Suplimenting Baby's Diet W/ Water???

Plain and simple BM or formula is the soul source of nourishment for ANY baby's first year of life...this includes hydration. Water will fill the baby's belly but deny them of the nourishment they need, and create an increase in feedings.

I heard the same thing from someone and was told that my 'overfeeding' was making my six month old chunky. When I asked his Pedi he laughed and told me it was a myth/old wives tale.

So, I held off on bottles of water until he was an older infant.

Hope that helps! And, congrats!

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I was always told not to give my babies water because it has no nutritional value and they get all the fluids they need from milk.

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Ditto to Deanna. The only time in the first 12-months that I was told to supplement with water (and then only 1-2 ounces a day) was when my DD was VERY constipated and I was only to supplement until she had a BM.

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Total nonsense. Ask your pediatrician but really, no. When you start trying to use a sippy cup (8-9 months) then use water. Your breast milk or formula are all the fluids baby needs for now.

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If your baby is formula fed I seriously wouldn't start giving him water on it's own yet. He gets all the water he needs from the formula mixture and giving him more water on top of that could possibly cause water poisening. Babies bodies are tiny and they can't handle all of that water. I'm not trying to scare you but there have been deaths because of it. People don't realize that plain water can be dangerous but for babies it is! A small 4oz bottle of water during the day won't hurt, but please don't give your son more than that for now as there can be serious consequences!

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my pediatrician told us that water this young can disturb the baby's electrolyte balance and is not recommended. I would talk to your doctor. All the best. S.

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no water...talk to your doctor about this

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Please talk to your pediatrician before giving your baby a water bottle. I recently read an article about a baby getting water poisoning because the parents were poor and to save money they were diluting the formula. A baby's kidneys can't handle too much water. I know people mean well but sometimes the "old school" way can be dangerous and that's why those practices become outdated. Congratulations on your baby and best of luck to you!

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Wives tale for sure. As long as your baby is having wet diapers and cries tears, they are hydrated enough. Breast milk is best, they get enough water from the milk itself.

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nooo! thats shows right there how child raising has chaged. you dont introduce water till 6 months old. the only water your baby will get is what you mix in their rice cereal. your baby gets all the hydration from formula or breast milk. if you want to start to wean night feedings you can try what i did with my daughter. i would cluster feed her before bed. she would get rice cereal about 1 hour before bed then i would feed her a normal bottle (mine was formula fed) with some rice cereal in it. by 5 1/2 months she was sleeping through the night. i know your grandma means well but ask your babies dr before you give water at all. good luck i hope this is helpful!

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Oh no, please don't. Talk to your doctor. At his age the formula and/or breast milk has all the nutrition your baby needs. The additional water can really hurt him. You usually don't start introducing water until nine or ten months. After you talk to your doctor...let your Mom know. Good luck!

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My pediatrician said just the opposite as well as all the baby books that I have - Do not give them water. Formula and breast milk give them all the hydration that they need as well as nutrition. If they have to much water they won't eat and they need food! And in addition it is easy to give a baby too much water which is very dangerous and can cause serious problems. They are so small that too much water can really mess with the balance of electrolytes and blood. Talk with your pediatrician please.

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At my daughter's 9 month well baby appointment the pediatrician said she should have some water in addition to breast milk. She didn't specify how much though.

As for the sleeping through the night thing...with both my kids I nursed them every time they woke up in the night -- the quickest way to get them back to sleep, but also a nice quiet time for both of us. Eventually (at around 7.5 months with my son and 8.5 months with my daughter) they stopped waking up in the night.

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My doctor told me unless it's super hot NOT to give him straight water and not to even water down his formula. They're not supposed to get too much straight water unless it's hot enough that they are sweating. If he's four months old he'll start sleeping more and more during the night until he's finally sleeping through the night (mine did it between 6 and 8 months). Now if he were 12 months old and still waking up all the time I'd let him cry a little...but he's still tiny!! Good luck! :)

Giving a baby water is an old outdated belief. My 88 year old grandma thinks that babies need water.

Your breast milk is made up of 3 things. The 1st and main part is water, 2nd calcium, 3rd fat (fatty amino acids).

I breast fed my 1st exclusively for the 1st year. No water, no solids. He was NEVER dehydrated. My 9 month old daughter hasn't had water and is still alive to tell the tale as well.

Whatever you do, if in doubt call your pediatrician. That's what they are there for.

Peace.

Hi M.,
Well, my husband and I did offer water to our children beginning at a young age- in a bottle. I think it is a great idea, since both of our children are great water drinkers! Now 7 & 4, water is their 1st drink of choice, which is also healthiest. I see many other moms insisting
that their children "finish your water", but that is NEVER
an issue with us. We hear "please fill up my water cup".
I truly believe that this is because we started giving water
at such a young age. I even offered a sip or two (in a bottle) probably from age 2 months. So, it worked for us!

My dr. said no water until 6 months, even then it doesn't need to be bottled, just maybe filtered from a fridge or filtered faucet, b/c they contain flouride, where as standard bottled water doesn't.

Thank you for taking the time to question something your instincts were warning you about. The majority rules here...do not give water. I think you'll notice that most of the responses that agree with grandma are grandma's themselves so they're probably not up-to-date on the newest info yet. Please be kind to grandma when she's offering advice, she means well, but make sure to trust your instinct and do your research, just as you are doing now.

I was going to put in my 2 cents but it looks like everyone beat me to it... breastfed babies need no water... and check with your doctor. :-)

Your Grandnma is correct. He will also not have his teeth get cavities by allow milk to sit on his teeth all night. As long as your child is at a healthy weight, water is good for them. This trains them for life that usually they are not hungry but thirsty and you are forming good healthy habits for him for live. He also will accept that night is for sleeping not eating.

From a young Grammie who raised 4 boys ~ F.

It's not neccessary to give your baby water. In fact, even a few ounces can hurt your baby by shifting his/her body's natural pH balance which causes all sorts of dangerous problems. Please don't give your baby water without first discussing it with your pediatrician.

Actually. it's kind of the opposite. My pediatrician says that unless you live in a very hot area (like Brazil), baby doesn't need water. Breast milk and even formula are mainly made of water, so your baby is getting plenty!-www.weelicious.com

Of course your child needs water. Just like you, you must give them water during the day. Now for the nighttime drinking, I have never heard that it makes a difference. You just need brake them from any feeding at night as soon as possible. Hopefully you are lucky enough to have one of those babies that sleep thought the night. My baby is 39 yrs. old and still doesn't sleep through the night, LOL.
Good Luck with that buetiful baby.
Maybe I'm thinking like a grandma, sounds like things have changed. I couldn't get my son to drink water anyway. He kept choking and I would have to fight him to drink it. So by the sounds of things, I am old fashion.
Good Luck with your baby.

My Doctor told me to always trust my own instinct. He also said a lot of things have changed since our mothers were mothers. If she knew as much as she thinks she does she would know that the majority of breast milk is water. Babies wake up because they are hungry, and their nervous systems are developing. And that is what also wakes them up. Some people say the same thing about rice cereal. And leading Doctors say other wise. Good Luck! And trust what you think. J.

Hi M.,
I didn't read the other responses but the answer is no. All they need is you. When you first start nursing the milk that you have is very watery and the baby knows that. If he/she is thristy they know to get a drink before you get your let down of fatty milk which is meant to fill them up. Your mom means well she just doesn't know how breasts work and it would be great to show her some literature or books without making her feel dumb about it.

PLEASE do NOT supplement your baby's diet with water. Not only is he getting all the hydration he needs from your breast milk, but filling his belly up with water is robbing him of the fat and nutrients he needs to grow and thrive at this very young age. I'm sure Grandma has good intentions, but our knowledge and information about child nutrition has grown by leaps and bounds since the time when she was having babies. If it helps, you can always ask your pediatrician. I'm sure he'll say no water, and then you'll be able to tell Grandma you're following doctor's orders. Good luck!

I gave my babies water when they were acting hungry when they have already had enough formula. Also, when they seemed a little dehydrated (dry lips) I would be sure to talk to your babies doctor first though. Water doesn't hurt your baby.
As for the night time water. The only time I did that was when I was trying to ween them off night time feedings. You increase the water and decrease the formula until they are only drinking water and don't need to wake up to feed anymore.

M., it's a generation thing. My oldest is 36 and in 1972 we did supplement breastfeeding with water between feedings. We also put honey in the water. We NEVER put out babies on their backs to sleep. Things change. Thankfully I work in labor, delivery and postpartum so I've learned the changes. Tell grandma that we've learned a lot the last 30+ years and in 2009 we do NOT supplement feedings with water, just like we don't put honey in the water, and we DO put our babies to sleep on their back. She's suggesting things to you that were very appropriate when she was raising children.

He does not need it.

Don't do it! I have heard and read water can be very dangerous for infants, depriving them of minerals. Also too much water can actually harm your child. This comes from my pediatrician and other sources.

Is grandma, mother-in-law? I would not do that to my child. Your baby gets water through his milk wether it's breast or formula. If you gave your baby water through the night that is like depriving him of nutrients that he obviously needs if he is asking for it. You can ask your dr. but it just doesn't seem right to me. I know a hard part about being a mother is having to hear everyone elses advice. I'm sure you'll know waht's right for your baby.

nope I did the same thing, sometimes as my daughter got a tad older about 7 -8 months I added apple juice and water

Hello M.. You're Grandmothers advice is actually very wrong. Baby's kindys are not yet developed to handle water in large amounts, or any amounts. Formula and breast milk has exactly what a baby needs exspecially at 4 months to be hydrated, happy and healthy. There was recently a story on the news where a mother could not afford formula and so she diluted it with water. Killing the child due to too much water. Please be careful and ask a doctor. If you do not know ask a professional. Good luck and take care.

Yes, baby needs water for hydration, but more so when it's hot to prevent dehydration. No more than one ounce (per baby's age in months) in a day. So, 4 months old? 4 ounces a day. I always made a bottle in the morning and encouraged my baby to take sips from it all day long 'til it was gone. Water is very important to our body's, so it's great to encourage it now. If your child is underweight, you may not want to all because they need calorie rich breast milk or formula. Never heard of giving it to baby at night. Seems to me it would just make baby hungry sooner. all of my kids (6, 13, 16) are big water drinkers, they even take water for lunch.

Absolutely not. If he is exclusively eating formula or breast milk, he is getting the exact amount of fluid that he could possible need. He is 4 month old for god sakes!! He is supposed to be eating like every 4 hours or so. Your lucky if he will sleep for 6 hours straight at night.
I see her point about him waking up in the middle of the night expecting food. But, if he is not hungry, he shouldn't wake up anyway.
Honestly........tell her to butt out......in a nice way of course.
I had a problem with my MIL. I actually live with her and she tried to tell me what to do about my baby's sleeping habit (I let her take naps in my bed) These we my exact words to her. "Well, she takes naps in my bed, and that's just the way it is going to be." So far, she hasn't said another word about it. Really, he doesn't require any water supplements. Maybe when he gets to the point where he is eating mostly solid foods, then you can give him sippy cups in between meals.
Good luck to you!

Everything I have read said that babies get enough fluids from the breast milk and/or formula you feed them. I would not start giving my child water until 6 months. At 4 months old they still need to nurse at night to get the proper nutrition and fat. I have also heard that giving your baby too much water is bad and they can get sick or even die from what I think is called "water drowning" from dreaking too much water. It does something to their blood and the levels of oxygen. I would also she with your pediatrician. Good luck. P.S. I don't think it will help her sleep longer through the night.

my mom always told me the same thing BUT every doctor that I've seen has said not to because they get enough water from breast milk and formula which ever one you use and that supplementing with water actually deprives them of the nurtients in the milk that they get. But I have been told that when they are sick to give them a bottle of water before bed to help loosen any mucus.

Hi M.,
A 4 month old baby should be getting all the fluid he needs from the breast milk or formula. If your house is dry, put in a cold air humidfier so your son doesn't get dehydrated. When he is closer to a year old you can start getting him used to water but 4 months is too young.

Good luck!

ABSOLUTELY NOT! Please consult with your pediatrian on this topic. My pediatrian always stresses the importance of NOT giving water to a baby and that all the "water" he or she needs will come from the breast milk or formula. Unfortunately, recently there was a baby on the news that passed away due to the fact it had too much water. The parents of the baby were adding more water to the formula than what was called for in the directions to stretch the formula further. So sad.

Congratulations on your baby...