Can newborns have water to hold them off til their next feeding?? Is this safe?

Answer 1

No, this is not safe.

The biggest reason is that water dilutes the sodium in their body and can cause seizures.

Water is also empty calories for a newborn. Newborns need as many calories as they demand. If you feed them water instead of breastmilk or formula they can fail to grow and thrive.

Lastly, giving water while breastfeeding can decrease your supply because your body won't produce the milk if your baby isn't stimulating your supply. That can lead to the need to supplement and may cause big issues with breastmilk supply.

Breastmilk and formula both have water in them but they are also nutrient and calorie dense, which is what your baby needs.

I understand that having a very hungry newborn is hard but unfortunately water isn't a good choice.

Have you tried a pacifier first to see if it's a need to suck?

Once your baby is 6 months old you can practice giving an ounce or two of water through his or her sippy cup. Breastmilk and/or forumla will be your baby's biggest source of nutrition for the first year.

Answer 2

Well if the baby is exclusively breastfed, don't give them water!!

Breastmilk is 88% water.

It starts out thin and watery to quench the baby's thirst. This is the "foremilk." Then it gradually changes to thick and creamy to satisfy hunger. And this is called "hindmilk."

Giving water before 6 months of age poses a significant health hazard. It increases the risk of malnourishment (baby is filling up without calories, and babies need calories!). It also poses a risk for DEHYDRATION because, get this, there may be pathogens/bacteria/viruses etc. in the water, and your baby will get diarrhea and become dehydrated!


AFTER 6 months of age (or the introduction of solid foods) is when water may be introduced, though most breastfed babies do not need additional water until around a year.

Water can be given in the forms of fresh fruits, juices, or vegetables. Or it can be given boiled and cooled after a meal (but only a very small amount!! As in a sip, not a bottle!!!).

EDIT TO ADD:
If this is a one-time thing and say, the mom didn't leave pumped milk or got caught in traffic, or something else to prevent her from feeding her baby, then I suppose water ONE TIME wouldn't KILL a newborn. But I really would try to feed the baby, either formula milk or breastmilk and NOT subsitute water for a feeding, or even to "tide 'em over". And maybe increase the number of breastfeedings (therefore increasing the milk supply) or increase the amount of formula milk at each feeding, so that this would not become an issue again.

Answer 3

It is NOT recommended.

Water contains no calories. When you feed a newborn water, you are starving the baby. The reason they are crying and hungry is because they are HUNGRY. Babies grow a great deal and need the nutrition and water that is already in milk.

By next feeding, do you mean your baby is not allowed to eat until the next time you've scheduled a feeding? That's wrong and can lead your baby to starve. Feed the baby when she's hungry.

As other answers have suggested, too much water can damage your baby's brain, it can lead to serious health side effects.

Water should not be introduced prior to 4 months, and really, it's not necessary for one year.

Answer 4

No it is not. If they're fussing for another feeding, it means they need to be fed. Water fills their bellies with no calories, and they need calories to grow and thrive.

Don't look at the clock so closely, babies go through growth spurts and often spend a day or two wanting to eat more. That's the time to follow their cues and figure out if they need to feed more frequently, or their amount needs to increase to satisfy their new level of hunger.

Breastfeeding or formula feeding... this is universal for all babies.

If breastfeeding, feed on demand, for as long as baby wants... breastmilk is so quickly digested that they get hungry more often, and during growth spurts they're trying to increase your supply by demanding more, this is how it is supposed to be - not anything "wrong".

If formula feeding, perhaps trying to increase the frequency of feeds (like instead of 3 hours, make it 2 hours between) or increase each feed by an ounce or so.

Water can also throw off a baby's blood sugar levels, electrolyte balance, and just an upset tummy is good to avoid.

Answer 5

safe drinking water does not hurt newborns since there is water in formula. However when your baby is hungry feed him. throw out the feeding schedules. Babies grow so much in the 1st year of life they need to eat on demand. If he JUST ate and is satisfied but has the strong sucking urge give him a pacifier and swaddle the baby so he feels secure and that should help.

Answer 6

My doctor told me that water probably won't help to hold them off for very long. It goes through the digestive system too fast. He recommended only breast milk or formula. Water doesn't fill them up enough.

I'm guessing from your question that your baby is wanting to eat frequently, and you are probably wanting more sleep. Generally speaking, if a baby wants to eat frequently, it's probably because he or she needs the calories. My 3 boys all would go through these growth spurts every month or so. Just before each spurt, they would want to eat every 2 hours, around the clock, for about 3 to 5 days. Two days after they settled back into their "normal" eating pattern, they'd grow an inch. This went on until they were about 6 months old and starting on cereal.

Answer 7

My doctor says that giving an infant water can cause serious problems like water on the brain and it really messes up their electrolytes. In fact, he told me not to give any fluids other than breast milk until they are 6 months old. Before then, the baby's kidneys are too immature and don't know how to get rid of the extra fluid and that is why it causes so many problems.

Answer 8

Formula and breast milk have all the water that infants need until they start solids at 6 months.

Babies have an ability to regulate their calorie intake by the volume of formula or breast milk their drinking ... if you add water you will throw that off balance and they won`t drink enough formula or breast milk which will lead to all sorts of medical problems.

As well, babies burn a lot of calories by just drinking ... you want to make sure they`re drinking something that will benefit them!

You need to give them a little bit more each feeding if they`re really getting fussy between times or move up the feedings by a little bit ... try to distract them in other ways to space it out a bit more. If you`re breast feeding then scheduled feedings aren`t going to work ... babies digest it much faster and they do better if you just feed them on demand.

Good luck!

Answer 9

To answer your question directly, there is nothing wrong with giving your baby some water occasionally, however a newborn is really early.. I would wait till they are least 6 months old .. We used to give my son sugar water when he got hiccups (added a bit of sugar to help him drink easier).

on the other hand, If you child is getting hungry between feedings as a newborn it is most likely because they are not getting enough milk to begin with... I'm assuming that because you say till the next feeding that you are breastfeeding and are tired, sore or whatever. Think about switching off to formula if you are (tho dont rely too heavily if you dont want milk production to be effected). That way baby is getting what he/she needs...

Answer 10

your newborn does not need water if it is being fed with a powder formula, think of the amount of water they already get. But nutritionally it will not suffice for a feeding, it may just distract the baby until the next feeding though.