Bottlefeeding Question

I have 4 kids, 3 were exclusively breastfed, 1 I had to bottlefeed because I developed mastitis(sp) and was cracking and bleeding(painful). I had heard so much about kids that would not drink water and I decided to introduce water to them from very early on. I am glad that I did because every one of my kids learned to love water. I've also heard that cold water will help soothe a teething childs gums. I would give her as much as she was willing to drink. Our bodies naturally need water to survive, so giving it to her will not harm her, only give her a love for it. She may not like it at first, but don't give up because several times of offering it to her she will probably start drinking away. And don't forget to listen and at least consider what your mom has to offer because if she raised you then she should have some wisdom! :) God bless you and your little one. B.

B. Reitmeyer
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Both my kids were breast feed and I just followed their lead on adding anything else in to their diet. If they showed an interest in drinking out of a cup then I would let them. It was always water, not juice, not milk, or anything else. You could try introducing a sippy cup, it takes awhile for them to get the coordination down but could have it down by 6months. It was the only way I could get some time away seeing as they wouldn't take a bottle. They both love water and choose that over any other drink. Because they would not take the bottle, I am not sure of the use of cold water in the bottle for teething, but it makes sense. Unless you are wanting to wean her I would not give her too much water. It may fill her up enough to skip a feeding and that could slowly lead in to another feeding, and so on. Just a thought. A friend of mine would put a ice cube in one of those mesh things that you can put food in. Her son loved gnawing on it when he was teething. I don't know what they are called but their in the baby isle. Good luck!

My MIL kept telling me I needed to give my kids other things when they were infants too. A baby needs ABSOLUTLY nothing else but breastmilk for at least the first 6mths. I dont care what anyone says they dont NEED anything else. If you are going to give her some water then I woldnt give her mucch at a time she will get full on this and not want to drink her milk, and we both know which one she needs more. Also dont give it to her anytime close to the times she normally eats. If you are wanting to soothe her teething pain then give some ice chips all my kids loved that, or get the teething rings and put them in the fridge not the freezer(that makes them too hard and they cant chew on it). I would also suggest if you have breastfed for this long then dont try to give her a bottle, try a cup. I did this with my youngest and we avioded the bottle completely. Good luck hope this helps.
A.

I breastfed my little girl and was told that she gets plenty of water. But when the teeth made her grumpy, I started to give her lots of crushed ice with alittle bit of water in a bottle. I also assumed that with the starting of cereal that this extra water was needed somewhat. Once she would become disintrested in it I would take it away. But I didnt like the fact that it is hard to find the bottle nips that the water doesnt flow too fast through once the ice melted.

If you are concerned about comfort on her gums I used to put an ice cube in one of those mesh bags meant for food. They have a handle for the baby to hold and it pops opend to put soft food in for the baby to chew. Personally they suck for food because you cant get the thing clean and it is a nasty mess. But they worked great for ice cubes.

If you are concerned about dehydration then the ice cube can help with that as well. I would however suggest maybe trying to move to a cuppy. I wish I would have done this with my son because he was hooked on a bottle and it took me until he was almost three to totally break the bottle habit. UGH! Good Luck, whatever you do I am sure your mommy instinct will lead you down the right path for you and your little one.

T.

J.,

It can get confusing with both all of the info out there and also the lack of info - my mom also suggested this with water and at about that age, our pediatrician was comfortable with us giving the kids about 1-2 mLs of water a couple of times a day. They loved it (and still do at 9mos) and with that amount, they did not get full and still drank their full feeds. Good luck!

I breastfed 3 of my boys, but I also got them use to bottles so I could work. Once babies have teeth I would give them warm water in a bottle to go to sleep with to avoid tooth decay. As for teething my boys were content with a teething ring I kept in the fridge or the freezer. I have seen the mesh food holder and that sounds like a great idea. I am going to try that with my
10 month old. He is teething terribly. I hope this helps.