Can I give a 3 week old baby water?

Question

He eats every 3 to 4 hours and wont take a pacafier but he crys alot so I dont want to feed him all the time so my friends told me I could give him water but I am not sure so I want to get some advice on if it's okay.

Answer 1

Water is not the answer. You need to talk to your pediatrician and find out why he is inconsolable. He may have reflux, or other medically treatable problem.

Answer 2

NO!!! Babies are not supposed to have water. It can be extremely dangerous. Honestly I don't remember the exact reason, something to do with messing up the electrolyte balance.

A 3 week old baby should probably be eating more than every 3-4 hours. More like every 2 hours. He's probably crying because he's hungry. For the first 2-3 months, babies pretty much just eat, sleep and cry...so get used to it! But it will pass before too long! My baby was eating every 2 hours until she was 4 months old, now she's 6 months old and usually can go 2-3 hours between feedings.

Answer 3

Babies have small stomachs and need to have food all the time. By filling his stomach with water you are not giving him any nutrients, thefore he will cry more, because he is hungry.

Some children eat every one to two hours, because of their fast metabolism, some like your son, every 3-4.

I would check out some websites on newborns and if you still need help, check with your hospital, when you have your well baby check up next week at age 4 weeks. There are tons of classes you can take, and you don't have to feel odd about asking the questions, because most of the other mom's in the class will have the same questions.

Answer 4

You can give a three week old very small amounts of water in a bottle. But not straight tap water. It needs to be nursery water that you buy in the store. But I don't think giving him water will help. He does probably need to eat a little more often than every 3-4 hours, especially if he is breastfed. My daughter was solely breastfed and wanted to eat about every 1 1/2 to 2 hours up until she was about 4 months old. But my pediatrician told me it was okay to give her very small amounts of water every so often as long as she was feeding regularly.

Answer 5

No. Your baby gets all she needs from breastmilk/formula. You will continue to feed your baby every 3-4 hours until she is about 6 months old. Do not give her anything else unless specifically told to do so by your pediatrician. This includes water, cereal, cow's milk, or anything else.

Attempting to cut down on this simply because you 'don't want to' feed her that often is irresponsible parenting. Giving her water cuts down on her nutrients. Right now is the most critical time of her growth and she needs every calorie she can get.

Answer 6

I hate to say this but most newborns and up to 3 months of age, need to eat about every 2 hours if breastfed. At 4 months, about every 3-4 hours is Ok, but now he's too young and his tummy's very small, that's why he has to eat more often.
Water is not good for newborns. Just nurse him a bit more often... and ask your pediatrician if you can supplement with formula (which i did) especially if you have to go out (even though you can also express your milk with a breast pump)

Good luck!

Answer 7

Your baby is 3 weeks old, you should not give your baby water until about 6 months or older. Newborns need to be fed every 2 hours. When my daughter was a newborn she fed every 1 1/2 to 2 hours, I would wake her up at night to breastfeed her. Their brain is developing, you are waiting too long to feed your baby. Do your friends have children? If they don't please don't listen to them your baby can get very sick. Feed your baby every 2 hours. Check all the signs, is he dirty, does he have gas, does he need to burb, is he hungry, is he cold/hot. I suggest you talk to your pediatrician before you listen to your friends. Take care of your baby boy.

Answer 8

DO NOT give the baby just water. I think you should try to feed the baby. My daughter when she was that young sometimes ate every 2 hours. If the baby is hungry he will eat if not he won't. I would talk to your doctor to make sure that there is not another problem.

Answer 9

no water. the only liquid that should be going into a 3 week old is formula or breast milk. i would talk to the pediatrician and tell him about him crying so much. does he spit up a lot? have gas? he may not be able to handle his formula. he may need a soy based formula or one that is easier on his stomach. he may have a lactose intolerance or be allergic. i have 2 boys one was lactose intolerant as a baby and once i switched him to soy he stopped crying so much and stopped spitting up, and less gas. my second i switched to soy not too long after he was born for the same reason and he still cried and when he was just about 2 months i found out he was allergic to soy. switched his formula and now he too is happy, no spitting up, and less gas. check with his ped and change his fromula see what happens.

Answer 10

No, giving water to a newborn can be very dangerous. Check out the following...

"In fact, according to pediatricians like James P. Keating, MD, medical director of the St. Louis Children's Hospital Diagnostic Center, too much water dilutes a baby's normal sodium levels and can lead to seizures, coma, brain damage and death."

Answer 11

do not give him water to fill him up, feed him! he's only little, he needs frequent feeding! when hes a bit older, he can have cooled, boiled water as a DRINK but for now he needs milk. he also needs to be fed at least every 4 hours as it can lead to a drop in blood sugar which is dangerous.