Peadiatricians in Ahmedabad prescribe new borns should not be given water for 6 six months. Is it possible?

Question

I have a grand-child who is born on 21st of this month and she has not been given water till date. Both her mother and grand mother say that this is what the child specialist prescribed. Am perplexed by this revelation. Can any paediatrician advice me if this okay. You can send your advice to me on
" [e-mail] " Please help me to rest my conscience in peace.

Answer 1

I am not a pediatrician, but I have been a mom for 28 years to 4 kids and I have been a child care provider in my home for 20 years. Practices of infant care change pretty regularly. Things I did with my older 3 kids (now 28, 26, and 23) were not the way things were done when my youngest was born (now 10). Over the years of providing child care I have seen recommendations change frequently. Water consumption for infants is one of those things that has changed considerably since when I was a baby or even when my older 3 were born. My older 3 were given sugar water bottles in the hospital and babies drinking water was common then. However, in the course of studies, research, and observation, it has been discovered that too much water is potentially risky for infants under 6 months. It is recommended by several health organizations, both national and world-wide, that babies only receive breast milk or formula until they are 6 months old. Both contain a high amount of water anyway so additional water is not recommended due to the risk of something called Water Intoxication, which can be fatal. In especially hot climates of the world, frequent breast feeding and/or formula feeding are generally recommended before additional water. Common sense must also come into play when raising our children so it is important to keep in mind that many babies have had plain water to drink and have suffered no ill effects. As a grandmother of a 7 1/2 month grandson, I can only imagine how difficult it must be for you to be far away from your grandchild. It's hard, but offer unsolicitated advice sparingly and trust that your son and daughter-in-law will make the best decisions for your grand-daughter. As parents, we all make mistakes and it is a good thing that children are pretty resiliant and seem to turn out pretty well despite our bumbling efforts.

Answer 2

It's not a good idea to give babies water. Breastmilk has all the water in it a baby needs until they start solids, which should happen sometime after 6 months. The same is true with properly prepared formula.

Answer 3

No infant should be given anything other then breast milk or formula until 6 months, their kidneys can't handle it. If they get water or too much water they can have water intoxication and that may make them very ill or cause them to die.

BTW I sure as heck am not emailing you!

Answer 4

Exactly right. Other than their formula/breast milk babies that age don't need anything else because they get all their required nutrients from them. Giving them water fills them up and doesn't give them any of the nutrients they need to be getting.

Answer 5

In new borns their immune system is not well developed,and it takes time to be functional and developed.By giving water chances of infection increase.Secondly babies get their daily requirement of water from their mommas milk.Hence they dont require any outside administration of water.

Answer 6

http://www.stlouischildrens.org/tabid/88/itemid/166/Water-Intoxication-in-Infants.aspx
For healthy adults, nothing seems to quench a thirst better than plain, pure water. We're encouraged to drink several glasses a day to keep our systems in balance. But for children under 1 year old – and especially during the first nine months of life – drinking too much water can be dangerous.

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.

http://www.todaysparent.com/baby/foodnutrition/article.jsp?content=1240
As Toronto lactation consultant Anne Kirkham explains, "Giving water to young babies can make some undesirable things happen and can suppress other good things."

For example, in the first days after birth, drinking water has been found to increase the severity of newborn jaundice. "Babies who are breastfeeding well don't have much problem with jaundice," says Kirkham, "but those who are given water as well will become more jaundiced, and this makes them sleepy and lethargic."

Giving water in the early weeks can also interfere with breastfeeding. The infant who has a tummy full of water will drink less milk at his feedings, and his mother's breasts will decrease milk production in response. The result: The baby gets less milk, and may not grow as well. One study in Australia found that newborns who were given water with sugar after each feeding at the breast lost more weight than babies who were breastfed exclusively. In addition, if the water is given in a bottle, the baby's sucking technique may become confused.

"It's common for babies to have periods of cluster feedings when they feed frequently for a few hours," Kirkham adds. "But because parents don't expect this, they worry that the baby is unsatisfied and wants something else, so they give the baby a drink of water."

While decreased milk production isn't a concern with babies who are fed formula, water is not good for those babies either, since it will reduce their intake of formula. Too much water can even be dangerous: In rare cases, infants have died from water intoxication, and others have developed seizures or hypothermia. Almost all of these babies were bottle-fed.

But what if it's really hot outside? Do babies need water then? Some physicians, such as Danielle Grenier of the Canadian Paediatric Society, say it's OK to add water to formula during very hot and humid weather only if your baby is dehydrated or running a fever. (The water should be boiled if the baby is under six months.)

Research shows that babies don't normally need extra water. A 1978 Jamaican study of exclusively breastfed babies found no signs of dehydration in temperatures averaging 27.6 degrees C. In 1990, the same researcher studied babies in India, where the temperature ranged between 35 and 40 degrees C. Again, the exclusively breastfed babies showed no signs of dehydration and needed no extra water.

"In the summer, when the baby might be a little more thirsty, the milk will be slightly more watery. In the winter, babies receive more creamy milk," Kirkham explains. Of course, nursing mothers should be prepared to drink extra water during hot weather. (The standard advice is "drink to thirst," because if you drink too much, you may decrease your milk supply.)

So when is it appropriate to give your healthy baby water? Kirkham suggests that around seven months, when your baby is sitting up well and has started eating solid foods, you could introduce a little water in a cup.

http://ncane.com/r33
The most common causes are errors in mixing infant formula, resulting in a very dilute mixture. Other causes include giving too much water to treat a baby's diarrhea and feeding a baby a lot of water because he seems to be thirsty all the time.

Water intoxication is a completely avoidable problem. Parents should never overdilute a baby's formula unless told to do so by their doctor. If your baby seems to be thirsty all the time you need to discuss feeding habits with your child's doctor. Adding unlimited bottles of water may lead to water intoxication.


Baby Admitted To Hospital With Water Intoxication
http://ncane.com/knx


Guidelines for offering water to breastfed babies
http://ncane.com/pta

Oral water intoxication in infants. An American epidemic
http://ncane.com/cti

Answer 7

I was told the same thing by my doctor. Newborns kidneys are still in development and giving them water can give them seizures and too much water can result in death. So, I would listen to them if I were you.

Answer 8

Breastfed babies don't need water at all for the first year.

Answer 9

there is no need for babies to have water if they are only eating breast milk or formula. they get all the water they need from those things.