Reader call: dark circles and sallow complexion, toddler drinking too much water, and having a third child

There are some things I don't have any idea about, and that Lord Google isn't telling me. Please help if you can!

1. Laura writes:

"I'm trying to find out what could be going on with my 8 month old son's complexion or more expressly his general pallor. He looks unhealthy around the eyes. He always breaks out with red circles and tiny bumps. In general his skin tone looks sallow to me. I took him to a homeopath (not for this problem) and it's one of the first things he mentioned was his skin. You know when you see young babies most of them look robust in the cheeks, well he doesn't. What I'm trying to figure out is whether this is something internal or something in his environment that's causing flare ups. He has very reactive skin so when he cries, bumps himself, rubs his eyes or is sleepy it all shows immediately around the eye tissue. I haven't been able to find out any info about this."

This screams out "allergies" to me. I would go over his diet with a fine-tooth comb, looking for anything that he's been ingesting since you noticed his skin problems. The most likely culprits are the usual suspects--wheat, dairy, eggs, soy, corn, and artificial colors/flavors. I'm also wondering about his iron levels. Do you live in an area that mandates lead testing? If so, they will probably test his iron level at the same time.

Does anyone else have a more specific guess about what's causing the dark circles and rash?

2. Kathy writes:

"My 18 month old she drinks about 80-90 oz. of fluids a day (rice milk, water, water w/ a little apple juice for flavor). Is this normal? It seems excessive to me. This is my third child. She has various food intolerances (hence the rice milk). I can't tell if the drinking (cup, mug, sippy cup, bottle [of water] right before naps/bedtime) is to soothe a stomachache or if it could be a sign of something else. The doctor already checked her sugar and it was fine (no diabetes). Any help?"

The guideline I've heard that seems to be highest (higher than the standard 64 oz a day) for adults is to take your weight in pounds, divide by 2, and drink that much liquid in ounces every day. (Convert kilos to pounds and ounces to mL here.) And even if there's a higher guideline for kids, 80-90 ounces still seems excessive. I would be on the lookout for symptoms of water intoxication to make sure she's not hurting herself (lethargy and confusion from lack of sodium in the brain, or in severe cases twitching and seizures).

All the sources I'm finding mention either diabetes and hypoglycemia, but since her sugar is normal you can rule those out. Other conditions I'm seeing are adrenal hormone or thyroid hormone disorders. But there also seem to be plenty of cases of excessive thirst with no known cause.

Anyone have any ideas for Kathy about what this could be?

3. Here's one for readers with more than two children.

Ann writes:

"Though I have no perfect argument for having a third child, I just feel that a third will be a nice addition to the family.  Yet, we have an extremely bright firstborn (age 4) who is still psychologically attached to me (his mom) and is very needy emotionally.  Will I be damaging his accelerated development by having for a third child? I also wonder whether with a third I will be able to pay much attention to my second child (age 2).  I also want to add that my first is developmentally (academically and physical abilities) way ahead of the curve as well so I worry a great deal about him just as I worry that even the little (one-on-one) time I get with my second will be lost.

Our two children are currently the best of friends and I am so afraid I will shake the apple cart of seeming peace in the family by even thinking about a third, yet I don't want to regret later in life by not going for another child.

I also hope that with your answer to my question, I will be able to build a strong argument for trying for a third with my husband. I am 37+ already...so there is not too much time to wait.

Please advise."

Anyone? I was very worried about having a second, knowing that it would take time away from my first. And it did, but the interaction they have makes up for it in different ways.

For those who have 3 or more, what was the greater change--one to two, or two to three? And is there any way to avoid shortchanging the middle child?

Obviously we can't advise Ann one way or the other, but what thoughts did you have going into your third child? What do you wish you'd known?

Comments

[Jen (yup, another one)]

I totally agree with Moxie on the allergy call. My allergist even says that circles under the eyes are a classic allergy sign.

[Sarah]

On the allergy issue-please consider out environmental allergies too. Almost all pictures of me from about 9 months on had the big dark circles. I have allergies to cats, dogs, pollen, mold, dust, grass, softwood trees...you know pretty much everything you encounter outside.

And I too am thinking about #3. I just think it would be better to have three when they are all grown up. But as I look at my two awesome children, I wonder if it really the right decision. Will they lose short term in attention to make up for the long term quest. I have one brother, we don't get along and we both wish we did--we just don't like each other all that much. I know many two kid families with the problem. As grown-ups, not so much in common. But people with more than 1 sibling don't seem to worry about this. My husband has 6 and he doesn't worry about any of them. My mom has 4--she likes some a lot and others, not so much, but no worrying about it. But now that I am on the verge of stopping birth control to start trying...wow, my abstract desires feel abstract...Good luck.

[Bobbi]

As a mom of 3, going on 4, I can say without a doubt that the transition from 2 to 3 was so incredibly easy. I too was worried about being "outnumbered" and upsetting the balance of things, but it has been such a non-issue. My 2 older kids (who were 6 and 4 when Julia was born) jumped in and helped from the beginning. There was no jealousy, and they seemed to "get" that my youngest required much more attention. Having a spouse who really helped even out the attention thing (taking the older kids out, to the park, playing games, etc.) also made a big difference, but it was such a breeze that we are going for it again! I think that a new baby might help with your oldest's confidence too. My only advice is to make the older kids feel like they are part of the process, that they are helping. Even things as small as putting diapers in the garbage, handing you wipes, getting you a drink if you are feeding the baby can make all the difference in feeling like they are part of something big versus feeling like they are competing for your attention.

Good luck!

[Jody]

Yep, I was SO upset when our allergist said, immediately upon meeting my son, "well, HE has classic allergy shiners." I mean, my son was FIVE. Why did NO ONE ever TELL me this? I've been fretting about these dark circles since he was a baby -- no kidding, I was just re-reading my journal and discovered that I worried he had leukemia because of his sallow skin and dark eyes when he was 14 months old. And all the doctors said was, "no, no, he's great." So then I thought he was chronically sleep deprived.

From what I've now been told, allergy shiners TEND to indicate environmental allergies more than food allergies. I wouldn't rule out anything, but I'd consider environmental allergies first. Turns out my son has dog allergies (and we could have done something about the dog four years ago, when she was a healthy active four year old -- now she's an arthritic tired eight year old, and what are we supposed to do?) and the whole range of pollen allergies. Get your baby tested! It's totally worth it, there are quite a few medications and lifestyle changes now to help manage symptoms.

[Anon Mom]

Both #1 and #2 sound allergy related to me. I'd get #1 to a pediatric allergist ASAP. It sounds like classic allergy signs and aside from avoidance diets to help with food allergies, pediatric allergists can help babies that young with environmental allergies. My little guy had those exact same symptoms and six months later, they're all gone! Especially with environmental allergies, you can adjust medications as needed (more when there is a flare, less or none when the allergen isn't present). As for #2, if she has food intolerances and isn't getting a whole lot of dairy or carb calories, she might be more hungry than thirsty. My little one has significant food allergies (wheat, eggs, soy, corn, rice, oats, peanuts) and he eats two to three times as much formula as his peers because he's not getting the calories from cereal. She might want to try boosting her calorie intake with healthy fats and acceptable carbs and see if that helps... It also could be to soothe an irritated stomach from a previously undiagnosed food allergy (a new allergen, such as berries or a fruit that hadn't been tested for as part of the standard panel).

[Victoria]

I'd agree that #1 sounds like allergies/sensitivities. Maybe get the homeopath to do testing. #2 maybe that she is hungry, and trying to fill her tummy. And as the mom of 3 kids (8,5,15 months) I can't see any downfalls to having the third. My oldest (who is also "advanced") loves to read to the baby, and they get so much out of each other. It can be tricky to give each their own time, but because of the spacing of mine Grace gets me to herself when the boys are at school, Jack gets me alone while she naps on the afternoons he's home (full alternating kindergarten), and the oldest gets me time when the other 2 are in bed at night. I didn't even find there was a transition to 3. I found 1 to 2 to be much harder. Unless your partner is there all the time, you're already outnumbered with 2, so I say go for it!!

[Katie]

Here is my take on a third child... For me I want a third child. My current children are girl 4 at the end of October and boy 18 months at the end of October. I love what we have now but still feel someone is missing from our family. My husband does not feel as strongly for a third as I do. I just look to the future and see one more child sitting with us at family dinners. I'm not ready to try for a third until the youngest is 2 so I'm not pressing the issue with my husband yet. I feel I know this third child already- she is a she and I know her name. If I did not have a third I would feel like I was leaving someone behind, leaving a child motherless. I also have a great relationship with my sister and would like that for my daughter.

[deezydubya]

Re #2 - my 14 month old son just loves to drink water. He would drink it to the exclusion of food if we let him. I just don't let him. At meal times he gets water in a sippy but doesn't get to drink until he's eaten about half of his serving, otherwise he fills up on water and eats nothing. The sitter's been warned about his "drinking ways" and does the same at her house.

I think it makes him feel like part of the grown-up world. He always goes overboard if the liquid's given to him in a big-people cup. And he goes nuts to get a sip of what the adults are drinking. If he has a bottle he only drinks until he's satisfied but a cup - he goes nuts.

Is #2's daughter mimicking something Mom and Dad do? I know a lot of adults who are never without their bottle of water, and maybe the daughter wants to be like a grownup. Sometimes we just let my son have an empty plastic bottle (from water or coke or whatever) and he'll mimic drinking and be just as happy as if he got some liquid.

I also agree with Anon Mom that it might be hunger that she's filling up with liquid. Mom could try a snack first, then offer liquids later if the demand is still there.

The other thing it could be is habit. Especially if she's getting water in a bottle before naps or bed. She maybe wants the soothing of the sucking motion, not actual liquid.

[Kate]

On the third child topic: I am the oldest of three kids. My brother and I were 2.5 and 4.5 when my sister was born. The two of us were the best of friends and did everything together. We resented my little sister, and for most of our childhood it was always the two of us against her. None of us really liked being one of three kids. Things don't divide in three easily and someone is always left out in the parental attention department. It was always just awkward.

Fast forward 20 years, and as adults, my sister and I became very close - and are to this day - while my brother, the middle child, is the one neither of us have much in common with. I can't imagine life without my sister, but I still feel like my parents added a ton of stress to family life by having a third child.

[caro]

Take this with a grain of salt, but a nutrition book I read described symptoms like #1 as having to do with a nutritional deficiency. Can I remember what book it was or what nutrient they were talking about? No. Like I said, grain of salt. Maybe it was Super Baby Food? Or the Dr. Sears Family Nutrition Book? I've returned both to the library so can't root throught them to find out. But maybe it would be worth thinking about what the baby eats and whether there's something missing as opposed to something that needs to be cut out.

[hedra]

1) Another allergies vote. Allergic shiners are a classic, and the sallow look, too. Get thee to a pediatric allergist.

2) Also consider reflux. Some kids drink because it temporarily eases the reflux burn (which kids may or may not be aware of feeling - 'silent' reflux isn't uncommon in kids). It is a bad spiral, though, because the excessive fluid increases the reflux, and then they drink to suppress it, round and round. I'd also consider a feeding aversion, due to the food sensitivity/allergy issue. My oldest would have had milk or juice only for meals if we hadn't pressed the issue. He ended up in a feeding clinic for 'conditioned dysphagia' - basically, a lot of negative experiences around solid food made him decide (not consciously) that he was better off not eating at all. Silent reflux, CHECK! Food allergies, CHECK! Mild Sensory Integration disorder with texture aversion, CHECK! Toss in a bad poke with the suction bulb at birth (he screamed, I saw it), and a minor choking incident when he was 2, and you've got a recipe for 'I'll drink my calories, thanks!' See a speech language pathologist who specializes in feeding for an assessment, or see a feeding clinic. Likely it isn't a huge big deal to fix (even G's wasn't, though it is slow to resolve if you catch it after 5 years old), but trying to fix it yourself can backfire BADLY. Things I came up with to help did more harm than good, and things I would never have considered sane worked very quickly with much less trauma than I imagined (nearly none).

3) We have the same family! Oldest is extremely bright and emotionally velcro'd to us. Second is charming and absolutely adoring of older brother. We worried that three would mix things up a bit, but hey, we'd also always planned on three. We made the leap, figuring that we could still make the older one a priority, that the middle was charming enough to stand out and not get upstaged even by a baby.

Then we found out the hard way that the odds of twins goes up with maternal age. ARGH! Be warned.

So, now we have the oldest, still emotionally velcro'd, but funny, as they get older, they grow up more. And the second, who is now outclassed by big brother AND totally out-cuted by twin younger sisters... but with a little effort on the parts of all the family (us and grandparents), he still feels irreplacable and special. And we have these darling girls, now, whose older brothers adore them, whose 'supplanted' older brother on a 'what I wish for' project at preschool wished for amother little sister, because he loves them so much...

The constellation WILL be different. There's no way around that. But it is entirely possible to make the constellation, no matter the number, a good one. We planned on 3, we got 4, surprise! And 4 is good. Hard work, takes some intentionality ('support child x's dreams' is a task in daddy's planner), takes awareness of the challenges each child faces in their birth order. But there's good there, all over the place. And I feel awash in a wealth of children. Amazing good.

[Rach]

My son is almost 3, and has been a big water drinker ever since we started giving it to him. I've noticed that he's a sweater - even just a little bit of activity will leave his hair all damp with sweat, so I often think he actually needs more water than most kids, who don't sweat as much. No health problems, and doesn't drink to fill up his tummy (he is a voracious eater)... may just be individual body chemistry.

[erin]

We have three children -- ages 6,4 and 2. I found it harder going from 2 to 3 than from 1 to 2 because the older two were more independent and interested in going to older child things (museums, etc.) that the baby didn't always enjoy as much. While the older two as babies were allowed to "follow their bliss" the youngest gets dragged around to all of his brothers events. We have to make a concious effort to find age appropriate activities and companions for him where we never had to do that with the other two. However, his older brothers love him dearly and he is now at an age when he can tag along after them, grinning madly at being "included" in their games. They are all sweet sweet boys and as one of three children myself, this is how I always imagined my family. I like having more siblings to connect with as an adult. I love watching the dynamics ebb and flow between my children now. They may not get the same levels of attention as they did when there were two kids, (although we work hard to give them each deliberate focus and alone time with mommy and daddy) they are learning a lot from each other about sharing, friendship, and getting along. As far as your oldest child's gifts, he will probably continue to advance at his rate on his own initiative. Parents don't always have as much of an impact on these things as innate ability and personality do.

[Ariella]

I haven't read the other comments, so forgive me if this is redundant, but for the baby who is drinking a lot of liquids during the day: I would suggest that if this continues or the amount your child drinks increases that you have her checked out for juvenile diabetes. One of the main signs of diabetes is sort of an unquenchable thirst, and it is the main symptom that veterinarians use to diagnose diabetes because, hey, animals can't talk.

[Lisa V]

I have four kids. I would seldom advise anyone to have more than two children. In so many practical ways, more than two is overwhelming. Parents are spread thin emotionally, financially and physically. There are only so many hours in the day, and it's hard to meet so many people's needs, and meet them well. One thing people with large families don't talk about (at least all I ever hear or read is the joys of so many) is the burn out. You don't want to do the same things forever. I don't want to read bedtime stories for the rest of my life, and sometimes I feel like I am doing just that. Do I love reading? Yes. Do I love my kids? Yes. And frankly that is just a small example. There are so many things that I did with my first and second children that I feel "been there, done that" when it rolls around for the third and fourth. Now while I don't care if I miss the experience again, it's not fair to my children who never experience something because I'm tired of it.

My older children have much more responsiblity than their friends in smaller families. Sometimes that is good, sometimes that is bad. I know I sound really negative and bitchy, but all I ever read about larger families is the Pollyanna "we all love each other and are a team" stuff. That is true, but it's not the whole story.

I don't regret having MY four children. I know them, they are people. I love them and am lucky to have each and every one of them as a part of my life. But on abstract level, just looking at numbers, two would have been a better option for me.

[em]

I found the transition from 2 to 3 to be easy (easier than from 1 to 2, but #2 was a tough baby). That said, I agree with Lisa V. - you will find yourself pushed to the limit once you have a third - it is emotionally and physically exhausting. I don't regret having a third but I'm definitely ready to stop!

[Jodie]

I am the middle of 3 kids - and I absolutely loved it. Yes, I received the least attention. But I liked it that way! My older sister did the hard work setting up the ground rules, my younger brother got his cheeks pinched by great-aunts. I loved having a choice of playmate.

My heart tells me 3 kids would be great but my head says 2. With 2 we can afford private schools, vacations, all that stuff. Plus more of me for my 2 kids, and more of my husband and I for each other. Things are comfortable, and although that probably makes me sound chicken - I like it that way!

[Kelly]

I'm wondering about having a third as well. There seems to be no easy answer, because whatever road will lead one down the 'what ifs' for some time, at least.

Like Jodie, my heart says three but my head says two. I am already strung out with a preschooler and a nursing toddler. But for a few reasons, 3 seems to be the right number of kids, perhaps because I'm one of three and my husband was too. (His younger brother died 10 years ago.)

And I'd be having a third c-section. Things were dicey after the second, and I cannot imagine being cut open a third time.

[Janet]

I've never commented before, but as the middle of 3 girls whose older sister was very academically gifted, I will say that if you do go for three make sure that the middle feels special. It is very difficult for parents to get alone time with the middle. I think I was 13 before I spent more than 1 hour alone with both my parents, and even in my twenties it was always commented on as unique when I was home with them without my sisters.

[Kathy]

I am the post-er of the thirsty toddler. I've had her sugar tested already. And she eats well, besides wanting to drink constantly.

Also, I was satisfied with 2 children, then my husband talked me into the third, and I don't regret it for a second. Knowing this is the definite last has made each milestone that much more wonderful. I have more spacing between my children than the average. My kids are 9, 6, and 18 months. I was one of 3 kids, and my husband was the third or four, so he thought we were meant to have a third. My kids do have to learn sharing, taking turns, and everyone does not get their own room.

Does teething sometimes make kids thirsty?

[hedra]

I've never heard of teething making a child thirsty, but I wouldn't say it is impossible, either.

If eating is going fine, and sugars are under control, and your doc hasn't found any sign that there's anything else going on, it may be just that this child likes to drink stuff.

Drinking to thirst is not a bad thing, really. If your mommy alarms continue to go off, though, continue to explore the issue medically. Sometimes you don't have enough information to make a medical judgement, but just knowing something is 'off' may keep you on the trail until you find it - or satisfy yourself that nothing is up at all.

[annie]

Okay, what testing did the doctor do to test for diabetes? Doctors frequently don't test properly and blood sugar issues remain undiagnosed.

Also, there is something called diabetes insipidus that doesn't have anything to do with blood sugar but with the kidneys, I think, that is rare.

Or, besides sugar, there could be an excess of something else within the body that the child is trying to dilute.

Um, sorry, but having a third child ruined our family.

Logically, three seems to be the worst number of children to have.

[Sara]

I have one demanding toddler, and am thinking a lot about whether and when to produce siblings. In my peer group (upper-middle-class liberal types in the San Francisco Bay area) there is a LOT of social pressure to have two kids, 1 to 3 years apart. Having one kid is self-indulgent (because it's too easy?), and having three or more is slatternly and indicates lack of self-restraint. My feeling, based on what I see happening with friends and family, is that your own personality, and that of your partner, are key. I am a lazy person who hates to be rushed, so I think we'll leave it at one kid, or maybe two spaced at least four years apart. But I do irrationally long to have several more kids - I think it's a primal propulsion produced by those selfish DNA, plus the narcissistic desire to Make New People Who Have To Love Me. The apparently happiest 3-kid families I know tend to have the last kid significantly later than the first 2, so the the older kids can (and want to) help with childcare.

[Moxie]

Annie! You can't hit us with "having a third child ruined our family" and then run like that. How did it ruin your family? Why? Is there anything that could have been done differently (spacing, etc.)?

[Ann Young]

On #2 - does your girl eat a lot of high sodium (salt) foods chips, etc.? She could be trying to dilute the excessive sodium she is taking in.

[hedra]

Popping back in on the third child thing again, here.

I've been thinking about this question for a few days. There are definitely some down-sides to many kids.

Finances are definitely a challenge. With your third child, hire a good financial advisor. We would not be making it AT ALL without ours. When we found out we were having twins, he was literally the fifth person I contacted (after immediate family). A good advisor will give you advice on how to meet your goals without losing your sanity. I'm planning to buy a year of financial advising for each child when they get their first jobs. That's how important this is.

Education becomes complicated. Despite the financial planning, we still can't afford private school for all our kids, even though we adore the school we started our oldest in. It hurts to see that go away, even though the other option we've found is also very good. HAVING to make choices because of finances due just to having more kids than funds is painful. It isn't necessarily wrong, just painful. College will be challenging as well. Scholarships or in-state, kids.

Activites get hectic. We have only ONE activity per child, and only for the two oldest so far, and that's still sucking up time. It would be easier if one of us stayed home, but I make the big bucks, and DH has the healthcare coverage. Stuck, with time being the limiting factor.

Time for the kids gets challenging. Individual time is hard to manage. Group time, no prob. Time is a luxury, like sleep. That's not a fun truth on a daily basis.

Trade-offs can hurt. The more kids you have, the more likely you'll have at least two whose needs are in direct conflict at some point. You'll have that with two, also, but add more, and the odds increase.

Sick time is exponential. They always get sick at once, but in series. What used to be 1-2 sick days, can now be 3 or more. Make sure you have backup. My mom does sick kid care, most of the time. The rest DH and I split days.

But that said, I'll pass on the wisdom of my mom, who had seven kids. People have always asked her two questions about her family:

1) Are you sorry you had so many?
2) Would you do it again if you could go back and start over?

Her answer, she says, has changed over time. When all of us were little and screaming and out of control because we were just plain little, the answers were No, I'm not sorry, but I sure as heck would NOT do it again! Fewer would be better.

As we started heading into the teen years, she changed her answers to Yes, I'm sorry I did this, it is awful, and I'd never do it again.

As we headed into adulthood, looking back on all the misery, fears, upsets, anger, challenges, poverty (sometimes abject), depression, divorce(s), worry, fights, etc., she could look me in the eye and say I'm SO glad I had so many of you, and I'd do everything, all of it, again. Every wakeful night, every tearful fight, every conflict, every vomit cleanup, every school struggle, every teen-years worry, all of it.

I carry that wisdom with me. Yes, having more can be tremendously challenging. The payoffs are breif blips early on, and can vanish entirely for spans of time. But then they resurface, and they expand, and the good multiplies. Having the perspective of my mother on this, I can see forward to where the challenges were, and head some of them off a bit. I improve on her parenting to patch some of the holes before they become craters in our life. And I miss plenty on my own, blow it and make mistakes and have to scramble to stitch things back together again.

But already, there are very few moments when I think 'man, this is too many kids' and it is usually when just one was too many, too, or when it is just a 'twins thing' (two 2-year-olds running in different directions). And when things feel like they're falling apart, I know it is because my skills have not caught up to their growth and changes, and the complexities of four children inter-relating with one-another while each of them are growing up in their unique way. Just like my parents, I expect that some time along the way I'll have to call in a professional (family counseling, individual therapy, parent training course, Al-Anon, etc.), but that's okay, too. I'll take whatever tools will work, when things stay busted too long. More kids means more risk of blowing it for any one of them, just by the numbers, too. And being responsible for patching it back together, however I have to, because I'm the parent, and that's my job.

I still love it. I can feel totally overwhelmed one minute, and the next minute be nearly exploding with pride and joy and a love too big to be called love. It is a much bigger, scarier rollercoaster, the more kids you add, definitely. Bigger rollercoaster, more spectacular view, and I can already tell that when I get to the 'end' of this ride, when they're all grown up and I'm learning to mother with my hands to myself, if someone gave me the chance I'd be running to get right back in line again.

Sorry that was so long, I couldn't find a way to make it shorter and still say it all.

[hedra]

And a big Your Mileage May Vary, LOL! ;) (Know your limits, that is... I love this family, but that's not to say I wouldn't have loved two if we'd stopped there, too!)

[Joyanna]

I am mother of almost 3, our third due in Nov. Also, oldest of 5 children, husband one of 7. When we told our families about our expected third child, my brother, the middle child of 5, asked me if I worried that having more kids would spread me too thin and I'd not have the attention to pay to them all. (We plan to have more after this one.) I told him to think about the benefit of having all the brothers and sisters we have, and what it would be like without them. I think that although it's harder with more kids and you do have less individual time with each of them, they have the added benefit of the attention they get from siblings. I also think that the right number of kids varies greatly from person to person, and from life- stage to life- stage. Having a romping brood of five was definitely stressful as a child; being the oldest I was bitter for a long time for having to be the automatic babysitter whether I liked it or not, but now that we're all adults, I wouldn't give up the experience for anything, it taught me a lot about being a mom, and I have friends- for- life in my brothers and sister. Time magazine published a very interesting article about Sibling relationships in their July 10th issue... check it out.

[hedra]

Great article, Joyanna. Thanks! (easy to find on their website, too.)

[Ann]

Thanks to all for giving their thoughts on having a third child. Thanks so much Moxie for putting it on your reader call. Trust me, I was just so totally torn with 'whether or not' and reading all your comments have really helped me lay out for myself all the goods and the challenges. The article that Joyanna recommended is awesome and Hedra as you say it is awfully easy to find on-line.

Thanks so much again Moxie and all your readers.

[Ali]

On child #2 - we had pretty much the same thing happen with our DD, at the same age. We ended up her tested for diabetes insipidus - http://www.diabetesinsipidus.org/ for more information. Sugar blood tests will not pick up DI.

Our daughter did not have DI, thankfully.

[Stephanie]

We are going through the same thing w/ our 21 month old daughter. I started logging how much she was drinking about a month ago and she drinks b/w 60-80 oz a day. She also eats fairly well. I took her to the ped and had her tested for diabetes and her glucose levels came back normal as well. Her dr. basically said she is probably just a thirsty child, but it just seems so excessive, as you were saying. I'm planning to take her to another ped to get a 2nd opinion soon. A friend of ours who is a pediatric nurse also recommended getting a chemistry panel done. I am not sure what all this tests for, but I think they just draw blood to do it. I will let you know if we find anything out.

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www.mydarkcirclesblog.com

[Maria]

About the thirsty baby, I have a neice living with me and she is always thirsty and wakes up 2-4 times a night crying to qwench her thirst, she is 20 months old off of the bottled for 6 months off the pacifier for 4 months, she is on the thin side, a picky eater more like she likes something one day but wont eat it all the time so I think she just likes variety, but dosn't really like to try new things, I think she eats plenty but her thirst does concern me, I had her mom swithch from giving her a sippy cup at night to a regualar cup just to make sure she wasn't trying to replace the bottle or pacifier with the sippy but she still drinks, before this she could go all night without a wet diaper so we were considering potty training but now with all this fluid she is soaked at end of night, she pee's very often because of the fluids this has been going on for about 2 months. She seems healthy otherwise....Advise?

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We are going through the same thing w/ our 21 month old daughter. I started logging how much she was drinking about a month ago and she drinks b/w 60-80 oz a day. She also eats fairly well. I took her to the ped and had her tested for diabetes and her glucose levels came back normal as well. Her dr. basically said she is probably just a thirsty child, but it just seems so excessive, as you were saying. I'm planning to take her to another ped to get a 2nd opinion soon. A friend of ours who is a pediatric nurse also recommended getting a chemistry panel done. I am not sure what all this tests for, but I think they just draw blood to do it. I will let you know if we find anything out.