If a baby is breastfed, for up to six months, you should not give it any liquid except mother’s milk. If a kid is bottle-fed, you should provide it with water between feedings. In any case, together with the introduction of complementary foods, pediatricians recommend giving a child a drink. If a baby is fed from a bottle, then water can also be provided from a similar bottle. If a baby is breastfed, then use a spoon or a cup.
The Reasons to Water a Baby
It is not recommended to give kids anything but milk during the first months. However, there are exceptions. So when should babies drink water?
- if a child suffers from constipation, then you can additionally supply its diet with water
- if a baby has a high temperature for a couple of days, it is necessary to give water at room temperature
- usually, bottle-fed kids may suffer from colic so in such cases, it’s possible to provide a kid with water, however, it is better to consult a pediatrician first
- jaundice in newborns is a diagnosis in which the tone of mucous membranes and skin has a yellowish tint. It occurs if a mother and child have incompatible blood groups. To get rid of jaundice, you can give a kid 1 teaspoon of water every hour
- those who are bottle-fed get more protein, so they need to drink more. In this case, you can not limit water intake
How Much Water to Give a Baby?
Remember that if you are using tap water, it should be filtered beforehand. Pediatricians say that the use of such water is permissible, however, it is still advisable to give preference to specialty baby water because of the minimum salt content. Babies are very sensitive to an excess of mineral salts because the newborns’ kidneys are not yet sufficiently developed. Therefore, experts recommend water with low mineralization without gas.
Usually, the baby water is divided into two types – the first one is used for preparing formula and the next one is made for drinking. Kids need a lot of fluids when they are sick, in such periods, water is quite important, however, do not forget that a child has a rather small stomach, and therefore a kid cannot drink more than 250 milliliters of liquid at one time.
Water During Bottle-Feeding
When a kid is bottle-fed, it receives more protein than from mother’s milk and that’s why it needs water. If there is a lack of liquid in the body, then a child may suffer from constipation, colic, etc. while additional drinking will contribute to a good stool, as well as a good mood for your little one. However, it does not mean that baby formula is bad and you need to choose another one. Infant formula simply has a denser content and therefore a kid requires extra liquid. Although you should still pay great attention to the choice of baby formula. For example, organic feeding has a content of at least 95% of natural and pesticide-free ingredients, so the risk of developing digesting issues is highly reduced.
The Bottom Line
Even though experts recommend not giving water to a breastfed child before introducing complementary foods, there are cases when water should be included in the menu. First of all, a kid needs water when it gets sick to quickly remove toxins from the body. Also, if you notice that your little one sweats more often or rarely does a diaper, then you should give it some water after feeding. However, even in such cases, you should consult a pediatrician and use special baby water to avoid digestive problems. In the case of baby formulas, water should be included in the child’s diet constantly because the baby formula is a little thicker in consistency compared to breast milk, and that’s why babies need water to quench their thirst.
