Should babies drink water?

Should babies drink water is not a common concern of many mothers. Although water is an important component of the body, but in the infancy stage, because the baby's kidneys are not yet fully developed, if you give your baby water incorrectly, your baby can be in danger.

As a mother, you will be the one who best understands the needs of your baby. Therefore, when receiving parenting advice from others, you should consider whether that is true for your baby or not. A lot of people think that babies also need to drink water for dessert and tongue cleaning. However, aFamilyToday Health recommends that if you hear this advice, consult your doctor carefully before attempting to follow.

Should babies drink water?

According to the pediatrician, if your baby is under 6 months old and is exclusively breastfed, you should not give your baby water, even in hot weather. Because 88% of breast milk is water and this water is enough to meet the body's needs. Not only is it unnecessary to give your baby more water, but it can also harm your baby.

However, if your baby is being formula fed, give him some extra water from time to time. Since formula milk usually contains more salt, giving your baby a little extra water will help make it easier to excrete. In addition, because the metabolism of babies who drink formula milk will take place more slowly, babies will often have more water needs than breastfed babies.

If your baby has constipation , fever or if the weather is too hot, you can offer him a few small teaspoons of cooled boiled water. However, avoid giving your baby too much and always consult your doctor before doing this.

Why should babies under six months of age not drink water?

Perhaps many people are surprised when they receive an answer from their doctor about not giving water to babies. Because for adults, water plays a very important role, even lack of water can be life-threatening. So why should not give water to babies under 6 months old?

1. Drinking water can interfere with the absorption of milk

For babies under six months, breastmilk is a complete source of all the nutrients that your baby needs, including water. Therefore, giving your baby more water will interfere with the ability to absorb nutrients in breast milk. Not only that, the baby's stomach size is still very small, drinking more water will fill the stomach, make the baby full and refuse to breastfeed. Over time, the baby will not receive enough nutrition from breast milk, thereby affecting the baby's growth and development.

2. Increased risk of infection

According to a report published by the World Health Organization (WHO), it is not advisable to give infants water to drink as it can make babies more susceptible to infection. Water, no matter how clean and pure it is, is at risk of containing germs. Your baby's immune system is still weak. If you drink water containing germs, your baby will have a very high risk of diarrhea and malnutrition . According to statistics, children who drink extra fluids are at risk of diarrhea two to three times higher than those who only breastfeed.

3. Water intoxication

This is a relatively rare condition, but it has already been experienced by a baby. Giving your baby plenty of water will dilute the sodium concentration in the body. That amount of sodium will flow out of the water outside the body because the baby's kidneys are still incomplete, leading to a deficiency. Children with sodium deficiency can affect brain activity, babies may have epilepsy, seizures ...

4. Effects on the mother's health

Drinking water for babies under 6 months of age is not only bad for the baby's health, but also causes many health problems for the mother. Some experts suggest that this action may affect breast milk production.

If an infant is thirsty, should he give him water?

In fact, not everyone can do the job not to give babies water, especially when it is too hot. Especially, if you are living with the elderly, you can easily be criticized for this because according to the old grandparents' conception, the water is quite healthy and the baby is thirsty. However, you need to keep in mind the following:

Breast milk is the only food source that babies under 6 months old need. This means that the baby only needs to breastfeed and does not need to drink more water because the amount of water in the breast milk has met the needs that the baby's body needs. Therefore, if you feel your baby is thirsty, you can feed your baby more or breastfeed first (the amount of milk flowing at the beginning of a feed, low in fat and calories). If your baby drinks formula milk, sometimes you can give your baby a little more water, but before doing this, consult your doctor about when to drink water, how to drink it, and how much water to drink. can be given to drink… okay.

When can babies drink water?

Before 6 months of age, you should not give water to your baby unless it is indicated. Often, babies who get extra fluids are often associated with increased bilirubin levels (jaundice), excessive weight loss, or period. the hospital stay is too long. However, you should only follow the instructions of your doctor and avoid giving your baby water to drink. For babies older than 6 months, you can give your baby water, but there are a few things to keep in mind:

1. Time to let your baby drink water

The best time you can give your baby water is when starting solids . Drinking water at this time will help prevent constipation. Once your baby has passed the weaning phase, you should also continue to breastfeed because breast milk is a great source of nutrients and good for health.

2. How to let your baby drink water

You can give your baby water with a spoon or pour it into a bottle or cup to make it easy for him to drink. Young children often imitate what adults do, so every time you drink, be a model for your baby.

3. How much water should the baby drink?

By now, you should be clear whether to give water to babies or not. At this time, the baby will not need to drink too much water. When your baby is 4 - 6 months old, every day, you can give your baby a few small sips of water (no more than 4 tablespoons). As your baby is a little older, you can gradually increase this amount of water.

Usually, it is quite simple to practice water for young children. When your baby is a little older, you should practice the baby the habit of drinking water after every time you go out, after playing or eating ... Drinking enough water every day is a good habit to help your baby stay away from health problems. future. If you find your baby does not like drinking water, do not try to force him to drink again next time.

Notes when giving water to babies

When giving your baby water, you need to keep in mind a few things:

Let your baby drink as needed

Do not let your baby drink water before meals because it makes the baby feel full, does not want to eat and dilutes the gastric juice, is not good for the stomach and digestive system.

Limit drinking lots of water before going to bed because it can make your baby easier to "pee" or wake up at night , affecting sleep.

Through the above sharing, hopefully you have the answer to the question of whether to give water to babies. Remember, anything related to your baby's health and nutrition, consult your doctor and decide.