12 Yo W/ Kidney Stones! Ideas to Help Him Drink.

Sorry soo late to respond.
Have you tried Propel?? It comes in different flavors and they're really good. My kids love it.

I know when I'm hot, I get thirsty and nothing quenches it like water. Sitting in an air conditioned home - not so much. Can he be active enough to work up a sweat?

My husband got his first kidney stones when he was 12 yo too. Then he got them a second time (I can't remember his age the second time around, but he was still young). Because of getting them 2 times, he gave up red meat. He never got them again. I guess eating red meat is thought to cause them. He does just fine without red meat, especially with the fact that they make ground turkey that works just like ground beef. I know some people have also given up milk for simillar reasoning. My husband did not. He only gave up red meat.

As far as your question about drinking, what about sports drinks? Also, how about some Hershey syrup in his milk. Anything that may change the norm a bit. For my kids, they are not really allowed to have pop very often, and when they do it has to be caffeine free. Do you have any "forbidden things" like pop for us? Something he might consider like a special drink because he doesn't get it that often?

Hope my random thoughts help! :)

I would think about things he has always liked to drink in the past. Ice tea, lemonade, gatorade, etc., have plenty of it on hand so he gets some variety!
Nagging really doesn't help much, especially at that age. Just keep a lot of his favorite drinks on hand and hand him a glass of something every hour with ice in it. Sometimes if we don't say much but keep taking a fresh glass of something different to them frequently and take away the other glass we do better.
Cranberry juice with some 7 UP or Sprite in it wouldn't hurt either!

Well, if the main objective is too get fluid in him, here's some thoughts on more appealing ways for him to do that. You could, go to the store and get some organic juice's (cranapple/crangrape)or an electrolyte drink that has not artificial sweetners and make into homemade popsicles. They sell simple molds at Target/Meijers. Then his summer fruit intake could be increased since it has a nice amount of water in it. Soup always makes a nice lunch/dinner, and if all else fails, bribery always works with that age:) Make it a game....how about a dime or quarter per ounce of water..at least until it becomes more of a habit. Best Wishes

Have you tried popsicles? Try freezing things he likes to drink.
Oh, avoid pop. I was told pop can cause stones.

Hi- perhaps you could discuss with your doctor if it might be helpful to add a little salt to his diet for a little while. Here's a quote from a ScienceDaily article:

"We found that children eating a lower-salt diet drank less fluid," said Dr. He, a cardiovascular research fellow at St. George's. "From our research, we estimated that 1 gram of salt cut from their daily diet would reduce fluid intake by 100 grams per day."

So, not a lot of salt makes a pretty big difference in fluid intake. Of course, discuss this with your doctor, and make sure the change is temporary- too much sodium in the diet can lead to increased blood pressure and other health problems.

try lemonade made this way: fresh squeezed lemon juice, pure b grade maple syrup from a health food store. everyone loves lemonade and it is healthy lemonade. use 1/2-1 lemon and 1-2 tablespoons of maple syrup per glass (8-16 oz of water, depending on how sweet you want it. let him sip on it all day. you can put in in a water bottle or sippy cup. you can drink it cold, room temperature or as a tea. it is great and it tastes great.

Hi T.,

It's not clear from you message why your son is havigna difficult time drinking enough water, but if it is due to his aversion to "plain" water, I have a suggestion. Flavored water! There are lots of versions of bottled flavored waters, and also PUR Flavor Options, the one that goes with your faucet-mount water filter. He can add as much or as little flavor to the water by pushing a button on the dispenser. Most of these flavored waters are sugar-free (but have artificial sweeteners) and don't have the carbonation which may have contributed to your son's kidney stones in the first place. Also, if you can make it convenient and "fun" for your son, like by having a different water bottle in every room of the house, or one he carries with him to his friends', etc. Good Luck!

Something to add after reading other responses: pop and too much sugar is not good for stones. Be careful with soups as they typically have a lot of salt. Also, dairy products are fine...it's a myth that too much milk causes stones. Dehydration will aggrevate stones.

Hi T. -
I am a experienced kidney stone sufferer. 10 large stones (approx 3-6mm each) in one year. I have had multiple surgeries and one stent (not fun). You would think after all the pain of one or two I would drink water as suggested by my urologist - but it's hard. I have a 40 min commute to work, so I drink 24oz on the drive - on weekends, I am lucky if I get 24 oz total....so I know how your son is feeling. 3 liters seems impossible to him.
I am not a big juice drinker nor do I consumer artificial sweeteners....so what I have done is started using "True Lemon" packets in my water. You can find these at the grocery store near the teas, etc. It helps with the mundane taste of water.
Some other suggestions - not sure what type of stones your son has (I am guessing they are/did test them?) - cut back on proteins (meats), increase lemon in his diet (in water, on salads, etc), cut back on salt (chips, soft drinks, processed or fast foods, soups).... unfortunately, his chances of getting another stone are probably pretty high. Did they do a KUB (x-ray of the kidneys) to see if there are any other stones currently present in his kidneys?
Good luck, I know it's hard to watch your child in pain, but he's got to want to drink the water - if the pain, irritation of the stones/stent aren't enough to make him drink, all the "yelling" probably isn't going to do any good.... :(

Wish you the best -
D

ABOVE ALL.....I HOPE he's been told that she shouldn't have ANYTHING to do with sodas or carbondated beverages! That only adds to the problem.

Try flavored waters, adding lemon, lime or orange squeeze/slice to water, some juices, there is something called ZIPP FIZZ that you add to water that has 633% of B vitamins, etc in it. You can get it at Costco. Come three flavors to a box of 30 - citrus, orange soda and pink lemonade. I like all of them and so does Abbie, our 5 year old. We'd MUCH rather her have that than soda! You could also try some of the packets that you add to water, including flavored green teas. JUST WATCH sodium

Educate him on the fact that if organs shut down.....you die. Not to sound harse, but that's bottom line.......especially to someone who thinks he knows it all and thinks he's twenty.

Water is essential for every function of the body and dehydration can be the cause of many other problems, PARTICULARLY where organ function is concerned.

I am sorry your son is having problems with kidney stones. I hope he continues to heal well! I know you definitely don't want him to go bad to the hospital-that is harder on parents than kids I think!

My thoughts are to introduce smoothies/ fruit drinks that he can help make in the blender or special concoctions he can "invent." I know when I had kidney stones the doctor told me not to forget about all the ways to get liquid (like through fruits, veggies, popcicles, etc) Maybe while he is experimenting, he will forget this is all part of his recovery.

Best of luck to you. 12 going on 20 is not easy to rationalize with, but you can do it!
A.

I have a history of Kidney stones and I would think that the fear of getting another would be encouragement enough!! I find I drink more if I take in flavored water. I get the none/low calorie powders and add it to my bottles of water. Once he starts drinking a lot, he will naturally be thirsty all the time but in the beginning it is harder to drink so much. Give him some time. Stay away from sodas, tea, coffee....
Good luck!!

Anything with straws and lids kids/and adults drink more than we realize when we can't see how much we drink. I suggest the crazy sippy cups in case he's not up running around. Also frizen iccees can fill in and popsicles. Don't count to the liter the doctor probably wants a goal of 3L not exactly that amount. Its a pretty tough task. Also get him to make it a competition he's probably feeling singled out and 12 year olds don't like that. See if u can make it a game. We should be drinking 64oz a day anyways right! Good luck

Hello T.!
When my siblings and I were sick, my stepmom used to have us drink just a little glass of water or whatever every half an hour. Instead of trying to get him to drink a BIG glass of something less often, it's more feasible to drink little ones often. Then he won't feel so full and uncomfortable. You can set a timer if you feel like you'll forget.
Another idea might be eating liquidy foods - like soup, watermelon, fresh fruits and raw veggies.
Good luck!
J. B

Sometimes drinking more water just involves accessibility to it. My water intake was below par until I started carrying around a refillable water bottle. When I had it close at hand I found it easy to drink water more often.I suggest getting him a re-fillable water bottle. Nalgene even makes some with sport clips that hook on to backpacks and such. Good luck!

homemade popsicles from fruit juice, juicy fruits are in season...peaches necterires pears oranges. Maybe he can squeeze his own orange juice to get him excited about a drink.

Maybe a cool gadget will help him.
My sister works for a dermatologist that bought her this AWESOME water bottle. It tells you when you need to drink. It measures how much you've drank for the day and will make a sound when you need to drink more. It is a great way to keep yourself hydrated! I am unsure of the name of the bottle but you could probably look it up online.
Good luck to you!

Dear T.,
It sounds to me like maybe you "helping" isn't helping. If the pain of the stones themselves and the scare of another operation isn't going to get him to drink, then nothing will. You are stressing your family out. Relax and he will drink as much as he can when he can. By the way, who went through the surgery?

Hey T.,
I know how he feels-I have had kidney stones 2-3 times! One time I had them during pregnancy and had to put a stent in! Ouch!

Anyways, I am aweful about drinking water. But what I have found helps me drink more-is drinking Propel. It is flavored water and he may drink it better than regular water.

I also have a child that will not try new foods-and the more I push her the more she won't do it. So I have found if I do not pressure her she seems to be more receptive. I know the doctor probably wants you to push fluids-If it were my child I would get the propel and then make a game of it-or contest-if he finishs one liter by lunch time he gets a prize and so on.......

Hope this helps!

M. Wells
www.beautipage.com/michelewells

Can you make smoothies, slushies, popsicles and include ice cubes, gatorade, fruit, etc. That way he is getting the liquid in another form? Have him help or create his own???

Just a suggestion!

Susie R.

I work at a daycare and after being outside we like the kids to drink some water. a trick we use is put food coloring in it to make it seem special with out adding anything to it. we mix colors so its always exciting to see what comes out of the pitcher. (a favorite is a yellow green brown color and tell them it is swamp water from shrek's swamp). he is a bit older so you may have to be more creative maybe a favorite sports team color.

another fun idea is freeze small plastic things in ice cubes. at his age he should like bugs and snakes so find some at dollar store ( i just got snakes at target dollar spot) and just make them appear in his water cup or let him help make them. see how long he has to suck in it before the item is freed from the ice burg.

I also agree about the straw I always drink more out of a straw than a cup. and remember at his age it maybe more to get you irritated than it is about drinking the water. Maybe if it is not big deal to you he will give in a bit more.

hope this helps and best of luck!!!

Hi T.! I know how your son is feeling!! I had kidney stones a few years ago and I HATED drinking water. My fluid intake consisted of fruit juices and pop. I know many people have recommended drinking fruit juice to help get fluid in him, but my doc actually told me to back off the fruit juices after my kidney stones. I have resorted to drinking flavored water just because of the fear of another stone! I would recommend getting your son a cool sports bottle, letting him fill it with flavored water and making a challenge out of it. Preteens usually love any kind of competition. See who in your family can finish the 3 liters first. I am very sorry he has to go through this! Good luck to you and him!
A.