Milk does count as water intake for toddlers, although the toddler should also have water and not just milk.
Milk counts toward a toddler's total daily fluid intake, although the toddlers total daily fluid intake should also be supplemented with water.
From the ages of 1 to 3 years old, toddlers need 4 cups or 32 ounces of total fluids a day, which can be a mix of milk and water, but it's best to offer your toddler plain water throughout the day and offer milk with meals.
The total amount of fluids that a toddler should drink is 4 cups of fluid and those 4 cups of fluid can include milk along with water and juices.
As long as your toddler is drinking at least 1 cup of water they can get their other fluid intake from milk and juices, although more than 1 cup of water a day is best to keep your toddler healthy.
Ages 1 to 3 should consume 4 cups of total beverages of water and milk per day.
And aim for the toddler to drink 1 to 4 cups of water daily, in addition to the milk.
Your toddler's water intake should also be adjusted based on how active your toddler is and the weather.
The more active your toddler is the more water they should drink and the hotter the weather the more the toddler will sweat and then the toddler will need to drink more water and fluids to replace the lost fluids through sweat.
Watch for signs of dehydration in your toddler like dark yellow urine and fewer wet diapers, which indicates the toddler needs to drink more water and fluids.
Offer your toddler some water with snacks and meals and make water readily available to your toddler through the day and don't just wait until the toddler is thirsty.
Instead allow your toddler to drink water through the day, even by taking small sips of water.
And limit other beverages to smaller amounts as water should be your toddlers main source of fluids, although milk and juice are also okay for your toddler to drink.
You can also allow your toddler to choose a special sippy cup or other cup they like to make drinking water more fun.