At what age can you give water to a newborn baby
It is important to consider what the baby is fed with - breast milkmilk or artificial mixtures. Since mother's milk consists of almost 90% water, the baby gets enough liquid from breastfeeding.
When can you give water to a child? For infants, it is necessary from 6 months Photo: Getty If such a baby is offered water to drink in the first months of life, this is fraught with:
- malnutrition;
- violation of milk production;
- a violation of the natural balance in the child's digestive system, which is still imperfect;
- the probability of rejecting the baby.
There is no need to give additional water to a child under 6 months.And for formula-fed babies, it is recommended to introduce water into the diet from the age of 4 months, since such babies begin to receive complementary foods earlier. But there are situations when the pediatrician may recommend both the breastfed and formula-fed baby to drink water between feedings:
- elevated body temperature of the child;
- dry air in the room;
- hot weather on the street, without drinking, dehydration of the body may occur;
- hiccough;
- strong colic in the abdomen.
And how much water should you give to a one-month-old baby ifIs there a need for this? Pediatricians recommend offering 100 ml of liquid per 1 kg of the child's weight per day. But this volume also includes milk, so 30 to 70 ml remains for the water itself. It is better to give the child additional water not from a bottle with a nipple, but from a spoon - in the future, this will help the baby learn to eat from a spoon faster. In no case should you force water into the child, even if it seems that he does not have enough. The baby himself will drink water with pleasure if he wants to.
What kind of water should be given to an infant
Regular boiled water is not suitable for infants.water, as a rule, contains various bacteria and chlorine compounds if the water is taken from the tap. It is dangerous to offer a baby water taken from open sources, because it can also contain many harmful substances. It is best to use for additional drinking of babies:
- special bottled water for children, which was tested by RAMS;
- water, purified with a special "child" filter - usually a pitcher type filter with a high degree of purification.
This water can be given to the baby unboiled, butalso use it to prepare herbal infusions and infant formulas approved for consumption. A baby under 6 months does not need water - mother's milk is enough for him. More often, children who are breastfed need additional water. But if there is a risk of dehydration, you can give a little water to all children, starting from 1 month. Read more:
