Is it okay to give a one month old water to clean the milk off her tongue? I am breastfeeding and her tongue is a little milk stained is this normal? Should I clean her tongue? When is it safe to start cereals and oatmeals?
2007-05-14 09:08:44 · 12 answers · asked by OliviasMom 2 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Newborn & Baby
Yes water is ok to give a baby. There is a special "brush" that you can give to brush off her tongue. It's pretty much a toothbrush but without the brushes. 4 months is the recommended time to start your baby on solids.
2007-05-14 09:12:49 · answer #1 · answered by springlillycrystal 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
A little water is fine but it has no nutritional value so do not substitute water for a feeding. The milk staining on her tongue is nothing to worry about. You can also get a baby tongue and gum cleaner (usually in the baby department.) They kind of look like a rubber thimble with nubbies on them and your rub the babies gums and tongue with them. It is great for oral health and gets the baby use to having something other than a nipple in its mouth so tooth brushing comes easier.
Generally, rice cereal and subsequent foods should be started at about 6 months (recommendation of pediatric association.) There are certain milestones a child should reach before being fed cereals, then veggies, fruits and meats. They must have good head control, be able to sit for long periods, have the ability to turn their head away (to signal they are done) and loss of their extrusion reflex (that's the reflex that pushes anything other than a nipple out of their mouth when put in. To test you put a clean finger in their mouth and feel if their tongue pushing it out of draws it in.) Your Doctor can go over these recommendations with you and check the baby at your check-ups. You will want to start with rice cereal first as it is the least likely to cause an allergic reaction.
2007-05-14 16:20:29 · answer #2 · answered by joelle w 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
She doesnt need water. The milk will not hurt her tounge. If you scratch it and it won't come off though, its not milk... its thrush and thats a whole 'nother issue!
As far as solids go, the AAP reccomends nothing (including water) other than breastmilk for the first 6 months, at least.
I know right now, at 1 month, that seems awfully daunting... but it gets better, i promise!
Baby cereals are basically junk food and should be avoided at all costs! At 6 months, if you really want, you can try some freshly mushed banana or ripe avocado. We tried banana with my son but he wasn't really interested and so we waited until he was.
I started giving my guy table food around 8 months when he was really interested and was able to feed himself. It worked out beautifully and he has always been a good eater.
I also started giving him a sippy of water at that time... although he didnt quite understand it until around 10 months!
Breastmilk has plenty of water... its about 90% water, in fact!
You can get one of those finger brushes and brush her gums everyday, but just use a little water and no tooth paste.
2007-05-14 16:20:19 · answer #3 · answered by Mommy to David 4 · 3⤊ 0⤋
FIRST CHECK WITH HER DOCTOR but from my experience, i have 3 children. You can use a clean wet wash cloth (baby wash cloth) and wipe her tongue from the inside out. If it is white and cheesy she should see a doctor. I started cereal between 3 and four months. It is normal to have milk stain as long as it is not white and thick then that could be a sign of thrush.
2007-05-14 16:18:21 · answer #4 · answered by kayanna123 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Clean toungue with a moist wash cloth as well as gums...or you can get an infant toothbrush to scrape toungue. Water is not needed...all babies need the first year is formula. Solids will be introduced around 4-6 months depending on what doctor tells you. Ours said that if you start too soon then your child is subject to type 1 diabeties and obesity. Cereals do not make them sleep through the night any better...that just comes with time.
2007-05-14 17:01:29 · answer #5 · answered by bpfashion123 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They say the Mother's milk is all that a baby needs. Why give her something to drink that has no nutritional value? A milky tongue is normal. Have you taken a whiff of your daughters breath? I feed my daughter nothing but breast milk, and her breath smells like apricots.
Let your pediatrician direct you as to when to start feeding cereals. Of course if your baby seems very hungry, you can always start cereals in milk when you want.
2007-05-14 16:25:49 · answer #6 · answered by gypsy g 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Breast milk is the perfect food. It has all the water your baby needs in it. :) Don't worry about giving water. Also, you don't want to start any nipple confusion yet. Babies shouldn't typically get any other food until they can sit up on their own. That's usually when digestion is ready for it. Pick up the book 'The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding'. Its awesome, and can answer a lot of questions you may have.
2007-05-14 16:15:24 · answer #7 · answered by pinksparklebubbles 2 · 3⤊ 0⤋
when i asked my dr about giving my baby water he said it was ok to give a litte (1 ounce) but water is empty calories and water could fill them up without the nutrition. i know its just to clean her tongue but i would suggest just using the baby tooth brush or a wash cloth could work too if you wanted to clean it. its normal though leavng it would be fine. as for the food i would wait till she was about 4 or 5 months and even then just a couple bits at a time untill shes ready for more
2007-05-14 16:17:12 · answer #8 · answered by pikzzi 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
usually it is safe to start cereals when they are at least 1 month and they are not getting enough from the regular formula. if you find that the baby wants more milk than usual put a little dusting of cereal in the formula and as for the water get you some infant water they sell in in most grocery stores babies should get one ounce of water anyways with every three ounces of milk. i know what you mean b/c i hated the milk stain or the milk breath and with baths i would take wash cloth and clean her tongue(naturally when she was older though other than that water is fine
2007-05-14 16:15:15 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 4⤋
You can just use a wet washcloth to wipe the cheesies off her toungue. If they won't wipe off then she (and You) may have thrush. (yeast infection) If you think this might be the case, you will need to consult your doctor or local lactation consultant on the best way to treat this. One of the easiest ways to prevent thrush is to eat 4 servings of active culture yogurt (like yoplait) a week.
The new data on solids is to wait until at least 6 months to reduce risk of food allergies.
2007-05-14 16:20:15 · answer #10 · answered by hottiecj *~♥~*~♥~* 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋