How much water should my baby drink? find out What kind of water can babies drink.

 

Should baby drink water

Water is a vital nutrient for adults! Not to mention how cooling it is to drink a cold glass of water on a hot day. For infants, that is not the case! Breastmilk and formula are excellent in quenching the thirst of young children! But the time will soon come when your baby is prepared for some water. So, when may your child start drinking water? How much water can a newborn consume?

What would be a small amount of water to you, proportionally speaking, represents a much larger portion of their total body water. Basically, if babies drink too much water without the protein, fat, carbohydrates, and electrolytes found in formula or breast milk, their blood electrolytes, and in particular their sodium, can get diluted and drop to dangerous levels.

Most frequently, we see a drop in the serum sodium level when babies are given plain water in excess or are given diluted formula (families will sometimes dilute formula to save money by “stretching” the formula supply). If your sodium gets too low, it causes seizures.

A good rule of thumb is that babies can have one ounce of water a day for every month of age they are over six months up til about 10-12 months of age (so a six month old can have an ounce of plain water a day, a seven month old can have two ounces, etc.).

 

Water for infants and young children

 

There are a variety of viewpoints on how much water newborns, babies, and toddlers should drink. Water should not be administered to infants before they are 6 months old, according to the majority of medical institutes. A baby's electrolyte balance might become unbalanced and important nourishment from formula or breast milk can be replaced. Furthermore, because breast milk and formula include a large amount of water, most medical practitioners concur that drinking water is not necessary during the first year of life.

 

Water should never be given in a bottle; instead, it should only be supplied in an open cup or a straw cup. Do you own a water bottle? Occasionally giving baby sips is acceptable. Before the age of 12 months, when water intake needs to be more closely watched, just keep an eye on how much your child is consuming.

 

Learn more about cup drinking and other topics in our

 

When can infants drink water?

After the age of six months, water can be introduced in little amounts. Infants younger than six months of age who drink water run the danger of developing a potentially fatal electrolyte imbalance as well as getting insufficient amounts of calories, protein, and other vital minerals.1 2 3 Small amounts of water can be given starting around 6 months as long as the infant is growing and gaining appropriately, but water is optional before 12 months of age, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

 

It's important to note that different countries have different recommendations for infant water consumption. Inquire with your local health agency for advice unique to your nation or region.

 

How much water can a baby drink?

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, babies as young as six months old could be given up to eight ounces (227 ml) of water each day. In our opinion, however, this amount should be kept at no more than two to four ounces (59 to 118 ml) per day in order to preserve the baby's access to essential nutrients from breast milk or formula.4 Count the number of wet diapers, keep an eye on your child's energy levels, and call your pediatrician if you have any concerns about your child's level of hydration. In general, infants need 4-6 clean, wet diapers per 24 hours.

 

 

How exactly should water be given?

To encourage your infant to learn how to drink from a cup, offer water in an open cup or straw cup.

 

Unbelievably, one of the most challenging liquids to master is water. Because water is thin and moves swiftly, the muscles of the tongue and throat must contract quickly. If your child coughs when first beginning to drink water, don't worry. The motions necessary for breast- or bottle-feeding are quite different from the oral motor skills needed to drink from a cup or straw. When the liquid is not properly held in the mouth, a newborn frequently coughs and sputters. This coughing and sputtering ought to stop when the baby's abilities with cup and straw drinking advance. Consult your pediatrician if your kid still coughs when drinking water after a sufficient amount of practice (a few months).

 

 

The six-month-old Eunoia practices swilling water from an open cup.

 

Do not provide water in a bottle. The development of oral-motor skills is not aided by drinking water out of a bottle because it may lead to excessive water consumption. Remember that learning to bottle-feed is not a life skill for our newborns; instead, teaching them to drink water from a cup or straw is the best course of action!

 

Giving your baby a few little sips of water from an open cup or straw cup is a great approach to help them learn how to swallow it properly and safely. Discover how to.

 

Choose a little cup that is simple for a baby's hands to handle when picking an open cup. Look for a cup that carries no more than 1-3 ounces because you'll be dealing with numerous spills. A smaller cup also reduces the possibility that your child will pour fluids all over themself. A shot glass or small glass yogurt cup can also work just fine, however there are several cups on the market that meet this criteria.

 

We suggest initially choosing a straw cup by itself. Once your child understands the fundamentals of the straw, you can select any straw cup you like knowing that your child can utilize it.

 

Visit our page to learn more about cups and why we advise against using sippy cups, or watch our video on cups and straws.In order to create this concise guide to a newborn and toddler's water intake, we combed through parents' most often asked questions about babies and water. Take a sip!

 

Do infants require water?

not prior to six months! In the first six months of life, babies do not require water or any other liquids than breastmilk or formula fortified with iron, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). For infants six months and older, things change slightly. You can feed your infant water, according to the AAP and the 2020–2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs), but it isn't necessary to hydrate them with water until they turn one.

 

At six months old, babies can begin drinking water.  When your baby starts eating solids, which is around 6 months old, it helps to start offering some water to keep their intestines moving easily. While some parents choose to introduce solid foods between 4 and 6 months, the AAP advises delaying water introduction until 6 months of age.

 

After six months, water can assist infants in acclimating to drinking the liquid that will become a necessity for hydration and can aid in preventing constipation when infants begin to consume foods other than breastmilk and/or formula. Additionally, by wiping away food particles, water may assist in keeping your baby's teeth clean. According to the CDC, if your family lives in an area where water is fluoridated, it may protect oral health by strengthening teeth. 

 

How do you get a baby to drink water?

Simply taking a sip is all it takes to get your child interested in water. Although you could, you might not want to, provide water in a bottle. Your infant may be unpleasantly surprised to find themselves drinking water from the container they've grown to adore since they expect milk to come from the breast or bottle. Consider giving them water in a fresh open cup, sippy, or straw cup while saving their milk for the bottle only. They will acquire new knowledge and abilities in this manner. (See advice for introducing your infant to a cup!)

 

Water can be offered to your baby at any time of the day as at this age it is unlikely that it will take the place of their daily supply of breast milk. So maybe while your child is playing in the park on a hot day, you might give them water in a sippy cup. Alternatively, you might want to give them a few ounces of whatever it is they are munching on in their highchair. Be calm and follow the flow.

 

Babies don't require much water before their first birthday since breastmilk or formula that has been fortified with iron still serves as their main source of hydration. But once infants turn one, it becomes a crucial component of their diet! The daily water allowances and suggested portions for infants and toddlers are listed below.

 

Optimal Water Intake for Children and Babies

Infants 0 to 6 months: only breastmilk or formula, no water!

6 to 12 month old infants should drink 4 to 8 ounces (1/2 to 1 cup) of water per day.

12 to 24 month old toddlers should drink 8 to 32 ounces (1 to 4 cups) of water each day.

8 to 40 ounces (1 to 5 cups) of water per day for toddlers 2 to 5 years old.

One practical guideline for toddlers and older children is: The urology department at the Children's Hospital advises parents to aim for one cup (8 oz) for every year that their child has been alive. For instance, for a child who is 2 years old, strive for two cups, for a child who is 3 cups, and so on (after age 8, the objective is 64 ounces regardless of age).

 

Is it possible to over hydrate a baby?

Again, infants under the age of six months only require breastmilk and iron-fortified formula for nutrition and hydration; giving infants water before that age (or diluting formula with water) might be harmful.