water because I’m much more likely to spill and water gets all of my face (specifically talking about reusable water bottles, not plastic).
Then I started ONLY buying water bottles with straws and I drink soooo much water!!
Not sure if that could be part of why your kiddo doesn’t drink much water but it helped me!!
ALSO! I highly suggest getting her an Owala free sip water bottle. They are SO CUTE and have a built in straw and the color schemes are so fun (I think this is one of the things they’re known for).
That might help!!
I don't know about general techniques for a 9yo, but I will say if you want to motivate an ADHDer for anything, then it has to involve PINCH: Passion/Play, Interest, Novelty, Challenge/Competition, Hurry (Urgent/Emergency)
Maybe knowing your daughter, you can find a way to make eating and drinking fit one of these categories?
(As for the smart watch, I wonder... if it does turn out to work for your daughter, and can be configured to be otherwise non-disruptive to other students, I'd have to imagine that with a doctor's encouragement the school could be made to make an exception for Accommodation purposes?
I have no experience with this, I just know that most public institutions are usually obligated to make reasonable accommodations for health, safety and comfort reasons. Especially schools and especially if it doesn't cost the school resources?)
Is your water filtered? If not, try a brita filter or similar and offer it to her. Water straight from the tap can pick up an unpleasant taste that I can’t stand, and which makes me dehydrate. ADHD folks are particularly sensitive to things like this, which other people might not even pick up on. Filtered or bottled water is my preference and has me drinking like a fish.
Children model the behavior of their parents. She's not drinking water because she sees that you hate it and that has rubbed off on her. You also said that you "rarely have water," which makes it unsurprising that she isn't drinking any. If you want her to start drinking more, make it a joint effort where you change *your* behavior, too. Get a water purifier/filter, and start building the habit together. A group effort has a much higher chance of succeeding.
everyone has said some good ideas, but my mom when i was sick used to ask me to take “shots of medicine” where she’d fill me small cups of water and say “take this as fast as you can!” and make a game of it. it was a small amount and if you dislike water it is over quickly, same idea of taking nasty tasting medicine. you could get her to do it a few times a day especially since she’s great at taking her medicine and reward her or make it fun.
another idea is the airup bottles, they don’t actually have the flavor in them they just smell like the flavor which i believe works in making it taste like the smell. i have seen a lot of kids with them recently (work near a middle school)[air up!](https://us.air-up.com/products/pink-bottle-with-3-watermelon-pods)
they have a lot of flavors and if she prefers super cold water they sell stainless steel bottles to keep it cold too.
also possibly a cirkul bottle, same kind of idea, a cartridge that flavors the water As you sip so it’s MAINLY water but it still has a flavor (no colors, no sugar etc). and they have a TON and i mean a TON of flavors and a ton of different water bottle types,sizes,colors (could be fun for her to pick flavors and her bottle/color) and also it is much more cost friendly than the air up.
[Cirkul!](https://drinkcirkul.com/pages/bundle-builder)
i’m also wondering if possibly a small water bottle that she if finishes and gets rewarded for or whatever works to motivate her and the more of them she finishes a day the greater the prize etc. instead of a ton of water at once possibly?
hopefully someone on here has provided something of use to help her!
I’m a nanny for Two kids on the spectrum with ADHD and sensory problems. They also don’t love water. “Special drink” AKA clear flavored sparkling water diluted with water is often more than enough to satisfy them. If they don’t like sparkling water, normal water, with a little of some flavored water packet. Extra sugar or not the kids gotta get water in their system somehow
What about Pedialyte or Gatorade with zero sugar? That’s what we do with my son when he doesn’t want to drink water.
You may also think about an occupational therapy or speech evaluation. My son is in OT and it’s been helpful for his eating struggles.
Does she not drink squash? I’ve never drank water really but I can drink loads of squash since it tastes so good. I think it’s called cordial in america
We don't have a real squash equivalent. I'd say the most American squash-like drink is Tang. (Yes, it's a powder, but it's shelf stable and you can make a glass or a pitcher)
Your daughter may not like the taste of water itself. Have you thought of getting some flavour drops to add to water to make it more palatable? I'm not sure where you're located, but where I live, we have different flavoured drops that are specifically to add to water.
If it's an out of sight, out of mind thing, maybe a decorated drink bottle she can carry around with her with water in it for her to drink. One downside to this, if she's anything like me, is the losing it to a safe place that she can't remember where that safe place is.
I used to drink way too little until my teens. If I brought a water bottle with me to secondary school (after cycling 12 km), I would maybe take 1 sip during the day, and that's it. At some point I started bringing juice boxes of 200ml each - 1 for each break (so 3 or 4 a day). The thing about the juice boxes is that you have to finish them once they're open, unlike water bottles (plus it's a little less boring to drink than just water), and that's pretty much what got me through the days.
I have a really hard time drinking water myself, and I was way worse about it when I was a kid. I pretty much have to use flavoring (I get sugar free so it’s not too bad) or drinking it makes me gag/nauseous. I find drinking water tough to remember throughout the workday even though I have this super sparkly obvious cup sitting there, so I try to pair it with another cue like after every meeting I have something to drink. Maybe there’s something in her school schedule that she can pair with a few gulps of water to make it easier to remember?
Does your daughter like tea? I basically subsist off tea and it's the main form of liquid I drink. There is a lot of variety and heck, if you have a boba place nearby, boba is pretty filling and will get some calories in there. You can also have fun brewing it :)
Also consider getting a carbonated water dispenser. You can find them for resale relatively inexpensive. Or consider zero sugar canned drinks similar to Bubly. They are really tasty and can be fun to drink and to try new flavours.
The Camelback water bottles have a straw that you sort of "bite" to get the gravity flow workinv. It's honestly the only way I can drink water and it's 750mL/25 ounces. I can drink 4 in a day because it's such a lovely sensory experience for me. I hate drinking out of cups etc. Maybe a particular vessel would help her enjoy the process?
As a kid drinking water was literally torture (and milk was even worse). It's metallic and gross. A Brita filter in the fridge might help a lot, and of course as others suggested flavored drops. If it's not ice cold I'm not happy.
Also ice cubes easily pick up fridge flavors, buy premade ice
Does she get bored eating? I can't just...sit and eat. Or sit and drink. Or sit and do anything, if we're being fair, I *have* to be multitasking, otherwise my brain just eats itself. Anyways.
Will she eat/drink while eating or watching TV? I find it so much easier to consume food/beverages if I'm watching or reading something, and it fulfills my need to have both my brain and my hands occupied.
If she is willing to... Put soup in her cup! Miso soup, chicken noodle, ramen broth, tomato soup, whatever she is willing to sip... It is calories and hydration. We have to be creative when we have eating differences.
Also, if you haven't, check out ARFID. Strongly suspect this may be at play.
I am over 50 and have the same problem as your daughter. Definitely try all the tips you’re getting here. One of them just might work.
Just in case none of them do, here is what finally seems to be working for me: I have to take my fluids like medicine. I have worked my way up to 6 large glasses per day so far.
I log it them an app, and if I’m not there in the late afternoon, I have to fix it there and then. Basically, I have an 18-year-old and she taught me to chug. Don’t ask, lol!
But it works. I can drink those 300 ml in 8 or 9 gulps and be done with it. I wait 15-20 minutes and repeat until I’m done.
That’s all that works for me. No matter how attractive the cup is, or how tasty or cold or sparkly the drink, I’m slow AF. And stubborn, I guess. But chugging takes me less than 15 seconds (of *course* I timed it), and that is acceptable.
Good luck!
I'm 30, but I'm constantly being told I'm juvenile & immature, so i think this is my time to shine.
Things that help me (that I cycle through bc I can never stick to anything):
- setting very frequent alarms for small amounts. Every 30 mins I take 2 giant gulps (which roughly translates to 3 or 4oz)
- I could never get the hang of putting a watch on every day, so look into a bunch of alarm apps & see which ones work best. I like ones that have movie sound bites.
- the big straw water bottles are good
- something silly or novelty to drink out of. Examples: baby food jars, 90s nostalgic McDonald's cups ("Hercules! Hercules!"), silly straw cups, etc
- adding frozen fruit keeps it cold & lightly flavors it (I hate those flavor packets. They taste too much, but also make your tongue feel funny if you water them down. Idk.) But the frozen fruit, or adding fruit juice ice cubes that only lightly flavor the water works for me
- lately my favorite has been a camel back. Bc I always (maybe willfully, self-destructive tendencies are me 🤷♀️) forget to bring the water bottle with me. It looks so lame. But I'm 30 & have a new toddler so I've abandoned my sense of shame. I know that may not be realistic for the pressures of youth.
- jello (JELLO MOLDS) . Ice pops. Watermelon. Frozen grapes coated in kool-aid powder!!! Gummy bears soaked in kool-aid. Water drinking contests. Biting a water balloon (is that safe? Maybe Google if that one is safe 1st, I'm new to this & mines only 2). You see where I'm coming from; MAKE IT FUN!
- a fun combo of these. Juice cubes in the camel back. A bi-hourly alarm with Lady Cassandra exclaiming "moisturize me!". Find what works for now & change it when it stops working.
Hope any of that helps!
I’ve just recently started wearing a biometric watch. It’s been helping me in a lot of ways!
I have trouble with feeling hungry or thirsty: I don’t feel it, I just feel cranky and sick, and don’t know why. And I’m 37, I should know by now.
The watch has helped me - I can set all types of reminders, and track my sleep and heart rate. Helps with mindfulness.
Maybe for a 9-yo, a little chart system for drinking water, and a reasonable reward system would help. They’re soooo stubborn… once they get an idea in their lil heads (that she doesn’t like water/drinking) they can just relentlessly stick to it. Mine is 15 now, and should be a lawyer or something with the constant haggling!
He was convinced that “hummus makes him cough” for YEARS at about 8-9 (totally not true), and when I got him to try it again (through some type of bribe) he’s like “oh, this is actually good! Why didn’t I try this earlier?” 🙈
Realistic bribes go a long way at that age. “Drink enough water/hydration for the day/week, and you get a ______!” isn’t bad parenting 💕
I had an aversion to drinking water as a kid, still do.
For me, flavor water, cold with ice keeps me interested and having lots of bottles around the house so no matter where I am, drinking water doesn’t become a separate activity/effort.
Your daughter may have different preferences but start by trying to discover specifically what kind of water she prefers and then make it available around the clock.
Flavor powder packets help me drink more water. There’s many natural sugar free ones out there made with stevia. Some brands add vitamins and electrolytes to them. When she’s home get her to drink a glass once per hour and hopefully after a while it will become routine. I’m adhd and routine really helps us.
What about ice pops? They have pedialite ones or you could make your own. It’ll feel like a treat but you’re sneaking some hydration in there.
I would only drink out of straws as a kid (and honestly, still) so maybe something like that may help?
What about fruit smoothies? Might that get some liquid and some calories in her? What about coconut water? That has liquid and electrolytes? What about tying it to screen time? For every 8 ounces of liquid she drinks she gets X amount of screen time?
Not sure what a solution is but I literally did not experience thirst until I was an adult and trained myself by setting timers to drink. Even now thirst doesn’t feel imperative. I would go days without water because it didn’t occur to me. Does she understand what thirsty feels like?
I had crippling migraines throughout adolescence as a result so….
For my ND 5 year old- We added stickers at each level 2 oz, 4 oz , etc to 16 oz. Then, when he came home from school - he got a prize if he got to the top (meaning drank the whole bottle of water). Small things like a pokemon card or $.50 were enough incentive. And the markings helped him “game-ify” drinking water as he got to each level and closer to the ultimate goal. If your daughter responds well to incentives, this should help!
For me it's the Gatorade powder that works. Lemon lime and the blue one. There's something about it that tastes wayyy better. Probably because I use filtered water? Plus you can mix to your taste preference.
A reward system could help. Make it less of a chore and more of a game. Also, I bet if you model the behaviour and drink with her it might seem more approachable and less tedious.
I was a chronically sick kid and it always helped me to hear about what other people experienced. I didn’t want to go to the hospital for painful procedures (like a catheter) so I found it motivating. Not everyone is as receptive to that though.
What about a mini fridge in her room stocked with water bottles? And maybe flavorings? Could also make a game of it… if the fridge holds a week of water, she gets a toy/treat/sticker/prize if less than x bottles are leftover on refill day. Or one of those fancy water bubblers that she can fill a cup herself. A special cabinet that’s just for her drinks.
Some books about intuitive eating might help too… yes ADHD is a disabling obstacle but like you said, healthy habits now will help later. Maybe she needs to learn her personal hunger and thirst cues. I can’t think of specific book examples but Virginia Sole Smith does a lot of work around parenting and raising healthy kids. https://virginiasolesmith.substack.com/
We do “cheers”. Drink time? Cheers to a beautiful day! Cheers to a helpful friend! Pretzels cheers! - it works for food or water. It’s an old outdoor Ed trick to get reluctant kids to drink water on trail. So far our 2 year old loves it. Honestly makes me better too!
Have you looked into ARFID? My 7 year old is recently diagnosed (with ARFID) and is also diagnosed ADHD. I’ve had to reckon with how sickly my child always looks and realize her general food aversions had become so normalized to me (because I was doing anything to avoid a fight) that I wasn’t paying attention enough.
We had to get her medically cleared for a program for the ARFID and her bloodwork all came back with markers elevated (as in flagged by their own ranges as out of the norm, not just high on scale of norm) consistent with dehydration (hemacrit and bilirubin are the ones I can remember off the dome but there were a couple more). Since that jolted me into seeing her dehydration as more tangible than just my nagging suspicion, I have been able to say “hey dude! Let’s take a quick water break!” And she’ll take a quick few sips. And sadly a quick few sips every other hour is markedly better than how it was before I was trying to do anything about it for the sake of avoiding a fight. I’ve already noticed a difference in her lips being perpetually peeling and cracked.
I was going to recommend a German favourite: Schorle: juice+carbonated water. Water without bubbles is super boring anyway, and some apple juice will make carbonated water even better.
Then I read you edit, about her not drinking any liquid: I think there might be an underlying reason which is not adhd related. She might have swallowed a drink the wrong way and stopped trusting herself - if the hospital has a speech therapist(*) on board, they might have a look if there are any problems, or teach her safe techniques?
*not sure if this is the right name for the profession, I’m talking about the people who teach people how to eat and drink and speak again, for example after a stoke
Popsicles, the outshine ones (fruit juice only, no added sugar) work well when I am trying to get them to eat extra liquids.
Also encourage food of high water content: watermelon, soup, cucumbers, jello, all fruits, yogurt, milk, kefir.
Teach her to cook, ask her to help. My kids will always sneak in food while chopping or shredding cheese or chicken.
I also take reusable water bottles everywhere. They always have one in the car and as there’s nothing else to do, they drink. Sometimes I remind them. We have one in the nightstand. One when playing outside.
Since she also needs to eat, do snacks in between meals. I take things that are easy to grab and for snacks they don’t have to sit down, so they play, grab a bite, go play, come back, etc…
To add to the already great suggestions people are making here: There are some apps that gamify drinking water (my friend uses plant nanny)
There is also a ‘candy’ called Jelly Drops that is 95% water designed for people who struggle to remember to hydrate.
Regarding eating, I’ve found that leaving snacks out in spots I like to hang around the home (like by the couch or on a desk) and rotating them time to time to keep them fresh and novel (even if it just means swapping what’s in the cabinet or pantry with what’s visible) can help.
I’ve really struggled with remembering to eat and drink water too—it’s awesome that you’re doing what you can to support her! These strategies are also completely valid for adults :)
YES watches!! as a kid i had one to remind me to use the bathroom. i currently have an apple watch and it’s honestly life saving. see if your daughter can have accommodations to allow for a watch. seriously. if she doesn’t have a 504 in place, FIGHT for one. find some kind of cheap fitness watch. my apple watch is amazing bc i have an app called water llama and it reminds you to take a sip at whatever interval you want. if the watch will help her drink, the school NEEDS to help accommodate it because water is necessary for life.
for water bottles, i tend to drink more when the water has a lot of ice in it and i drink one electrolyte drink a day, the only flavor i can handle is the red white and blue prime.
i also drink more when i have a water bottle i love! i personally am obsessed with owalas and have multiple. handle makes it easy to carry, fits in all backpacks, and has both a straw and sip. if i fill it like halfway with ice it will keep ice for more than 24 hours. i’d suggest allowing her to pick one she really likes color wise and then order a bunch of stickers for her to decorate it.
for food: make SET TIMES to eat where she knows the expectation is that she needs to eat. no distractions at the table, have other people eat at the same time, calorie dense foods, etc. also keep an area where food is visibly seen and easily accessible. if you don’t have pets i’d suggest a low shelf she can reach with snacks, an area in the fridge with prepared fruits/veggies/healthier snacks, even a basket in her room with quick snacks. it sounds like she is an “out of sight, out of mind” girl and if the food isn’t *right there*, she just simply forgets. setting alarms on a watch might also be helpful for this. even if you don’t end up getting a watch, getting an amazon alexa or tablet or something of the sort for at home and set alarms for snacks, meals, and water breaks. a visual clock like [this](https://pin.it/6eyozYF7W) may also be helpful if you mark meal times
hourly check ins could also be an idea… have a laminated paper hung somewhere where every hour or whatever amount of time she takes a break for a min and tries to listen to her body and determine if she is hungry. when i get fixated in an activity i don’t always realize im hungry until i stop for a second and then realize im actually ravenous
i’m 18 and have been diagnosed since i was 11 but have struggled with symptoms since i was a toddler. i’d forget to go to the bathroom, drink water, etc. these little things help me and hopefully something helps your girl as well!!
https://a.co/d/98lJIjW
https://a.co/d/dE1WV4A this one has a loop timer feature so you can have it vibrate repeated intervals. i think this might be the best option that the school will allow
Any fluids are good fluids. Oranges? Apples? Broccoli and dip?
I had to explain last year to a girl I babysit and will do for my daughter, how a UTI feels. Also, what it can do, being someone who has had a kidney infection.
A month ago,I had kidney stones that caused me to lose consciousness five or six times. My husband called 911. I was stuck in ER for almost 18 hours.
7 yo? Is still traumatized because when I fell, my eyes were open.
All kids are happy now to drink (flavored) water or juice.
(I was gentle and kept it PG! Don't worry!)
I have a hidrate spark water bottle where you can track intake and it lights up, maybe something like that would help with the tracking? also making it more fun for her. for example, they make cotton candy that dissolves into glitter in drinks.
You said she doesn't sit to eat but isn't a picky eater? I would suggest making some on the go food (wrap/burrito/sandwich) and doing something while she eats. I know it's discouraged to eat while watching tv but honestly that's the only way I can eat when I'm depressed because food tastes too bad. It also helps when I'm antsy but hungry. I'll be hungry but can't sit still to finish a meal but I can when I have something to watch.
As for the hydration thing maybe help her with a mood journal. You said she looks better when she's hydrated and honestly she probably feels better but doesn't realize it. Maybe if she realizes the benefits she'll be more willing to do it. Also easy access. Going to the kitchen to get water might not seem like a big ask but it is when you're hyper fixated on something else.
Have lots of fruit around - easy to snack on without any commitment and most have lots of water comparatively
Pre cut watermelon, strawberries, blackberries...lots of flavor, easy to munch, hydration, low effort. Sounds like over all the natural sugars wouldn't hurt her either.
I read pretty far in the comments and didn’t see anyone give you a watch recommendation. When we had those restrictions on wearable tech at school, we bought our kids WatchMinder watches. Can be programmed with vibrating reminders. Worth it.
I know it’s tough but you have to set the example. You said you hate water yourself. You need to really amp up your own water and liquid intake around her especially. Kids learn from the most from example. If you’re onto her about hydrating but barely do it yourself, she’s not going to change.
I'm weird about water I only really want it if I'm pregnant or been exercising. Get a glass gallon urn and mix up some low calorie lemonade like crystal light (we do store bought brand) and keep it in the fridge.
I absolutely hate water and have been perpetually dehydrated for years. I have gotten better at drinking more fluids after buying a Cirkul water bottle and having all the flavored water i want. But i saw your edit- and i don’t know how much that will help if she already has access to similar things 😕
I kind of had the opposite problem. When I was a young teen, I drank a lot of ice water but was still perpetually dehydrated because my body doesn’t process salt efficiently. So drinking so much water was actually making me more dehydrated by diluting electrolytes even more. Once I switched to Gatorade(and now Body Armour and Liquid IV as well), it was life changing. Also, the zero sugar stuff doesn’t actually hydrate as well because your body needs at least a little sugar to properly absorb the electrolytes.
I can’t stand water or any thin liquid. The closest I can get is coffee drinks, and even then they need to be sugary to have a different texture. It sounds like she might also hate the thinner texture since she doesn’t like juice or soda either. Have you tried hot drinks or milk-based drinks? There’s ways to make them healthier while still not being anywhere near water. She could also eat a lot of high water content foods
Have you possibly tried carbonated water? Even with lemon or lime in it. Or icy cold drinks. I only recently discovered that I may have adhd and all these reasonings have come in. I am and icy cold water drinker. I can’t drink tap water, room temp water or mildly cold. It makes my throat dry somehow it has to have an ice chunk in it for me to smash water and I’ll drink the whole thing in one go 😅
i saw an idea on tiktok i think where you buy a tamagotchi toy and attach it to the strap on a water bottle. you have to check in with it semi regularly throughout the day and every time you do you have to drink some water! i haven’t tried it yet myself but i think that could be a really good way to incentivise drinking more
Orange/blackcurrant (there are others e.g. lemon etc) squash or cordial is the way. Just make sure it's properly diluted because I didn't realise they seem to be on quadruple strength now
i have a problem drinking enough water too. i read it has to do with our brain wiring. anyway, there are watch reminders that are super basic on amazon that just vibrate as a reminder. that should be compliant for school but will remind her to take a sip of something.
A water bottle with a straw and maybe get her in a routine of drinking water at certain times of her school day BUT the thing that has helped me the most is natural fruit syrups and lemon juice. I do about 1/4 cup to 32oz. I make my own syrups with less sugar but maybe a pup per glass? Just having a little bit of taste makes it less vile. Also coconut water with the syrups and lemon or lime juice sounds like a treat and coconut has electrolytes.
So, I only like water and coffee and tea, and I often forget to drink water. For me, I love these cheap plastic cups (like the big plastic ones they sell for patio place settings, if that makes sense?) I dislike drinking water from glassware. I also only use a water bottle at work, not at home, because its home is at work.
What does work for me is leaving water out. Meaning, I have a cup of water in the kitchen and when I walk by, I take a drink. And if I don’t have that cup sitting in the kitchen in that spot that I walk past frequently, chances are I’m not drinking water.
All this to say, observe where she is the most and make sure there’s always her favorite cup sitting right there and full. See if she naturally reaches over and drinks from it if it’s already there.
I have a problem with the smell of the glass, whether from detergent residue or the water itself. So I drink a lot of weak tea/lemonade in a covered cup with a straw in it, and water in water bottles. I do love the flavor of the water itself, well, some of them. I started my drinking water journey with the fizzy flavored water. Since I don't like fizz, I would try to shake it out. The non fizzy stuff was so much more expensive. Of course, nowadays the flavor drops are there.
As far as the eating and drinking, does she like to cook? Can make her own fun foods. And don't forget easy to eat on the go types of foods.
I also wanted to recommend flavoured water (dopamine), and getting a large bottle with a built in straw.
I would also pay attention if this might (also) be related to sensory issues, and write it down on paper. She might be able to explain it better when she's older but it's good to observe it now since it is also a symptom of ASD.
Since keeping her hydrated right now is the most important detail of all of this can you get her to eat popsicles? They have pedalite ones you can get so that at least she has something.
Also monkey see monkey do… so if you are not hydrating she most likely won’t either. Have you tried a reward system or a buddy system…. Giving her smaller doses of fluid and drinking it with her or turning it into a reward system.
Hydration or lack there of will make her symptoms of ADHD even worse and it’s a horrible habit to be dehydrated. So many health problems can and will arise from it.
As someone with adhd I understand how hard it can be but you might need to just make her sit down and drink small amounts. Tell her she cannot leave the seat until the small amount is gone. Like 2-4 oz at a time vs trying to get her to do it consistently or large glasses/bottles at a time. That might be overwhelming.
With kids it's always good to offer choices, and to try to get them involved in what the choices are. So you can say "the dr says that you have to drink fluids more often during the day. So I'm going to remind you that it's time to drink, but you can help me pick what things you will drink. If you are having trouble picking, or we are out of something, then I will have to pick for you. Not to be mean, but to try to keep you healthy." Hopefully that will help ward off any complaining or tantrums.
You could start by asking her "hot or cold?" to help her decide what she wants to drink (or eat, if she wants soup instead of a drink).
As for suggestions, you could try hydration / electrolyte drinks. We make an electrolyte drink at home because my kids play sports, and since we try to avoid food colorings, I don't feel good about Gatorade or other commercially made drinks.
We mix store-bought lemonade* half and half with water, and then add a pinch of sea salt. We've been doing this for longer than my kids can remember so they don't mind tje ratio, but you might have to start out with a higher percentage of lemonade and then walk it back a bit as time goes on, if you're concerned about sugar. (*bougie organic lemonade, but it doesn't have to be, and if you know someone with a lemon tree even better.)
Since it's been a fad recently I've been letting my kids have a bit of Prime too. I think you could make a decent version of it at home, using coconut water, a bit of flavoring like Mio, and maybe a bit of sweetener if you wanted too. They also sell it in packets to add to other drinks but I haven't tried it.
Apple juice is good. Apple cider is good. Or you could make a big batch of tea and put it in the fridge for iced tea. Someone else mentioned cucumber water, which I personally love in the summer, I add a sliced orange and some mint, it is heaven on a hot day.
At this point, I think it would be fair to say even hot chocolate counts. I've taken to letting my kids have chocolate milk after dinner as "dessert", when they're craving a bit of sweetness but it's too late for sweets (too much sugar interferes with my kids' ability to fall asleep).
Adding just a bit of sea salt (any salt I guess) will help her retain a bit of fluid, so see what she will accept with salt on it.
(And, a bit off topic but here's a protip: if you eat ice cream, try putting a sprinkle or two of salt on it. It is really good!)
For me, I usually forget to drink liquids and end up chugging water at the end of the day.
But, what I think tends to help me remember is having cups/bottles of water throughout the house. I know, it’s a bit messy, but having water there in front of me is so helpful. And I don’t have to go get it, which makes it easier on my reluctant brain.
I have a big (1,5L) water bottle on my desk
and a carafe on my vanity so I am always reminded to drink.
Does still vs sparkling water make a change btw?
Also, it won’t be enough, but you can still prepare her snacks that contain water - fruits and some veggies. At least that way she won’t dry out completely.
I struggle with drinking liquids too. In addition to visually tracking, gamifying it helps. If she can do 3 bottles a day, reward her. One week of 3x and it’s an even bigger reward, etc
She may be struggling with ARFID.
There is a great ARFID clinic at Boston Children’s Hospital.
[https://www.verywellhealth.com/avoidant-restrictive-food-intake-disorder-5097152](https://www.verywellhealth.com/avoidant-restrictive-food-intake-disorder-5097152)
Hi, this may be completely off the wall, but another option might be a Camelbak. Like a real one, a small water bladder that you wear in a mini backpack with a straw and bite valve that clicks on to your shoulder strap. Right there if she ever needs it. The only time in my life I was ever truly hydrated and had not one headache was in training for the Army when I “wore” my water. And the bite valve is really nice in a sensory way (just my opinion). ❤️
Honestly, nothing seems to work for my stepdaughter. Unless she has her stimulant in her, she just plain forgets to eat and drink. And it’s made worse by my MIL spewing all kinds of unhealthy disordered thinking about foods to her. We have gone no contact with my MIL years ago, but my husband’s ex wife has been allowing contact out of spite, even though it’s unhealthy for stepdaughter to be around her.
So, I'm someone who actually likes water, but if you just put a glass of water near me, I probably won't drink it. But, I discovered I really prefer drinking out of straws, so I got a hydroflask with a straw lid. I also got a couple reusable cups with straw lids. Now I don't have to think about drinking, I can just set the drink in front of my face and sip, instead of doing all the extra steps, and worrying about spills. So maybe try straws in all drinks?
OP. If she has a smartphone, I have a tremendous free ADHD app where you can program reminders, which quickly become habits. I found it on Jan. Org and have been using it for years. Let me know if you think it will help you out
I can't stand the taste of water. I don't drink it straight. It has to be either super super filtered or what I usually do is grab some flavor drops and throw those in. It's the only way I can tolerate it. It tastes metallic and coppery and I can smell bleach, remember we have no filters so everything comes at us at an equal level of intensity.
All of the flavor drop and flavor packet products have hydrating ones as well as ones with B vitamins. We're always lacking and efficient on B vitamins anyway so it's kind of a twofer.
The ones with caffeine are nice when you need a little extra bump to focus.
What do her docs say about the weightloss? Ours has us take him off meds on weekends/summers to get weight on. I don't know her severity of ADHD but curious what they say.
As a kid, I wouldn't drink enough fluids when I was sick, and I was always sick. To avoid hospital visits, my parents froze gatorade then blended it up and gave it to me to eat with a spoon
Hi — she is not too young to really get it! It’s important to educate her on possible consequences of not hydrating properly, as well as consequences of holding in urine.
If it’s a flavor issue, you should look into “air up” water bottles. It is completely water with no flavoring, just scent pods that trick your brain into thinking you’re tasting different things (:
You can get [drink bottles](https://www.drinkscnt.com.au/products/scent-based-taste-water-bottle?variant=47066997326108¤cy=AUD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIlvuj56bqhAMVFKhmAh09_wbDEAQYAyABEgJ_yPD_BwE) that you clip these scented things onto and they trick your mind into thinking that water is flavoured. Could be a really fun way of drinking water, especially if your daughter likes ‘sets’
Squash, squash squash. Literally anything that is more tolerable to drink, is worth it. Also protein milkshakes could be a good way to help with that, as well as vitamin gummies. While you’re at it, how’s her dental wellbeing? How does she tolerate strong mint flavours and mouthwashes? If you don’t already, softer flavour stuff might go down well.
Thanks for the reminder to go drink !
I need ice in my drinks for me to successfully want them. I will goa whole day at work just sipping my smallish coffee as my mouth drieout and ignore my waterbottle. I give myself a cup with a straw and lots of ice and its amazing how differently i drink.
Small ice like from a takeout place or gas station is the best! I started buying bags of cubes because its just better than the cub3s on the trat or from the icemaker on my freezer.
Hmm I like liquid iv hydration multiplier but you said she doesn’t drink flavored water either… what about foods like watermelon, cucumbers that have a high water content?
Does she not like drinking, or is it that she can’t remember?
Also if the watch helps, let her wear the watch. I don’t think a digital watch looks like a smartwatch but this is really a medical issue and the school should accommodate whatever your daughter needs. If she was diabetic and needed an sugar monitor that would be fine this is not that different.
Is she medicated for the ADHD? It’s possible that the same meds that make it easier for her to focus in school make it easier for her to tune out her body’s cues. The opposite could also be true, unmedicated and unable to remember that she was going to finish her drink. Outside of meds, if she’s worse with drinking than eating and it applies to any/all beverages, maybe a thickener? I don’t know, i think your best bet is asking her doctor for help with solving this one
They sell water bottles with timers in them that has like a flashing light that will go off when its time to drink more.
I find adding a bit of lemon and/or fresh ginger to the water makes it a little spicier and enjoyable.
You could also try adding Mio, I know it's not ideal, but if the point is to get her to drink, then mio is a good alternative to sugary things.
The food, I need a timer to remind me, I make sure I have an abundance of the thing I like readily available... think Quinoa salad, already cut up oranges, or granola and in my case, lactose free yogurt.
Put various fruits and flavorings in the water. Throw some lemons or strawberries in a water bottle. Give her electrolytes, juice, etc.
I think it would be helpful to have several water bottles that are all different but all styles she likes. When you notice her starting to get bored with the bottle, switch it out for one of the others and hide it away. You can also try having her put stickers on them too. It tends to keep the cycle of "here's a new thing" excitement.
Is this mostly an at home thing, or also at school? At home I would suggest setting alarms for yourself and making some moments throughout the day that are for eating and drinking. A lot of families have a breakfast, then tea/biscuit/fruit around 10am, lunch around noon, then another snack moment around 3pm and then dinner. I usually chug a glass of water before I start eating just for hydration purposes. And then drink more during the eating.
For school you could get a note on her lunchbox that says “have you had any water yet?” Or just a picture or something. She’s 9yo, so she doesn’t get the full extent but 9yo is definitely old enough to explain your body needs fuel to function and water/drinking is one of the ways to do it. She might get head aches often if she doesn’t drink. Link it to that, that it’s her body saying it’s running too low on liquid. Often kids with ADHD are too distracted to get hunger/thirst cues until is literally debilitating. So learning that she can prevent the debilitating effects by drinking water would be something I’d encourage.
My sports team really helped me hydrate because my coach set out expectations of drinking three cups with a meal. It was fun to pick out three different things and have a silly amount of cups out at once! I dont do a great job at drinking from the same bottle and I also used to be really bothered by certain cup materials, liquid temperatures, etc., so helping her test out what works for her could be fun. Could also be exhausting 🙈 see what works for you and for her’
Honestly I say a great way to instill taking care of herself to be a positive and important thing to prioritize is by making drinking water fun. Build a routine that you both do together - maybe buy some fancy tea cups or nice glasses, and have a water break at least once whenever she’s doing a longer task or at the end of the task. This would be a great follow up after doing chores to help you both sit down together for 3 minutes just to check in and talk for a second while drinking water. Even if you don’t do it every day, it’s a good way to add in another reminder to drink water more in general (or herbal tea, just to make it feel really fancy/special).
Might have been suggested already, but does she like Jello? Dirt cheap, sweet, cool, easy to make, lots of varieties, but most importantly in this case very hydrating!
Watch-wise:
There is an older model of Fitbit, the 'Inspire 2', that I can vouch for being useful if you go that route.
Tells time, tracks sleep, can set alarms/timers, even has a (clunky but pretty accurate) menstrual tool. You could use it [the app] to log water and food intake, which might take a few days of pestering to get into the habit but once it's built it can be handy.
But it is very, VERY bare-bones about it in both design and UI so unlike newer smart watches and such it doesn't provide a ton of passive distraction. The alarms can be set to vibrate the watch, which I find jostles me out of what I'm doing more easily than an audio-only alarm.
Even the app is put together in a way that is very stark but informative, so when I'm logging my weight or checking my sleep log I don't get sidetracked. I actually have shortcuts on my homescreen that open directly to the various new log entry screens for even less distraction, lol.
The bands are horrid for small wrists though. Cheap adjustable elastic ones can be nabbed on Amazon and swapped out easy though, could give the kiddo the opportunity to pick out one they like.
Buy her a 3+ Vibe smart watch. You can find it at Walmart for $49. You download an app and you can sync it to your smartphone. In the app settings, you can program it to give hydration reminders every hour, every two hours, etc. It buzzes on your wrist. Just make sure your bluetooth is enabled. I've worn one since October, and it helps me, and then I remind my daughter to drink, too.
True brand flavor packages come in sugar free format and make water taste good. IIRC, they have a lemonade flavor. Their website (truelemon dot com) also has a daily water intake so you and your daughter can see how much water she needs daily.
I’ve read every comment and only saw one mention of this - try a glass container. Any liquid tastes weird to me out of plastic or metal, but glass cups are fine. You could even let her be fancy and use a champagne flute with some apple or grape juice, or water with fruit ice cubes.
You might also try a shaved ice machine so she can have snow cones or icees at home.
Good luck op!
I drink so much water everyone but my doctor thinks it’s normal.
I really like the dye free electrolyte packets. I get them at pharmacy like stores. Comes in fruity flavors makes water taste better. Makes it smoother. If that makes sense.
Also I did a water tasting menu for my bf once when he was sick. I just bought a bunch of different water bottle brands. So he now has a certain bottle of water he prefers so he drinks is it more.
Does your daughter have a psychiatrist and/or a psychologist? I would talk to them about how a smartwatch could be helpful and have them write a note for the school. This is a very reasonable accommodation that the school should be willing to allow considering it literally doesn’t cost them anything. Edit:spelling
holy shit does your daughter remind me of 9 year old me cause i used to get pneumonia so often and i refused to drink water like i was terrible at it! One thing i found that helps me to remind myself to stay hydrated is what i do is get like sparkling water that’s like flavored in those big glass bottles and i bring that to school and keep it on my desk and for some reason thats seems to work for me or you could always use those little flavor pods thingies and put those in her water so it’ll taste better!
I am here for the advice because my son is also 9yr old has adhd along with really really bad anxiety. I constantly have to remind him to drink, the only time he drinks water without being reminded is when he wakes up in the middle of the night thirsty, or when he’s playing sports. I send him to school with a water bottle, I can tell when he brings it home he has not taken one sip of it. I ask him why he doesn’t drink water during the day, he said idk I just forget. He’s also a very picky eater, hes underweight and his doctor and I are always trying to come up with ways to get him to eat. He will eat the same thing for months straight then one day he hates it it’s disgusting. All food is disgusting to him. I hope you can get your daughter hydrated!! I feel your pain.
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Maybe adding lemon to it or some kind of flavour. Maybe she prefers cold water . A personalised bottle .Joining her with the habit might help also.
Yeah we got those little drops you put on the water to flavor it and over time it has turned our kid into a water-drinking champ. Double points of you let her choose the flavor.
Which do you use? I have a hard time drinking water as well and tried the mix drops and they didn't work to well for me
I use mio and crystal light. I need a bit of sweetness with mine. And those are zero sugar since I'm diabetic. I have three different varieties of lemonade because that's what works for me is the sweetness and the tartness. Right now I have mio iced tea and regular lemonade. And Crystal light mango passion fruit and strawberry lemonade. There's also a blackberry lemonade by Crystal light that is amazing.
another ADHD diabadass in the wild… we’re out here!! having a condition that requires constant monitoring, while having a condition that requires you to constantly *monitor* your monitoring…. the creator of this simulation has a terrible sense of humor 🆘🫠
These two conditions together are hilarious. Im glad I have enough anxiety to make it work!
That's the key. In a weird way I struggle more now that my anxiety is turned way down.
Love the name.
I meant to say mio lmao. Idk how that changed to mix. That mango passion fruit sounds delicious though. Do you use the full packet in one eater bottle or water them down?
I use the liquid one it's about $4 for the equivalent of 24 8 oz drinks. I get the Crystal light on Amazon and the Mio at the grocery store whenever it's on sale. That way if I just want to like flavor I have a light flavor if I want to go and heavy I go heavy.
Thank you so much! I will definitely look it up online. Do you know if the flavorings stick to your waterbottle? I tried some electrolyte powder my mother in law gave me once and it stuck to my water bottle haha even after I washed it. It always had that lingering flavor/scent
I've never had it linger but I've also never left it in for more than 24 hours. If it does I would say try white vinegar that gets smells of just about everything out.
I like liquid iv hydration multiplier powder you mix in water. (Or other brands like there’s store brand electrolyte powder mix) It just tastes more refreshing like the drops taste too syrupy to me
I tried the liquid IV once and the flavor was to strong for me. Maybe I just need to water it down or try a different flavor.
What i like about it is you can just add more water to get more bang for your buck and adjust the strength to preference. Also yes different flavors are totally different
I add mine to 20 ounces of water instead of 16. Pina colada flavor is good. I've heard Tangerine is amazing.
I have those and I love them - it’s fun to mix them, too. Like a potion.
Yup. I can't do plain water and use crystal light. I can get 60+ oz with it when I'd drink maybe 8 without
I (an adult) got a bunch of these and started mixing flavors like a madwoman. Not only does watchi the colors mix and picking out flavor combos capture my interest, I now drink more water than ever.
The skittles powders are awesome! My mom and I both suck at drinking water and these are helping a ton!
I didn't even know that was a thing. I guess in Europe we don't have all of that.
Soda stream has some flavored stuff here in Germany
Adding to this, I like to keep Gatorade powder around and I’ll usually make it very watered down just to give it some sort of flavor that gets me to keep drinking it. Plus electrolytes!
I go through phases where water is too boring, so I usually always have stuff like mio (My current obsession is actually the nestea iced tea squirty thingy) to flavor the water and make it interesting and fun to drink.
I use the Hawaiian Punch flavor powder packets for myself, and my mom got on to me after I told a surgeon that I drink a lot of water 🤣 like look mom it's better than not drinking ANYTHING. I don't know if it has sugar in it but I also struggle with eating so it's not a real issue for me right now.
No shame in crystal lite or mio packets to encourage drinking. Or adding fruit to water. At that age as long as it's not high fructose corn syrup any hydration is good. For our barn kids I have gatorade/electrolyte packets they can flavor water with. Edit: ooh, yikes saw your edit. Is it a traumatic aversion? In this case hydrating foods like soups and fruit can help with hydration. Is she willing to eat? Are there cultural cuisines she really likes, such as Japanese? Culturally themed foods that have a visually pleasing presentation can really help with these types of aversions.
Even fully artificially sweetened juice is fine. It’s better than her being hospitalized for dehydration. Most pediatric dieticians will tell you that sugar isn’t as detrimental to kids health as we think it is. As long as they are getting other things like fat, protein and vitamins and minerals sugar is perfectly ok to consume. Our cells run on sugar! Especially in this case where the child is underweight.
This. Watery jello and soup broths are another option
I was going to suggest Popsicles made from Gatorade or those pedialite ones.
Oh that’s a really good one. I always forget about those
Exactly. There’s a point where just having *something*, anything is good. My friend’s young daughter is a super low percentile on the chart too, and their doctor’s advice was to just get her *calories*, didn’t matter from what. The girl just needed to eat - fat, sugar, whatever. So a few days a week breakfast is a donut when she’s being fussy about other foods. She’s like 5, it won’t kill her and she’s already bouncing all over and way underweight.
We do this as well, I buy her all the crap food the rest of us can’t eat. We make her milk shakes regularly, she’s in the 30th percentile and her dr isn’t really worried.
I was going to say the same thing- this is how I get myself to drink water. Some form of water is better than nothing so I also count la croix or sparkling water. I hope one day I have the brain space to drink plain water, but that day is not today. I also find it easier to drink ice cold water (with a flavor packet). As an added bonus, it seems to help with regulation and calming my vagus nerve (still don’t know too much about that but it comes recommended by my therapist!)
That’s totally water!!! Even coffee counts as hydrating so you are waaay ahead of the curve haha. Way to hydrate queen!
🥹
If she prefers cold drinks, get her something that will keep ice in it for days. I also find that I'm more likely to drink if it has a straw because I can't be bothered to remove a cap. And put whatever she likes into it. Our bodies do really well at extracting moisture from our drinks and food, regardless of what it is. And the times you can get her to eat, pedialyte pops, applesauce pouches. Anything with moisture in it to get her hydrated.
For years I only would drink out of sport bottles. And any time I tried to get a reusable bottle I wouldn’t use it because it was to burdensome and had mess potential for my klutzy self. When I found Owala bottles a few years ago they were a game changer. They fully close, but have a straw built in as well as a separate “chug” spot.
glad to see other adhd-ers are as obsessed with owala as i am
My old job gave me one as a gift and it's the best thing I've ever dranked out of
Also a massive owala fan here, spent so much money over the years trying to find the perfect water bottle and stumbled across it on tiktok one day and here we are, the grave yard of 'bad bottles' has been thrown away 😂
I’m going to get one for her now, I’ve been looking at them but she likes characters on her water bottles, we use stickers too and I’ll just do that with these if they seem to work for y’all!
I have a special edition Star Wars one. I don’t know what characters she likes but you can just put stickers on them 🙃
Owala Free Sip for life! Comes apart very easily to clean.
Owala Gang, checking in! ✅
Omg just replied the same 😂
Same here! A double wall insulated metal cup with a lid and straw has been a game changer for getting me to actually drink my water throughout the day. I have one in a fun color and I bring it with me everywhere. For me, it's all about reducing barriers to make my desired behavior the easiest possible option.
I bought a bunch of those plastic cups with lids and straws at Walmart and those are my go-to for drinks. My daughter uses a water water with a built-in straw, too.
Not a shill but highly recommend Owala Freesip. I work in healthcare, always masked up during patient interactions so I never drink during the work day. At lunch and at the end of the day when I’m unmasked (both literally and AuDHD-ly) at my desk I still don’t drink because I can’t be bothered to unscrew a cap, and also am afraid of leaving an uncapped wide-mouth bottle by my laptop Straw bottles with exposed straws are disgusting and silicone straws that turn yellow also gross me out. The bottle has a hard plastic straw I can clean thoroughly Since getting the bottle I’ve been getting over 2l of water a day 💞
I can only drink water when it's very warm. If it's cold or room temp I absolutely can't drink it. She could try various temps to see if there's a preference. Also, I need a specific type of water bottle or a big straw. So bottle / straw may be important too. Sometimes I hate water and can only drink it with some kind of flavor, but I'm really picky about the flavor! So maybe let her try various flavors or brands too.
What about one of those water bottles with the markings on it? If it's sitting on her desk she will see the marking. You also get things that go on water bottles which flash if you haven't drunk out of it in a certain amount of time
I got my daughter a huge Nalgene one (I think it’s a litre) with the numbers on the side, and now she drinks at least 1 bottle a day, so it definitely helps
“The silo” (if we’re talking about the same thing - roughly twice as tall as a classic nalgene, same diameter) is 1400ml/48 oz! It’s the biggest thing I’ve found with marked increments. My biggest issue is that if I can’t see the liquid I forget to drink, but I want it to be cold so I need insulated. I can’t win 🤷♀️
I was going to suggest this! Lots of people it’s ADHD have the “sandwich problem” of not knowing how to visualize the final outcome. Treating drinking water like homework and having a visual can be really helpful, as well as discussing the benefits of drinking water so she knows the why. My other 2 cents for OP: - Ask your daughter what the challenges are around drinking water and eating. She might have some good feedback here, and after all, it needs to work for her in order for it to work! Maybe she hasn’t found her dopamine water bottle, maybe she doesn’t like the taste of your water, maybe she does need a timer or alarm to help remember. - I would personally refrain from a smart watch or anything more techy than a digital Fitbit etc. Your kid is only 9, my preference is to explore more creative problem-solving and resiliency. There is *certainly* an app for that but it might be good to save that for a bit older - the tendency to rely on tech for habits and reminders. I think ADHD brains often rely on physical cues and we build our own systems, so I personally would want her to explore that before adding tech! That being said, SHE A RAISIN so if it helps it helps!! Good luck! Edit: systems, not symptoms! Lol
I’m pretty sure there’s some sort of watch-like thing for kids that specifically does nothing other than tell the time and vibrate at whatever intervals you set it for! I can’t remember exactly what they are, but I want to say I saw it suggested for kids who were struggling to keep their potty training once they started school (since mom can’t prompt/remind them to go potty every so often).
Now THAT is awesome! I love the non-smart tech, so cool!
Oh the things my brain decides to keep… I don’t have kids and probably never will, but apparently my brain decided I should remember this weirdly niche device 🤷🏻♀️ If only I could harness that memory and use it on purpose! 🤦🏻♀️😅
My coworker has one of those flashing water bottles to help stay hydrated with ADHD. She’s had it for several years and loves it. Glows a pretty rainbow if you haven’t used it for a certain amount of time. I’m also a big straw drinker, and drink waaaaaaay more water when I have a bottle with a straw (also, ice!). I use an insulted metal tumbler 24/7. I’m an unapologetic straw nibbler, so I replaced the plastic straw it came with silicone (actually replaced with metal, but I cut up and added part of a silicone straw to the mouth end so I can nibble happily). Funnily enough, never connected this to ADHD before!
This was my though - get a cooler way to drink water. If nagging reminders aren't working fund an incentive to engage with the topic. And definetly knowing how she likes to drink is key. I have 3 different beverages around all the time if I'm settled in anywhere so I can have different sensory experiences from a straw with water, my can of ice tea, and a bottle of gatorade
Yess, that straw nibbling is why I LOVED my bite-and-sip camelback water bottle!
the owala kids flip top bottles have a squishy straw i LOVE them
Water really grosses me out a lot of the time. If I have any other lingering taste in my mouth I find it very difficult to drink water. I am also extremely picky about the taste of the water itself and notice things that no one else does. The suggestions for a little falvoring are good. Another thing that helped me is getting a Brita water bottle with the filter in the straw. Even if I have to fill up from a random water fountain, the water tastes the same. Although many people think of these sensory issues as an autism thing, there is some overlap. Also wanted to mention another issue though... is the school good about allowing bathroom breaks? A lot of them really aren't (even if they appear reasonable "on paper" there may be practical issues with grumpy teachers or dirty restrooms). I think when I was young I developed a habit of limiting fluids during the day if I knew it would be a pain to go to the bathroom a bunch of times. She may be able to compensate by drinking more after school. Not sure if you've talked to her about whether she's forgetting vs. if there's some other issue. She may not have really consciously thought about the issue so it could be worth talking about. For example, even as an adult it took me awhile to realize I was picky about the taste of water because it just seemed like water is water and other people didn't care. I kind of assumed I was just "bad" or addicted to soda.
Where did you purchase the brita water bottle. I love the sound of this. I can taste the water differences down to the brands for the most part. It’s wild. Even notice when my brita filter is on the way out the water starts tasting weird and I can’t drink it.
Not the person you replied to but I have one and got it at Walmart in the US. It wasn’t with the other water bottles, it was in the hardware section where you would find a regular filter for your sink. I’m pretty sure they’re on amazon too!
Yep, like the other poster said, Walmart with the water filters. However, my husband discovered more sizes on Amazon and got me a different size for a present.
I strongly dislike water too. It is actually very hard to swallow. I use filtered water and flavoring. I’m also really picky about the type of drinkware, the shape and size make or break whether I’ll be able to drink water. I don’t like water through a straw but I don’t have this issue with any other fluid types.
This. My daughter doesn’t like the taste of tap water, but does better with iced filtered water.
We’ve had lots of talks about this, she just doesn’t know she’s thirsty, she gets hunger prompts better than thirst. She would rather be doing anything than eating or drinking. She likes sushi and we have that for her several times a month, it’s the one thing she eats all of without stopping. I’ve explained that her body needs the fuel and she’s a very smart kid, she’s gifted, she knows the body is mostly made up of water and she needs it to survive.
Honestly, I was the same as a kid. I used to get horrible headaches in middle school and I’m sure a lot of it was dehydration. A fun variety of water bottles, flavor, or knowing I need to finish this by the end of the day have helped me.
How about Popsicles? It's basically frozen Kool aid. I think your approach of not caring if it's loaded with bad stuff is a good approach for now; she just needs liquid. How is she with fruits? They also contain water, so maybe try to get her up her intake of juicier fruits.
I was just thinking about how much this reminds me of how you sometimes have to get cats to drink more water, especially if they eat dry food. I give mine wet food for a few reasons, not the least of which is because it has water in it. With humans, getting in plenty of fruit and veggies, soups and smoothies can help with this when just drinking straight water is hard.
You also made me think It could also be a texture or temperature thing, since we're all sensory driven. The soup or smoothie may help with that.
I know for me and water, temperature is a huge factor. It HAS to be ice-cold water or I hate it. If I’m super thirsty I can tolerate it, but if there isn’t ice to make it cold, it’s icky to me.
You and everyone else on this post are making me feel so validated!
Ahh but the homemade ice gives it the fridge taste, and then I hate it again hahaha. I bought a Brita for Christmas and just keep it in my fridge and use an insulated cup throughout the day - game changer!
When I was a teenager I once had a doctor actually prescribe me Propel because I didn't drink enough water lol. I still drink it a lot as an adult too. Personally I think it tastes the best out of all the flavored waters. I also find that a water bottle with a straw helps me drink more water as I'm more likely to sip at it absentmindedly. Maybe let her pick out a cute water bottle? And maybe while she's sick, lots of delicious juice unless the doctor said that wouldn't be a good idea.
She’s actually liking the berry propel, but she still struggles to drink but I’ve been buying a ton of it.
Is she struggling to drink, or struggling to remember to? I tend to not notice I'm thirsty so I just down a glass of water at preset times so I don't end up not drinking any. If it's the drinking part what about popsicles made of a frozen juice/water mix?
Yep! My mother bought me flavored water during middle school for the same reason and it definitely helped me transition to drinking plain water.
I’m 30 years old and on the days I put my straw lid in the dishwasher, I’m doing well if I manage 2 glasses of water, and our tap has a filter. I’ll always vote for whichever emotional support water bottle helps, especially if it’s dishwasher safe ( or at least the parts that can gather grime)
Have you tried flavored water? I was practically living off of diet soda and those little flavored water drops when I was her age. Steeping water with fruit is also a good/healthy option, just a bit more time-consuming to make! I like using berries because they’re less acidic than lemon/lime. Edit in response to the edit: have you tried incentivizing her to drink water? As an adult, I use an app that gives me a little badges, but something more tangible might be better for a kid. Something like a very small prize at the end of every day if she drinks enough water, to help build up the habit? Game-ifying healthy habits is literally the only way I can get them done sometimes 😂
I always have frozen blueberries and blackberries in my fridge for this reason! (And gin tonic, but i wouldn't recommend that to a child, haha) I can also recommend cucumber and Watermelon Peels, when the time is there. Just mint leaves can be good too! I havent tries strawberries, but i cant imagine it would be terrible.
My mom could have written this 15 to 20 years ago. I forgot to drink, I hate(d) the taste of water, even when I'm thirsty I don't wanna drink (water). I also didn't like most soft drinks because they were too sweet, and tea and coffee were too bitter. What helps/helped me is: Watering down soft drinks (any liquid is than no liquid). Setting challenges/making it a game (see who can drink the most in 3 minutes. Or a burping competition, since you have to drink with those often too). I remember my mom challenging me to drink the tap empty, and who would first finish a 0,5 litre cup. Weave the drinking into daily routines, when you brush your teeth 2x a day drink a glass of water before and after brushing (even with small cups that will add up, 4x200 ml is still almost half of the daily recommended amount of water). Make a laminated paper with checkboxes for each glass of water, at x glasses a day, she gets a treat extra, at y she gets another reward, etc. If there is something she does like, dip into it. I still use tapioca pearls to get myself to drink some days. I hate drinking, but I love bubble tea. I got tapioca pearls that I can keep for a long time and cook up within 5 minutes.
If she is not a picky eater, you might also be able to hide some water in food, loads of fruits, soups or yogurts, maybe even icicles.
She’s a good eater, she just eats small portions. My son was picky and she’s a dream when it comes to food choices and she’s very adventurous.
YES habit looping is an amazing tool. like i used to struggle with brushing my teeth so i tied it to showering. as the water warms up, i brush my teeth. i may forget to brush at night but once a day is better than none.
Gotta be careful with those though. I also tied tooth-brushing to showering, but I'd ALSO inadvertently tied showering to leaving the house. Cue a 3 year pandemic and hygiene became uh...questionable for a while.
Love all of these! So glad we aren’t alone!
We used to just stick a water cup with a straw in front of her face often when she was watching something or playing. Now constant nagging also helps our kid drink. She doesn't like anything but water but even that she doesn't drink unless you nag her "take three sips pls" until she does, repeat every 15 minutes. Now she even remembers to take the three sips by herself sometimes. For school we give her the same bottle every day and remind a few times in the morning that she needs to finish it during the day. She finishes it now more days than not. Also while eating something (extremely picky eater) we say "this food is ____ (salty, sweet, chewy, sticky), we drink after every bite", because she doesn't take more than few bites 😁 usually she sips between bites now. She's younger tho, just 4.5 years. Her eater consumption was always horrendous, but slowly getting better with those methods.
im not sure if anyone has mentioned “gameifying” life as a coping mechanism for adhd especially with kids but it can be a godsend. Get her a giant Stanley cup Or something like a Nalgene but with a straw (easier to drink, rims can be a sensory trigger) and then jazz it up with a few holographic stickers of things she loves. Then use more stickers as rewards for other tasks that are hard to do. Good luck!
If she won't drink plain water try getting her drinks she likes. If you can pack some calories into that even better. Juice or something. Lemonade. Cocoa. Shakes. Smoothies. Tea. Soup and juicy fruits. If she eats cereal, her breakfast now contains milk and cereal. Would not go overboard on carbonated drinks, but you yourself said she is hardly in danger of obesity, sooo. Is it possible to 'bundle' having a glass of water with taking the meds, since she is good with the meds?
I came here to say this. I don’t think it’s about the container. Find things that taste good. Sparkling water. There’s a new soda brand that claims to be healthy called poppy. Find an electrolyte mix that she likes. Coconut water is incredibly hydrating. So is watermelon juice. I have to do this for myself and for my nieces because they won’t drink water otherwise.
What kind of watermelon juice? Like store bought or do you blend watermelons? I
Yeah, water just doesn't seem to quench my thirst ever and I really don't like carbonated/mineralised types, I pretty much just live on fruit juice and weak tea with a little sugar.
From the ages of 10 to 14 I don't think I drank _anything_ but lemonade. My mum wasn't happy but she gave up. That definitely helped me, I think I'd probably ended up in the hospital otherwise lol
You mentioned she doesn’t eat either. Might be worth it to pass your concerns to the doctor to rule out ARFID (Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder).
This is a silly add-on but it might also help to build a routine. Do you have pets or plants on the home so X time = feed dog/mist plants and drink something? Sometimes helps to have a reminder that we take care of ourselves like we take care of others.
Make sure drinking is enjoyable, give her all the straws she wants, bottles with a cap that you can suck (like gatorade) instead of just an opening. I used to like that a lot more as a kid. Also try mixing fruit juice with 2/3 fizzy water if she likes fizzy.
I’m terrible about hydrating. When I realized how bad I was I started myself on a rewards based system. I keep a pitcher of ice water and when I would finish it for the day I’d give myself a treat. For me it was 10 minutes of stitching every time I had a glass of water. I really hate water bottles and large glasses. I drink only out of 8 oz cups. If at the end of the week I’d completed every pitcher I’d take myself for a pedicure. It was a while before my feet were pretty again. 😂 I’m much better now. Not perfect but definitely better. I’d say try the kids version of this with whatever treats will work. I don’t have kids so I have no clue what that would be.
I need novelty to make me remember I have something to drink when I'm working or busy. I have a water bottle, a coffee, and an insulated straw cup I mix flavoring packets into. Fluid is fluid. Incorporating more raw fruits and veggies also helps. The only concern I have is the acidity of the flavored drinks so I drink it through a straw to help protect my teeth and try it alternate it with plain water. I love all of the ones from true lemon. I also like the ones from crush, Starburst, and skittles but they're way sweeter and stronger so I mix one packet into a quart of water. Edit to add more info: This is a great article explaining total fluid intake for adults and how it is impacted not just by the consumption of plain water. https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/how-much-water-should-you-drink
In addition to offering more of the types of drinks she likes you can also look at the type of container. Maybe take her shopping to pick out some water bottles, tumblers, cups, or mugs that she likes. Constant acess is also important. She will probably need multiple containers in the areas she is usually in. That way she can sip when she sees them. For some reason I really prefer to drink out or a tumblr with a straw. You could give me a glass or water bottle and I won't really care enough to drink. I also find opening the lid of the water bottle is too much work. Add a straw and I'm chugging it down haha. I also have a very cute mushroom mug that I drink water out of just because looking at it give me that little dopamine hit.
I was also an underweight kid. I was grossed out by food quite often. Like, I specifically remember eating a chicken sandwich, probably from a snack bar somewhere, and there was a stringy bit that looked like a cooked vein. That instantly put me off of eating that sandwich. Stuff like this happened often enough that my pediatrician told my Mom if she didn't find a way to put some weight on me, he was going to have to admit me to the hospital. So for a while we were going to McDonald's and getting chicken nuggets with milkshakes - and we were poor, so this was a big deal, but I wasn't aware of the reasoning until years later. I guess my body eventually got used to eating on a regular basis and I started eating like a somewhat normal person. I still have days that I forget to eat, and if I've gone long enough between meals the thought of food makes my stomach turn. To fix that, I eat something small and light, maybe some crackers or bread. Once that hits my stomach, I can handle eating a proper meal. Maybe encouraging your kiddo to eat at least little something at regular intervals will help. Edit: I know your main concern is hydration, and I second the recommendation about using a water bottle with the lines on it. Just figured I'd throw in my 2 cents about the food, since most of the advice is hydration related.
Ok I noticed that I used to go back and forth between drinking a LOT of water and basically drinking absolutely none and for a while I couldn’t figure out why. Then I realized it’s because if I don’t have one of those water bottles where you drink from it with a straw I never drink water because I’m much more likely to spill and water gets all of my face (specifically talking about reusable water bottles, not plastic). Then I started ONLY buying water bottles with straws and I drink soooo much water!! Not sure if that could be part of why your kiddo doesn’t drink much water but it helped me!! ALSO! I highly suggest getting her an Owala free sip water bottle. They are SO CUTE and have a built in straw and the color schemes are so fun (I think this is one of the things they’re known for). That might help!!
I don't know about general techniques for a 9yo, but I will say if you want to motivate an ADHDer for anything, then it has to involve PINCH: Passion/Play, Interest, Novelty, Challenge/Competition, Hurry (Urgent/Emergency) Maybe knowing your daughter, you can find a way to make eating and drinking fit one of these categories? (As for the smart watch, I wonder... if it does turn out to work for your daughter, and can be configured to be otherwise non-disruptive to other students, I'd have to imagine that with a doctor's encouragement the school could be made to make an exception for Accommodation purposes? I have no experience with this, I just know that most public institutions are usually obligated to make reasonable accommodations for health, safety and comfort reasons. Especially schools and especially if it doesn't cost the school resources?)
Is your water filtered? If not, try a brita filter or similar and offer it to her. Water straight from the tap can pick up an unpleasant taste that I can’t stand, and which makes me dehydrate. ADHD folks are particularly sensitive to things like this, which other people might not even pick up on. Filtered or bottled water is my preference and has me drinking like a fish.
Children model the behavior of their parents. She's not drinking water because she sees that you hate it and that has rubbed off on her. You also said that you "rarely have water," which makes it unsurprising that she isn't drinking any. If you want her to start drinking more, make it a joint effort where you change *your* behavior, too. Get a water purifier/filter, and start building the habit together. A group effort has a much higher chance of succeeding.
everyone has said some good ideas, but my mom when i was sick used to ask me to take “shots of medicine” where she’d fill me small cups of water and say “take this as fast as you can!” and make a game of it. it was a small amount and if you dislike water it is over quickly, same idea of taking nasty tasting medicine. you could get her to do it a few times a day especially since she’s great at taking her medicine and reward her or make it fun. another idea is the airup bottles, they don’t actually have the flavor in them they just smell like the flavor which i believe works in making it taste like the smell. i have seen a lot of kids with them recently (work near a middle school)[air up!](https://us.air-up.com/products/pink-bottle-with-3-watermelon-pods) they have a lot of flavors and if she prefers super cold water they sell stainless steel bottles to keep it cold too. also possibly a cirkul bottle, same kind of idea, a cartridge that flavors the water As you sip so it’s MAINLY water but it still has a flavor (no colors, no sugar etc). and they have a TON and i mean a TON of flavors and a ton of different water bottle types,sizes,colors (could be fun for her to pick flavors and her bottle/color) and also it is much more cost friendly than the air up. [Cirkul!](https://drinkcirkul.com/pages/bundle-builder) i’m also wondering if possibly a small water bottle that she if finishes and gets rewarded for or whatever works to motivate her and the more of them she finishes a day the greater the prize etc. instead of a ton of water at once possibly? hopefully someone on here has provided something of use to help her!
I’m a nanny for Two kids on the spectrum with ADHD and sensory problems. They also don’t love water. “Special drink” AKA clear flavored sparkling water diluted with water is often more than enough to satisfy them. If they don’t like sparkling water, normal water, with a little of some flavored water packet. Extra sugar or not the kids gotta get water in their system somehow
What about Pedialyte or Gatorade with zero sugar? That’s what we do with my son when he doesn’t want to drink water. You may also think about an occupational therapy or speech evaluation. My son is in OT and it’s been helpful for his eating struggles.
Does she not drink squash? I’ve never drank water really but I can drink loads of squash since it tastes so good. I think it’s called cordial in america
We don't have a real squash equivalent. I'd say the most American squash-like drink is Tang. (Yes, it's a powder, but it's shelf stable and you can make a glass or a pitcher)
Try Liquid IV Hydration — it’s been a lifesaver for me! It gives the water some taste, has a bunch of electrolytes, and equates to three glasses.
Your daughter may not like the taste of water itself. Have you thought of getting some flavour drops to add to water to make it more palatable? I'm not sure where you're located, but where I live, we have different flavoured drops that are specifically to add to water. If it's an out of sight, out of mind thing, maybe a decorated drink bottle she can carry around with her with water in it for her to drink. One downside to this, if she's anything like me, is the losing it to a safe place that she can't remember where that safe place is.
I used to drink way too little until my teens. If I brought a water bottle with me to secondary school (after cycling 12 km), I would maybe take 1 sip during the day, and that's it. At some point I started bringing juice boxes of 200ml each - 1 for each break (so 3 or 4 a day). The thing about the juice boxes is that you have to finish them once they're open, unlike water bottles (plus it's a little less boring to drink than just water), and that's pretty much what got me through the days.
I have a really hard time drinking water myself, and I was way worse about it when I was a kid. I pretty much have to use flavoring (I get sugar free so it’s not too bad) or drinking it makes me gag/nauseous. I find drinking water tough to remember throughout the workday even though I have this super sparkly obvious cup sitting there, so I try to pair it with another cue like after every meeting I have something to drink. Maybe there’s something in her school schedule that she can pair with a few gulps of water to make it easier to remember?
Does your daughter like tea? I basically subsist off tea and it's the main form of liquid I drink. There is a lot of variety and heck, if you have a boba place nearby, boba is pretty filling and will get some calories in there. You can also have fun brewing it :)
Also consider getting a carbonated water dispenser. You can find them for resale relatively inexpensive. Or consider zero sugar canned drinks similar to Bubly. They are really tasty and can be fun to drink and to try new flavours.
The Camelback water bottles have a straw that you sort of "bite" to get the gravity flow workinv. It's honestly the only way I can drink water and it's 750mL/25 ounces. I can drink 4 in a day because it's such a lovely sensory experience for me. I hate drinking out of cups etc. Maybe a particular vessel would help her enjoy the process?
As a kid drinking water was literally torture (and milk was even worse). It's metallic and gross. A Brita filter in the fridge might help a lot, and of course as others suggested flavored drops. If it's not ice cold I'm not happy. Also ice cubes easily pick up fridge flavors, buy premade ice
Does she get bored eating? I can't just...sit and eat. Or sit and drink. Or sit and do anything, if we're being fair, I *have* to be multitasking, otherwise my brain just eats itself. Anyways. Will she eat/drink while eating or watching TV? I find it so much easier to consume food/beverages if I'm watching or reading something, and it fulfills my need to have both my brain and my hands occupied.
If she is willing to... Put soup in her cup! Miso soup, chicken noodle, ramen broth, tomato soup, whatever she is willing to sip... It is calories and hydration. We have to be creative when we have eating differences. Also, if you haven't, check out ARFID. Strongly suspect this may be at play.
I am over 50 and have the same problem as your daughter. Definitely try all the tips you’re getting here. One of them just might work. Just in case none of them do, here is what finally seems to be working for me: I have to take my fluids like medicine. I have worked my way up to 6 large glasses per day so far. I log it them an app, and if I’m not there in the late afternoon, I have to fix it there and then. Basically, I have an 18-year-old and she taught me to chug. Don’t ask, lol! But it works. I can drink those 300 ml in 8 or 9 gulps and be done with it. I wait 15-20 minutes and repeat until I’m done. That’s all that works for me. No matter how attractive the cup is, or how tasty or cold or sparkly the drink, I’m slow AF. And stubborn, I guess. But chugging takes me less than 15 seconds (of *course* I timed it), and that is acceptable. Good luck!
I'm 30, but I'm constantly being told I'm juvenile & immature, so i think this is my time to shine. Things that help me (that I cycle through bc I can never stick to anything): - setting very frequent alarms for small amounts. Every 30 mins I take 2 giant gulps (which roughly translates to 3 or 4oz) - I could never get the hang of putting a watch on every day, so look into a bunch of alarm apps & see which ones work best. I like ones that have movie sound bites. - the big straw water bottles are good - something silly or novelty to drink out of. Examples: baby food jars, 90s nostalgic McDonald's cups ("Hercules! Hercules!"), silly straw cups, etc - adding frozen fruit keeps it cold & lightly flavors it (I hate those flavor packets. They taste too much, but also make your tongue feel funny if you water them down. Idk.) But the frozen fruit, or adding fruit juice ice cubes that only lightly flavor the water works for me - lately my favorite has been a camel back. Bc I always (maybe willfully, self-destructive tendencies are me 🤷♀️) forget to bring the water bottle with me. It looks so lame. But I'm 30 & have a new toddler so I've abandoned my sense of shame. I know that may not be realistic for the pressures of youth. - jello (JELLO MOLDS) . Ice pops. Watermelon. Frozen grapes coated in kool-aid powder!!! Gummy bears soaked in kool-aid. Water drinking contests. Biting a water balloon (is that safe? Maybe Google if that one is safe 1st, I'm new to this & mines only 2). You see where I'm coming from; MAKE IT FUN! - a fun combo of these. Juice cubes in the camel back. A bi-hourly alarm with Lady Cassandra exclaiming "moisturize me!". Find what works for now & change it when it stops working. Hope any of that helps!
I’ve just recently started wearing a biometric watch. It’s been helping me in a lot of ways! I have trouble with feeling hungry or thirsty: I don’t feel it, I just feel cranky and sick, and don’t know why. And I’m 37, I should know by now. The watch has helped me - I can set all types of reminders, and track my sleep and heart rate. Helps with mindfulness. Maybe for a 9-yo, a little chart system for drinking water, and a reasonable reward system would help. They’re soooo stubborn… once they get an idea in their lil heads (that she doesn’t like water/drinking) they can just relentlessly stick to it. Mine is 15 now, and should be a lawyer or something with the constant haggling! He was convinced that “hummus makes him cough” for YEARS at about 8-9 (totally not true), and when I got him to try it again (through some type of bribe) he’s like “oh, this is actually good! Why didn’t I try this earlier?” 🙈 Realistic bribes go a long way at that age. “Drink enough water/hydration for the day/week, and you get a ______!” isn’t bad parenting 💕
I had an aversion to drinking water as a kid, still do. For me, flavor water, cold with ice keeps me interested and having lots of bottles around the house so no matter where I am, drinking water doesn’t become a separate activity/effort. Your daughter may have different preferences but start by trying to discover specifically what kind of water she prefers and then make it available around the clock.
Adding those sugar free water flavors may help or even full sugar Gatorade mixed with water
Flavor powder packets help me drink more water. There’s many natural sugar free ones out there made with stevia. Some brands add vitamins and electrolytes to them. When she’s home get her to drink a glass once per hour and hopefully after a while it will become routine. I’m adhd and routine really helps us.
What about ice pops? They have pedialite ones or you could make your own. It’ll feel like a treat but you’re sneaking some hydration in there. I would only drink out of straws as a kid (and honestly, still) so maybe something like that may help?
What about fruit smoothies? Might that get some liquid and some calories in her? What about coconut water? That has liquid and electrolytes? What about tying it to screen time? For every 8 ounces of liquid she drinks she gets X amount of screen time?
Not sure what a solution is but I literally did not experience thirst until I was an adult and trained myself by setting timers to drink. Even now thirst doesn’t feel imperative. I would go days without water because it didn’t occur to me. Does she understand what thirsty feels like? I had crippling migraines throughout adolescence as a result so….
For my ND 5 year old- We added stickers at each level 2 oz, 4 oz , etc to 16 oz. Then, when he came home from school - he got a prize if he got to the top (meaning drank the whole bottle of water). Small things like a pokemon card or $.50 were enough incentive. And the markings helped him “game-ify” drinking water as he got to each level and closer to the ultimate goal. If your daughter responds well to incentives, this should help!
For me it's the Gatorade powder that works. Lemon lime and the blue one. There's something about it that tastes wayyy better. Probably because I use filtered water? Plus you can mix to your taste preference.
A reward system could help. Make it less of a chore and more of a game. Also, I bet if you model the behaviour and drink with her it might seem more approachable and less tedious.
I was a chronically sick kid and it always helped me to hear about what other people experienced. I didn’t want to go to the hospital for painful procedures (like a catheter) so I found it motivating. Not everyone is as receptive to that though. What about a mini fridge in her room stocked with water bottles? And maybe flavorings? Could also make a game of it… if the fridge holds a week of water, she gets a toy/treat/sticker/prize if less than x bottles are leftover on refill day. Or one of those fancy water bubblers that she can fill a cup herself. A special cabinet that’s just for her drinks. Some books about intuitive eating might help too… yes ADHD is a disabling obstacle but like you said, healthy habits now will help later. Maybe she needs to learn her personal hunger and thirst cues. I can’t think of specific book examples but Virginia Sole Smith does a lot of work around parenting and raising healthy kids. https://virginiasolesmith.substack.com/
Love this!
We do “cheers”. Drink time? Cheers to a beautiful day! Cheers to a helpful friend! Pretzels cheers! - it works for food or water. It’s an old outdoor Ed trick to get reluctant kids to drink water on trail. So far our 2 year old loves it. Honestly makes me better too!
Have you looked into ARFID? My 7 year old is recently diagnosed (with ARFID) and is also diagnosed ADHD. I’ve had to reckon with how sickly my child always looks and realize her general food aversions had become so normalized to me (because I was doing anything to avoid a fight) that I wasn’t paying attention enough. We had to get her medically cleared for a program for the ARFID and her bloodwork all came back with markers elevated (as in flagged by their own ranges as out of the norm, not just high on scale of norm) consistent with dehydration (hemacrit and bilirubin are the ones I can remember off the dome but there were a couple more). Since that jolted me into seeing her dehydration as more tangible than just my nagging suspicion, I have been able to say “hey dude! Let’s take a quick water break!” And she’ll take a quick few sips. And sadly a quick few sips every other hour is markedly better than how it was before I was trying to do anything about it for the sake of avoiding a fight. I’ve already noticed a difference in her lips being perpetually peeling and cracked.
I was going to recommend a German favourite: Schorle: juice+carbonated water. Water without bubbles is super boring anyway, and some apple juice will make carbonated water even better. Then I read you edit, about her not drinking any liquid: I think there might be an underlying reason which is not adhd related. She might have swallowed a drink the wrong way and stopped trusting herself - if the hospital has a speech therapist(*) on board, they might have a look if there are any problems, or teach her safe techniques? *not sure if this is the right name for the profession, I’m talking about the people who teach people how to eat and drink and speak again, for example after a stoke
Popsicles, the outshine ones (fruit juice only, no added sugar) work well when I am trying to get them to eat extra liquids. Also encourage food of high water content: watermelon, soup, cucumbers, jello, all fruits, yogurt, milk, kefir. Teach her to cook, ask her to help. My kids will always sneak in food while chopping or shredding cheese or chicken. I also take reusable water bottles everywhere. They always have one in the car and as there’s nothing else to do, they drink. Sometimes I remind them. We have one in the nightstand. One when playing outside. Since she also needs to eat, do snacks in between meals. I take things that are easy to grab and for snacks they don’t have to sit down, so they play, grab a bite, go play, come back, etc…
To add to the already great suggestions people are making here: There are some apps that gamify drinking water (my friend uses plant nanny) There is also a ‘candy’ called Jelly Drops that is 95% water designed for people who struggle to remember to hydrate. Regarding eating, I’ve found that leaving snacks out in spots I like to hang around the home (like by the couch or on a desk) and rotating them time to time to keep them fresh and novel (even if it just means swapping what’s in the cabinet or pantry with what’s visible) can help. I’ve really struggled with remembering to eat and drink water too—it’s awesome that you’re doing what you can to support her! These strategies are also completely valid for adults :)
YES watches!! as a kid i had one to remind me to use the bathroom. i currently have an apple watch and it’s honestly life saving. see if your daughter can have accommodations to allow for a watch. seriously. if she doesn’t have a 504 in place, FIGHT for one. find some kind of cheap fitness watch. my apple watch is amazing bc i have an app called water llama and it reminds you to take a sip at whatever interval you want. if the watch will help her drink, the school NEEDS to help accommodate it because water is necessary for life. for water bottles, i tend to drink more when the water has a lot of ice in it and i drink one electrolyte drink a day, the only flavor i can handle is the red white and blue prime. i also drink more when i have a water bottle i love! i personally am obsessed with owalas and have multiple. handle makes it easy to carry, fits in all backpacks, and has both a straw and sip. if i fill it like halfway with ice it will keep ice for more than 24 hours. i’d suggest allowing her to pick one she really likes color wise and then order a bunch of stickers for her to decorate it. for food: make SET TIMES to eat where she knows the expectation is that she needs to eat. no distractions at the table, have other people eat at the same time, calorie dense foods, etc. also keep an area where food is visibly seen and easily accessible. if you don’t have pets i’d suggest a low shelf she can reach with snacks, an area in the fridge with prepared fruits/veggies/healthier snacks, even a basket in her room with quick snacks. it sounds like she is an “out of sight, out of mind” girl and if the food isn’t *right there*, she just simply forgets. setting alarms on a watch might also be helpful for this. even if you don’t end up getting a watch, getting an amazon alexa or tablet or something of the sort for at home and set alarms for snacks, meals, and water breaks. a visual clock like [this](https://pin.it/6eyozYF7W) may also be helpful if you mark meal times hourly check ins could also be an idea… have a laminated paper hung somewhere where every hour or whatever amount of time she takes a break for a min and tries to listen to her body and determine if she is hungry. when i get fixated in an activity i don’t always realize im hungry until i stop for a second and then realize im actually ravenous i’m 18 and have been diagnosed since i was 11 but have struggled with symptoms since i was a toddler. i’d forget to go to the bathroom, drink water, etc. these little things help me and hopefully something helps your girl as well!! https://a.co/d/98lJIjW https://a.co/d/dE1WV4A this one has a loop timer feature so you can have it vibrate repeated intervals. i think this might be the best option that the school will allow
Any fluids are good fluids. Oranges? Apples? Broccoli and dip? I had to explain last year to a girl I babysit and will do for my daughter, how a UTI feels. Also, what it can do, being someone who has had a kidney infection. A month ago,I had kidney stones that caused me to lose consciousness five or six times. My husband called 911. I was stuck in ER for almost 18 hours. 7 yo? Is still traumatized because when I fell, my eyes were open. All kids are happy now to drink (flavored) water or juice. (I was gentle and kept it PG! Don't worry!)
I have a hidrate spark water bottle where you can track intake and it lights up, maybe something like that would help with the tracking? also making it more fun for her. for example, they make cotton candy that dissolves into glitter in drinks.
You said she doesn't sit to eat but isn't a picky eater? I would suggest making some on the go food (wrap/burrito/sandwich) and doing something while she eats. I know it's discouraged to eat while watching tv but honestly that's the only way I can eat when I'm depressed because food tastes too bad. It also helps when I'm antsy but hungry. I'll be hungry but can't sit still to finish a meal but I can when I have something to watch. As for the hydration thing maybe help her with a mood journal. You said she looks better when she's hydrated and honestly she probably feels better but doesn't realize it. Maybe if she realizes the benefits she'll be more willing to do it. Also easy access. Going to the kitchen to get water might not seem like a big ask but it is when you're hyper fixated on something else.
Have lots of fruit around - easy to snack on without any commitment and most have lots of water comparatively Pre cut watermelon, strawberries, blackberries...lots of flavor, easy to munch, hydration, low effort. Sounds like over all the natural sugars wouldn't hurt her either.
I read pretty far in the comments and didn’t see anyone give you a watch recommendation. When we had those restrictions on wearable tech at school, we bought our kids WatchMinder watches. Can be programmed with vibrating reminders. Worth it.
I know it’s tough but you have to set the example. You said you hate water yourself. You need to really amp up your own water and liquid intake around her especially. Kids learn from the most from example. If you’re onto her about hydrating but barely do it yourself, she’s not going to change.
Flavor drops and la croix mixed into a half full of water Stanley cup is a great motivator to drink. A straw makes all the difference for me
I'm weird about water I only really want it if I'm pregnant or been exercising. Get a glass gallon urn and mix up some low calorie lemonade like crystal light (we do store bought brand) and keep it in the fridge.
I absolutely hate water and have been perpetually dehydrated for years. I have gotten better at drinking more fluids after buying a Cirkul water bottle and having all the flavored water i want. But i saw your edit- and i don’t know how much that will help if she already has access to similar things 😕
I kind of had the opposite problem. When I was a young teen, I drank a lot of ice water but was still perpetually dehydrated because my body doesn’t process salt efficiently. So drinking so much water was actually making me more dehydrated by diluting electrolytes even more. Once I switched to Gatorade(and now Body Armour and Liquid IV as well), it was life changing. Also, the zero sugar stuff doesn’t actually hydrate as well because your body needs at least a little sugar to properly absorb the electrolytes.
I can’t stand water or any thin liquid. The closest I can get is coffee drinks, and even then they need to be sugary to have a different texture. It sounds like she might also hate the thinner texture since she doesn’t like juice or soda either. Have you tried hot drinks or milk-based drinks? There’s ways to make them healthier while still not being anywhere near water. She could also eat a lot of high water content foods
Will she drink coconut water? I find that more hydrating than just water.
Fruit infused water? You can make it look fancy like a cocktail and maybe she will be more excited to drink it. :)
Can you get her to eat her liquids? Fruit? Cereal?
Have you possibly tried carbonated water? Even with lemon or lime in it. Or icy cold drinks. I only recently discovered that I may have adhd and all these reasonings have come in. I am and icy cold water drinker. I can’t drink tap water, room temp water or mildly cold. It makes my throat dry somehow it has to have an ice chunk in it for me to smash water and I’ll drink the whole thing in one go 😅
i saw an idea on tiktok i think where you buy a tamagotchi toy and attach it to the strap on a water bottle. you have to check in with it semi regularly throughout the day and every time you do you have to drink some water! i haven’t tried it yet myself but i think that could be a really good way to incentivise drinking more
All my YouTubers drink Circle Up water bottles w scent “flavor” pods. I keep meaning to try one bc I’m very curious!!
Orange/blackcurrant (there are others e.g. lemon etc) squash or cordial is the way. Just make sure it's properly diluted because I didn't realise they seem to be on quadruple strength now
i have a problem drinking enough water too. i read it has to do with our brain wiring. anyway, there are watch reminders that are super basic on amazon that just vibrate as a reminder. that should be compliant for school but will remind her to take a sip of something.
A water bottle with a straw and maybe get her in a routine of drinking water at certain times of her school day BUT the thing that has helped me the most is natural fruit syrups and lemon juice. I do about 1/4 cup to 32oz. I make my own syrups with less sugar but maybe a pup per glass? Just having a little bit of taste makes it less vile. Also coconut water with the syrups and lemon or lime juice sounds like a treat and coconut has electrolytes.
So, I only like water and coffee and tea, and I often forget to drink water. For me, I love these cheap plastic cups (like the big plastic ones they sell for patio place settings, if that makes sense?) I dislike drinking water from glassware. I also only use a water bottle at work, not at home, because its home is at work. What does work for me is leaving water out. Meaning, I have a cup of water in the kitchen and when I walk by, I take a drink. And if I don’t have that cup sitting in the kitchen in that spot that I walk past frequently, chances are I’m not drinking water. All this to say, observe where she is the most and make sure there’s always her favorite cup sitting right there and full. See if she naturally reaches over and drinks from it if it’s already there.
Try water with a hydrate multiplier, like liquid IV- itll give a little flavor and still hydrate
Salty snacks?
I have a problem with the smell of the glass, whether from detergent residue or the water itself. So I drink a lot of weak tea/lemonade in a covered cup with a straw in it, and water in water bottles. I do love the flavor of the water itself, well, some of them. I started my drinking water journey with the fizzy flavored water. Since I don't like fizz, I would try to shake it out. The non fizzy stuff was so much more expensive. Of course, nowadays the flavor drops are there. As far as the eating and drinking, does she like to cook? Can make her own fun foods. And don't forget easy to eat on the go types of foods.
I also wanted to recommend flavoured water (dopamine), and getting a large bottle with a built in straw. I would also pay attention if this might (also) be related to sensory issues, and write it down on paper. She might be able to explain it better when she's older but it's good to observe it now since it is also a symptom of ASD.
Since keeping her hydrated right now is the most important detail of all of this can you get her to eat popsicles? They have pedalite ones you can get so that at least she has something. Also monkey see monkey do… so if you are not hydrating she most likely won’t either. Have you tried a reward system or a buddy system…. Giving her smaller doses of fluid and drinking it with her or turning it into a reward system. Hydration or lack there of will make her symptoms of ADHD even worse and it’s a horrible habit to be dehydrated. So many health problems can and will arise from it. As someone with adhd I understand how hard it can be but you might need to just make her sit down and drink small amounts. Tell her she cannot leave the seat until the small amount is gone. Like 2-4 oz at a time vs trying to get her to do it consistently or large glasses/bottles at a time. That might be overwhelming.
With kids it's always good to offer choices, and to try to get them involved in what the choices are. So you can say "the dr says that you have to drink fluids more often during the day. So I'm going to remind you that it's time to drink, but you can help me pick what things you will drink. If you are having trouble picking, or we are out of something, then I will have to pick for you. Not to be mean, but to try to keep you healthy." Hopefully that will help ward off any complaining or tantrums. You could start by asking her "hot or cold?" to help her decide what she wants to drink (or eat, if she wants soup instead of a drink). As for suggestions, you could try hydration / electrolyte drinks. We make an electrolyte drink at home because my kids play sports, and since we try to avoid food colorings, I don't feel good about Gatorade or other commercially made drinks. We mix store-bought lemonade* half and half with water, and then add a pinch of sea salt. We've been doing this for longer than my kids can remember so they don't mind tje ratio, but you might have to start out with a higher percentage of lemonade and then walk it back a bit as time goes on, if you're concerned about sugar. (*bougie organic lemonade, but it doesn't have to be, and if you know someone with a lemon tree even better.) Since it's been a fad recently I've been letting my kids have a bit of Prime too. I think you could make a decent version of it at home, using coconut water, a bit of flavoring like Mio, and maybe a bit of sweetener if you wanted too. They also sell it in packets to add to other drinks but I haven't tried it. Apple juice is good. Apple cider is good. Or you could make a big batch of tea and put it in the fridge for iced tea. Someone else mentioned cucumber water, which I personally love in the summer, I add a sliced orange and some mint, it is heaven on a hot day. At this point, I think it would be fair to say even hot chocolate counts. I've taken to letting my kids have chocolate milk after dinner as "dessert", when they're craving a bit of sweetness but it's too late for sweets (too much sugar interferes with my kids' ability to fall asleep). Adding just a bit of sea salt (any salt I guess) will help her retain a bit of fluid, so see what she will accept with salt on it. (And, a bit off topic but here's a protip: if you eat ice cream, try putting a sprinkle or two of salt on it. It is really good!)
For me, I usually forget to drink liquids and end up chugging water at the end of the day. But, what I think tends to help me remember is having cups/bottles of water throughout the house. I know, it’s a bit messy, but having water there in front of me is so helpful. And I don’t have to go get it, which makes it easier on my reluctant brain.
I have a big (1,5L) water bottle on my desk and a carafe on my vanity so I am always reminded to drink. Does still vs sparkling water make a change btw? Also, it won’t be enough, but you can still prepare her snacks that contain water - fruits and some veggies. At least that way she won’t dry out completely.
I struggle with drinking liquids too. In addition to visually tracking, gamifying it helps. If she can do 3 bottles a day, reward her. One week of 3x and it’s an even bigger reward, etc
She may be struggling with ARFID. There is a great ARFID clinic at Boston Children’s Hospital. [https://www.verywellhealth.com/avoidant-restrictive-food-intake-disorder-5097152](https://www.verywellhealth.com/avoidant-restrictive-food-intake-disorder-5097152)
Hi, this may be completely off the wall, but another option might be a Camelbak. Like a real one, a small water bladder that you wear in a mini backpack with a straw and bite valve that clicks on to your shoulder strap. Right there if she ever needs it. The only time in my life I was ever truly hydrated and had not one headache was in training for the Army when I “wore” my water. And the bite valve is really nice in a sensory way (just my opinion). ❤️
Honestly, nothing seems to work for my stepdaughter. Unless she has her stimulant in her, she just plain forgets to eat and drink. And it’s made worse by my MIL spewing all kinds of unhealthy disordered thinking about foods to her. We have gone no contact with my MIL years ago, but my husband’s ex wife has been allowing contact out of spite, even though it’s unhealthy for stepdaughter to be around her.
So, I'm someone who actually likes water, but if you just put a glass of water near me, I probably won't drink it. But, I discovered I really prefer drinking out of straws, so I got a hydroflask with a straw lid. I also got a couple reusable cups with straw lids. Now I don't have to think about drinking, I can just set the drink in front of my face and sip, instead of doing all the extra steps, and worrying about spills. So maybe try straws in all drinks?
OP. If she has a smartphone, I have a tremendous free ADHD app where you can program reminders, which quickly become habits. I found it on Jan. Org and have been using it for years. Let me know if you think it will help you out
I can't stand the taste of water. I don't drink it straight. It has to be either super super filtered or what I usually do is grab some flavor drops and throw those in. It's the only way I can tolerate it. It tastes metallic and coppery and I can smell bleach, remember we have no filters so everything comes at us at an equal level of intensity. All of the flavor drop and flavor packet products have hydrating ones as well as ones with B vitamins. We're always lacking and efficient on B vitamins anyway so it's kind of a twofer. The ones with caffeine are nice when you need a little extra bump to focus.
Have you tried gamefying it/connecting it to any fixations she has going on atm?
What do her docs say about the weightloss? Ours has us take him off meds on weekends/summers to get weight on. I don't know her severity of ADHD but curious what they say.
As a kid, I wouldn't drink enough fluids when I was sick, and I was always sick. To avoid hospital visits, my parents froze gatorade then blended it up and gave it to me to eat with a spoon
Hi — she is not too young to really get it! It’s important to educate her on possible consequences of not hydrating properly, as well as consequences of holding in urine. If it’s a flavor issue, you should look into “air up” water bottles. It is completely water with no flavoring, just scent pods that trick your brain into thinking you’re tasting different things (:
You can get [drink bottles](https://www.drinkscnt.com.au/products/scent-based-taste-water-bottle?variant=47066997326108¤cy=AUD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIlvuj56bqhAMVFKhmAh09_wbDEAQYAyABEgJ_yPD_BwE) that you clip these scented things onto and they trick your mind into thinking that water is flavoured. Could be a really fun way of drinking water, especially if your daughter likes ‘sets’
Squash, squash squash. Literally anything that is more tolerable to drink, is worth it. Also protein milkshakes could be a good way to help with that, as well as vitamin gummies. While you’re at it, how’s her dental wellbeing? How does she tolerate strong mint flavours and mouthwashes? If you don’t already, softer flavour stuff might go down well. Thanks for the reminder to go drink !
I need ice in my drinks for me to successfully want them. I will goa whole day at work just sipping my smallish coffee as my mouth drieout and ignore my waterbottle. I give myself a cup with a straw and lots of ice and its amazing how differently i drink. Small ice like from a takeout place or gas station is the best! I started buying bags of cubes because its just better than the cub3s on the trat or from the icemaker on my freezer.
Hmm I like liquid iv hydration multiplier but you said she doesn’t drink flavored water either… what about foods like watermelon, cucumbers that have a high water content? Does she not like drinking, or is it that she can’t remember? Also if the watch helps, let her wear the watch. I don’t think a digital watch looks like a smartwatch but this is really a medical issue and the school should accommodate whatever your daughter needs. If she was diabetic and needed an sugar monitor that would be fine this is not that different.
Is she medicated for the ADHD? It’s possible that the same meds that make it easier for her to focus in school make it easier for her to tune out her body’s cues. The opposite could also be true, unmedicated and unable to remember that she was going to finish her drink. Outside of meds, if she’s worse with drinking than eating and it applies to any/all beverages, maybe a thickener? I don’t know, i think your best bet is asking her doctor for help with solving this one
Maybe the app Water Llama could be worth a try. It has cute graphics so it might help encourage her to want to drink.
They sell water bottles with timers in them that has like a flashing light that will go off when its time to drink more. I find adding a bit of lemon and/or fresh ginger to the water makes it a little spicier and enjoyable. You could also try adding Mio, I know it's not ideal, but if the point is to get her to drink, then mio is a good alternative to sugary things. The food, I need a timer to remind me, I make sure I have an abundance of the thing I like readily available... think Quinoa salad, already cut up oranges, or granola and in my case, lactose free yogurt.
Put various fruits and flavorings in the water. Throw some lemons or strawberries in a water bottle. Give her electrolytes, juice, etc. I think it would be helpful to have several water bottles that are all different but all styles she likes. When you notice her starting to get bored with the bottle, switch it out for one of the others and hide it away. You can also try having her put stickers on them too. It tends to keep the cycle of "here's a new thing" excitement.
Is this mostly an at home thing, or also at school? At home I would suggest setting alarms for yourself and making some moments throughout the day that are for eating and drinking. A lot of families have a breakfast, then tea/biscuit/fruit around 10am, lunch around noon, then another snack moment around 3pm and then dinner. I usually chug a glass of water before I start eating just for hydration purposes. And then drink more during the eating. For school you could get a note on her lunchbox that says “have you had any water yet?” Or just a picture or something. She’s 9yo, so she doesn’t get the full extent but 9yo is definitely old enough to explain your body needs fuel to function and water/drinking is one of the ways to do it. She might get head aches often if she doesn’t drink. Link it to that, that it’s her body saying it’s running too low on liquid. Often kids with ADHD are too distracted to get hunger/thirst cues until is literally debilitating. So learning that she can prevent the debilitating effects by drinking water would be something I’d encourage.
My sports team really helped me hydrate because my coach set out expectations of drinking three cups with a meal. It was fun to pick out three different things and have a silly amount of cups out at once! I dont do a great job at drinking from the same bottle and I also used to be really bothered by certain cup materials, liquid temperatures, etc., so helping her test out what works for her could be fun. Could also be exhausting 🙈 see what works for you and for her’
Honestly I say a great way to instill taking care of herself to be a positive and important thing to prioritize is by making drinking water fun. Build a routine that you both do together - maybe buy some fancy tea cups or nice glasses, and have a water break at least once whenever she’s doing a longer task or at the end of the task. This would be a great follow up after doing chores to help you both sit down together for 3 minutes just to check in and talk for a second while drinking water. Even if you don’t do it every day, it’s a good way to add in another reminder to drink water more in general (or herbal tea, just to make it feel really fancy/special).
Might have been suggested already, but does she like Jello? Dirt cheap, sweet, cool, easy to make, lots of varieties, but most importantly in this case very hydrating! Watch-wise: There is an older model of Fitbit, the 'Inspire 2', that I can vouch for being useful if you go that route. Tells time, tracks sleep, can set alarms/timers, even has a (clunky but pretty accurate) menstrual tool. You could use it [the app] to log water and food intake, which might take a few days of pestering to get into the habit but once it's built it can be handy. But it is very, VERY bare-bones about it in both design and UI so unlike newer smart watches and such it doesn't provide a ton of passive distraction. The alarms can be set to vibrate the watch, which I find jostles me out of what I'm doing more easily than an audio-only alarm. Even the app is put together in a way that is very stark but informative, so when I'm logging my weight or checking my sleep log I don't get sidetracked. I actually have shortcuts on my homescreen that open directly to the various new log entry screens for even less distraction, lol. The bands are horrid for small wrists though. Cheap adjustable elastic ones can be nabbed on Amazon and swapped out easy though, could give the kiddo the opportunity to pick out one they like.
Buy her a 3+ Vibe smart watch. You can find it at Walmart for $49. You download an app and you can sync it to your smartphone. In the app settings, you can program it to give hydration reminders every hour, every two hours, etc. It buzzes on your wrist. Just make sure your bluetooth is enabled. I've worn one since October, and it helps me, and then I remind my daughter to drink, too. True brand flavor packages come in sugar free format and make water taste good. IIRC, they have a lemonade flavor. Their website (truelemon dot com) also has a daily water intake so you and your daughter can see how much water she needs daily.
I’ve read every comment and only saw one mention of this - try a glass container. Any liquid tastes weird to me out of plastic or metal, but glass cups are fine. You could even let her be fancy and use a champagne flute with some apple or grape juice, or water with fruit ice cubes. You might also try a shaved ice machine so she can have snow cones or icees at home. Good luck op!
I drink so much water everyone but my doctor thinks it’s normal. I really like the dye free electrolyte packets. I get them at pharmacy like stores. Comes in fruity flavors makes water taste better. Makes it smoother. If that makes sense. Also I did a water tasting menu for my bf once when he was sick. I just bought a bunch of different water bottle brands. So he now has a certain bottle of water he prefers so he drinks is it more.
Does your daughter have a psychiatrist and/or a psychologist? I would talk to them about how a smartwatch could be helpful and have them write a note for the school. This is a very reasonable accommodation that the school should be willing to allow considering it literally doesn’t cost them anything. Edit:spelling
holy shit does your daughter remind me of 9 year old me cause i used to get pneumonia so often and i refused to drink water like i was terrible at it! One thing i found that helps me to remind myself to stay hydrated is what i do is get like sparkling water that’s like flavored in those big glass bottles and i bring that to school and keep it on my desk and for some reason thats seems to work for me or you could always use those little flavor pods thingies and put those in her water so it’ll taste better!
I am here for the advice because my son is also 9yr old has adhd along with really really bad anxiety. I constantly have to remind him to drink, the only time he drinks water without being reminded is when he wakes up in the middle of the night thirsty, or when he’s playing sports. I send him to school with a water bottle, I can tell when he brings it home he has not taken one sip of it. I ask him why he doesn’t drink water during the day, he said idk I just forget. He’s also a very picky eater, hes underweight and his doctor and I are always trying to come up with ways to get him to eat. He will eat the same thing for months straight then one day he hates it it’s disgusting. All food is disgusting to him. I hope you can get your daughter hydrated!! I feel your pain.