Should infants have water

And if you're feeding powdered or concentrated formula to your baby, never dilute it with more than the amount of water called for on the label. Your infant will get all the necessary hydration from breast milk or formula.

Even when a mother's milk supply is just coming in during the first few days after delivery, the baby is getting colostrum , which is enough to keep her well hydrated. Water can interfere with a young baby's ability to absorb the nutrients in breast milk or formula and, because it can make her feel full, it may prevent her from feeding as much as she should.

Giving water to an infant can also cause water intoxication, a serious condition that happens when too much water dilutes the concentration of sodium in the body, upsetting the electrolyte balance and causing tissues to swell. It's uncommon but serious, potentially causing seizures and even a coma. If a young baby needs more hydration — because of a bout of gastroenteritis, for example — the doctor may recommend an electrolyte drink like Pedialyte or Infalyte. You may have heard of researchers using sugar water to pacify babies during immunizations.

While this practice might safely be used during a medical procedure, giving your baby sugar water at home whether in an effort to pacify her or quench her thirst isn't a good idea. She doesn't need the water, and the sugar isn't good for her. Giving your baby additional water, whether it's given on its own or used to water down formula, can also mess with a baby's electrolyte balance , according to HealthyChildren. Sticking to properly-mixed baby formula or breast milk will help you avoid these complications.

As baby grows, however, her kidneys mature. By the age of six months, her body is able to consume water without concern for water intoxication. After that, you can start to offer a small amount of water to your little one without having to worry so much about water intoxication or other issues. You should still only offer your baby a little bit of water at a time, though.

They just don't need it like you might think that they do. For older infants nine to 12 months , they can drink up to a few ounces per day. When can babies have water? It's best not to give your baby water before 6 months. At this newborn stage, breast milk or formula meets every nutritional need for health and development. Plus, you don't want to fill up your baby on water, since she might not be hungry for feedings.

This decrease in appetite may leave her malnourished, potentially leading to weight loss. It may also cause your breast milk supply to diminish. Not all drinks are suitable for babies and young children. Here's what to give to your child and when. It should continue to be given alongside an increasingly varied diet once you introduce solid foods from around 6 months.

The World Health Organization recommends that all babies are breastfed for up to 2 years or longer. First infant formula is usually based on cows' milk and is the only suitable alternative to breast milk in the first 12 months of your baby's life. Follow-on formula isn't suitable for babies under 6 months, and you don't need to introduce it after 6 months.

First infant formula, follow-on formula or growing-up milks aren't needed once your baby is 12 months old. Read more about the types of infant formula. Goats' milk formula is available and produced to the same nutritional standards as cows' milk formula.

Goats' milk formula isn't suitable for babies with cows' milk protein allergy. It is not less likely to cause allergies in babies than cows' milk formula as the proteins they contain are very similar. This isn't suitable for babies under 6 months old. This type of formula isn't needed, and there's no evidence that babies settle better or sleep longer after having it. Fully breastfed babies don't need any water until they've started eating solid foods.

Formula-fed babies may need some extra water in hot weather. For babies under 6 months, you should not use water straight from the mains tap in the kitchen as it is not sterile.

You will need to boil the tap water first and then let it cool down. Water for babies over 6 months doesn't need to be boiled. Bottled water isn't recommended for making up infant formula feeds as it may contain too much salt sodium or sulphate. If you do have to use bottled water to make up a feed, check the label to make sure the sodium also written as Na level is less than milligrams mg per litre. The sulphate also written as SO or SO4 content shouldn't be higher than mg per litre.

Like tap water, bottled water isn't sterile, so it will need to be boiled before you use it to prepare a feed. Always use boiled water at a temperature of at least 70C when you prepare a feed.

Remember to let the feed cool before you give it to your baby. See how to make up baby formula.