When do babies start to drink water? Is it JUST formula / breast milk in the very beginning?

Answer 1

My baby is 4 mo. old and I have 4 others. I was always told that they didn't need water as long as they were drinking formula or breast milk. I began to offer water when more solid foods were introduced, and not in the beginning, but when they were eating more solid foods than drinking a bottle. There is a new report out, a friend was telling me, that giving water too early can do more harm than good. Check with your Dr. and look into websites like Babyzone.com or even WebMD. Hope you find the answer that is best for you and your baby.

Answer 2

Good question. I have 4 kids, ages 12, 10, 7 and 2. For my first two kids they always had me give them a 2ozs. bottle of water with a splash of sugar. The water was room temp. they said that this helped regulate their bowels and aided in hydration.

Well, by the time my 7 year old came along I was told that he didn't need to be given regular water bottle feedings and that I only needed to use that if he was hungry between feedings to hold him off a bit so that he would take more formula at his regular feeding time.

Now 2 years ago when I had my son they said absolutely no water. That all of the water they need is in the breastmilk/formula. Well screw them, I still gave him the water. I still swear by it as a supplement and a way to keep them nice and regular and yes I did breastfeed 3 of my children and still used the water bottle. Do your research and see what you find, ask your pediatrician where they stand and remember that water is very thin compared to formula and babies tend to gag on it if they are not upright enough.

Answer 3

Young babies don't need and shouldn't get water (not counting that in formula and breast milk). There's a lot of conflicting advice here. Below is a link to an about . com page explaining the reasons for not giving water and an explanation for the conflicting advice.

Answer 4

Most babies do not need any water in the beginning. I was told by my Dr to give my son some water (just an ounce or 2 a day) to help with is constipation. But, of course, that was a special instance and it wasn't much water at all.

Answer 5

a lot of babies that are feed formula need water from the beginning but most breastfeed babies do not need water because your breast make water for them

Answer 6

I constantly prevented juice till a minimum of a 12 months. At this age, I provided water in a sippy with nutrition and in some situations in between. My toddlers constantly needed a drink of water from my cup if I had a drink, so i could basically proportion. My husband and that i've got juice at breakfast, so around a 12 months, i began out offering in basic terms a pair oz. at breakfast time, yet that replaced into it. I in no way stricken to water it down because of the fact it replaced into in basic terms a pair oz. as quickly as an afternoon. My youngsters are actually 5, 7, and 9, and that they get approximately 4oz. of juice at breakfast, yet they do no longer constantly drink all of it. maybe as quickly as a week, they'll get a pitcher of juice or juice field with lunch or as a snack. additionally, now that they are older, they could have lemonade, kool-help, or pop as quickly as a week besides. in any different case, they simply drink water and milk, and whilst they love juice and different sugary beverages, they do no longer ***** approximately milk or water.

Answer 7

I was told by the pediatrician that it won't hurt to give them a little water, but they don't really need it. They get all the fluid they need from the formula/breast milk.

Answer 8

Yes I was told not to give babies water early on because it will fill their tummies up on nothing when they should be filling their tummies up with formula or breast milk the stuff they need to grow. I never gave my kids water until after the first year.

Answer 9

A baby can drink water at about 9 month old but only a ounce at a time

Answer 10

I was told to start offering some water to my baby at 3 months. That was bc my baby was a little guy and they did not want him to fill up on water while I was building his weight up. If this is for your baby check with the doc to see what they recommend for your medical and health needs.