how soon for water?

Question

I have a 7 week old boy and he eats every 3-3 1/2 hours, but lately he has been acting hungry about every 1 1/2 hours and only eats about one ounce. My mom told me that I should give him a couple ounces of water in between feedings when he gets "hungry" like that. Is it too early for me to be giving him water?

I asked his doctor about it, and he said not to worry about his change of eating habit and just feed him when he gets hungry

By the way...he was born 6 weeks premature...not sure if that plays a factor in the decision.

Preciana---half a teaspoon with how many ouces?

he is bottle fed

Answer 1

You should not give him water yet. All he needs right now is either breast milk or formula. He will get all he needs from that. If he wants to eat that much then it is okay, but maybe he just wants to suck. In that case try a pacifier. They are wonderful!!!

Answer 2

My son was 11 weeks early and you need to go by his corrected age (his due date) and not the date he was actually born. I had to wait until my son was 6 months old to give water, juice cereal, instead of the 4 months that his doctor recommends for other patients. Try adding an extra ounce to his regular feedings. He may be going through a growth spurt.

Answer 3

Breast or bottle?
Breastmilk digests in 90 minutes, so eating every 90 mins is normal!
There is a 6 week growth spurt that means frequent eating....so you've just been through that.

NO water for him at this age! The AAP says NOTHING but breastmilk or formula until 6 mos of age.

Water is not a good idea for very young babies. It fills their little tummies up but doesn't give them any nutrients. It makes them take less formula or breastmilk, which they need to grow. They are trying to double birthweight in 6 mos. Think how much/how often you would need to eat to double your weight that fast!!!!!

PLUS....too much water can be dangerous for a young baby!

EDITED TO ADD:
Also, cereal is NOT "easy to digest" as posted above. As a matter of fact, a 7 week old doesn't even have the enzymes present in his gut to begin to digest cereal! Solids are not recommended until around 6 months. Starting solids too early can lead to allergies, asthma, respiratory illness, diabetes and obesity.

Answer 4

Babies that young shouldn't have water, or anything other than formula or breast milk. Can I ask why you are not listening to the doc if he said just go with it and feed him when he is hungry? It seems that that would be your best choice. Try a pacifier or just rocking to hold him off a little longer so he will eat more at once.
Good luck to you.

Answer 5

Nothing except formula or breast milk till six months!

this includes water

giving water before three months can cause your baby to die! babys kidneys cannot handle all the extra fluid! its called hyponatremia.

it can also be caused by diluting formula insted of following the directions on the can. If you dilute the formula, or supplement formula with bottles of water, the baby has to take in more formula to get the nutrients he or she needs. Basically, the baby either becomes malnourished or runs the risk of water intoxication.

Overdosing on water is something that's pretty hard to do as a kid or adult, but actually relatively easy for a baby. The symptoms of drinking too much water are subtle for an infant, but may include fluttering eyelids, inconsolable crying (swelling of tissues causes a headache), difficulty breathing (fluid accumulates in the lungs), and an irregular heartbeat. Immediate medical attention is required if water intoxication is suspected. The more common danger from diluting formula (or giving water) is chronic malnutrition, at a time when an infant really can't afford the deficit. The bottom line: don't dilute formula or give infants bottles of water.



Hyponatremic seizures among infants resulting from improper feeding practices and water intoxication were first reported in 1967. This possible increased risk may be associated with a lack knowledge about the potential dangers of feeding infants solute-free water. symptomatic hyponatremia may occur in infants with no acute medical conditions who are fed solute-free water. This problem has been caused most commonly by tap water, given either as supplemental feedings or in overly diluted formula; juices, soda, and tea also have been implicated.

Bottled water products marketed specifically for infants may be mistaken by parents and other caregivers as an affordable and appropriate feeding supplement or substitute for infants.

Physicians and other health-care providers should discourage parents from using water (either tap or bottled) as a supplement for infants aged less than 6 months and should advise parents that children of any age who have diarrhea or vomiting should be given oral rehydration solution instead of solute-free water . Parents, guardians, and other child-care providers should be educated about the potential hazard solute-free water poses to the health of infants if used inappropriately. Cases of hyponatremia associated with excessive water intake should be reported to the local health department.

Answer 6

I had the same problem, and still do sometimes, and my son is 5 months now. Turns out that he was just wanting that extra ounce to help put him to sleep. I started to try to get him to sleep before giving him the formula, and most of the time it works. Unless he is going through a growth spurt, then he needs that extra food. I wouldn't recommend water just yet. Just go with what he wants at this age, he knows what he needs.

Answer 7

Too Early for water. Feed that baby when it is hungery he needs to gain weight. Your babies matabalizm is designed to be hungry that often because it is using up so much energy growing and just breathing. We used Similac Neoshore for our premiees. One was 17 weeks early and the other was 10 weeks early. Again feed that baby when it is hungry. If it was 6 weeks early it has a lot of catching up to do.

Answer 8

It is much too early for water. Babies at this age should be drinking milk (preferably breastmilk) exclusively.

Your little guy is probably going through a growth spurt and his body is telling him what he needs. At this age, you should feed him on demand.

Water will make him think he's full when he's not, and can also dangerously dilute his sodium level. All the water he needs is in his milk.

Just go with it...he'll settle back into his 3-hour routine shortly. Enjoy him!

Answer 9

No water before 1 or 2 years unless the dr says so, it upsets their sodium level. 7 weeks is prime time for a growth spurt so more frequent feedings makes perfect sense. Try to feed on demand during these times so your baby can regulate how much his intake will need to increase as he grows. Good luck!

Answer 10

No, it's not too early for water. But he may just want to "suck" and not actually be hungry. Try a pacifier. Every baby is different. My son was like that too. Eating all the time. He'd drink a bottle of formula as if he was starving!! We tried everything to figure out what to do for him. Eventually we started him on cereal (very early) using a bottle made for it. And he quit all his fussing and didn't "want" a bottle all the time. He was actually content. He even started sleeping through the night!