water for baby of two weeks old?

Question

can i give it him and what benifits does it have. new mum

Answer 1

Babies don't need extra water like we do. They get that from breast milk or formula. As long as your baby is having 6-8 wet diapers in 24 hours, there is no need to be concerned that your baby is dehydrated or needs extra fluids. If your baby is sick, again you wouldn't give water, but pedialite to help restore electrolites. I didn't give my kids water to drink untill they were completely off formula.

Answer 2

Yes u can give ur baby cooled boiled water...but remeber that a newborn baby gets all their nutrition from their milk so water shouldnt necessarily be required. There are exceptions to this for example if it is a particularly hot day, ur baby is unwell and they wont take their milk, or u feel they are thirsty. Just be careful that the water doesnt fill them up so much that they dont want to have their nutritious milk

Answer 3

As a rule, breast or formula milk suffices for all a baby's needs. However, a little cooled boiled water between feeds can help if baby is a bit constipated or the weather is very hot (as it was last summer)
However, you should really speak to your health visitor or doctor.

Answer 4

Hi Amanda,
My, you have really been getting a lot of different answers! I will add mine to the mix.
The ONLY thing that you should be giving a two week old baby is your breastmilk! If you are giving him anything else, stop now and only give him your breastmilk! Even if you have been giving him formula it is not too late to stop and get him on your breastmilk. If you have already been nursing him all along congratulations to you for being so intelligent and conscientious! If you have not been nursing him, start today and you can get back on the right track. There is no reason in the world that a two week old baby has to face the world without the protection that your milk can give him. It is possible to relactate even if you have not nursed him at all. Contact the La Leche League and they can put you in touch with someone who will help you every step of the way.
If you have got your mind set on feeding your baby formula I don't suppose it matters if you want to add water to what you are already giving him, it won't matter. But, if you are breastfeeding he does not need anything but your milk. Anything else that you give him will reduce the amount of breastmilk that he drinks and every precious drop of breastmilk that he drinks is invaluable. You will never be able to give him anything as nutritious or as wonderful as your breastmilk. It is the ultimate super food for babies. It does everything from increase their IQ to protect them from potentially fatal diseases. Every baby deserves to have their mothers milk. Right now the vast majority of breastfeeding mothers are well-to-do, college educated women. It would seem to me that ALL babies deserve the advantage of being breastfed, not just the babies of upper class women. All babies, no matter what the socio-economic status of their mothers should be able to have the advantages of breastmilk. Otherwise they are at a disadvantage even as infants. This is not fair to the babies.
Please, if you are not breastfeeding, find out what you need to do to relactate. If you ARE breastfeeding then please excuse my tirade and congratulations on making such a wise choice in how to feed your baby!
Love and Blessings
Lady Trinity~

Answer 5

At two weeks, it's very dangerous to give a child too much extra water. At such a young age, they can VERY easily get water poisoning- the excess fluid throws off the balance of electrolytes in their body, just like being dehydrated but opposite. A newborn gets everything they need from breastmilk or formula. ALWAYS consult a pediatrician before giving your child anything supplementary like water or medicine.

Answer 6

No, I would not give water to a baby that young. They don't need anything except breastmilk or formula.

Babies stomachs are soooo tiny at first. If you fill him up with any water at all, that just means he is getting less of the nutrients from the breastmilk and formula that he needs.

I would wait until he is 4-6 months for water.

If your baby is constipated, find and fix the source of the problem, don't just try and treat it.

Answer 7

What I was told with my first 2 daughters is never to give water to a baby before she/he is 1.Cause formula has alot of water in it.But now the doctor is telling me to give it them at 6 months and not earlier.So I wouldn't give it to your baby.Cause giving your baby water so little isn't going to make him grow.It has nothing in for it the baby.It will just make him wet more diapers.That is basiclly what the doctor told me.And i'm saying this only if your giving your baby formula.If your breastfeeding I have no idea.

Answer 8

I feel a lil water is good to wash milk off babies tongue, but two weeks is still to young. I started giving my baby like 2 oz of water a day at 8 wks.

Answer 9

The day i came out of hospital the nurse told me to give my baby water every now and again because sometimes they are not hungry, just thirsty. If you feel the roof of the babies mouth is dry, it could be that they just need a little water.

Answer 10

Your child gets all the water it needs from it's formula, so unless there is a problem with constipation,you never give a baby water. The reason is that babies stomachs are small and if you feed them water it will fill them up and they won't be able to take in the calories they need from the formula.And growing babies need lot's of calories.

Answer 11

Babies get all the water they need from breastmilk and giving them water will only serve to deprive a baby of the needed nutrients. That said, if you give your baby formula and your baby has some stomach issues, you need to double and triple check how you are mixing it. In the hottest part of the summer, most doctors will tell you a couple of ounces of cool water or less (a day) are okay and can help babies keep cool. There aren't any benefits to giving a baby water, in fact, babies' systems are so little that you can give a baby enough water to dilute the blood to dangerous levels quickly, you are better off nursing the baby and drinking the water yourself.