At what age can you start giving babies water?

Question

My son is 3 weeks old and i was just wondering when he can start having water. Is it ok to express breast milk and mix it with water? I know when he starts having water it has to be cooled boiled water, just dont know what age he is allowed to start drinking it. Thanks

Answer 1

u can start giving water in 3 months ......my dr use to suggest me when my baby had constipation.

Answer 2

If you're breastfeeding, he doesn't need any extra water...breastmilk provides all the water he need.

Introducing water so young isn't recommended.

My daughter was 4 months before having any water (it was the middle of summer), and my son only started trying water at around 7 months (with meals).

Answer 3

Breast fed babies don't need extra water unless it's hot and they're sweating a lot. They are on a liquid diet. Many formula-fed babies need a little supplementary water because the iron in their formula can make them a bit constipated. Your baby won't NEED water until he starts on solids, but if you want to get him used to the taste of it, it's okay to give him small amounts from a bottle. That being said, wait until breastfeeding is well-established. You don't want your little guy to get too much satisfaction from sucking on the water bottle, because he might not drink his milk, which could lead to problems. And don't mix water with breast milk. That's a bad idea. You could dilute it to the point where he's not getting enough nutrition.  

Answer 4

It looks like 6 months is the absolute earliest.  I plan to ask my doctor to suggest when and how much to give at our six months appointment.  Here are a couple of sites that I found.

4. DRINKING WATER FOR INFANTS & BABIES

Newborn babies do just fine with formula or breast milk; drinking water is not recommended until about six-12 months (too much water can cause jaundice or intoxication). However, when making bottles it is imperative to use pure water.  http://www.freedrinkingwater.com/water-e...

Another says:  

Avoid Giving Infants Water, Advise Children's Physicians

CINCINNATI -- Water may be essential for children, adolescents and adults to keep hydrated in the summer heat, but for infants, too much water can be life-threatening.

"Breast milk or formula is the only source of nutrition that infants need," says Michael Farrell, M.D., a gastroenterologist and chief of staff at Children's Hospital Medical Center of Cincinnati. "During the first months of life, too much water can upset the electrolyte balance, setting off possible brain swelling and seizures from water intoxication."

In addition, too much water can fill infants' stomachs so they don't get the nutrients they need to grow. This is particularly common in families that cannot afford formula or may dilute it to make it last longer.

Dr. Farrell suggests avoiding water entirely until a child is about 6 months old. If an infant has diarrhea and vomiting, he suggests oral rehydration fluids, such as Pedialyte" or Infalyte".  http://www.cincinnatichildrens.org/about...

Answer 5

I gave my baby a drink of water after every bottle to clean his palot. Although it has no nutritional value he never got Thrash! Just make sure if you decide to give it to him that it is bottled and in very small amounts not to fill him just to clean his tongue of excess milk.

Answer 6

He's way too young to be drinking water in any amounts right now!

Since you're breastfeeding, he's getting plenty of water and fluid from you -- just as he would be getting plenty of fluid from formula. Its not recommended that babies drink anything other than milk (or formula for those who insist) until they are AT LEAST 6 months old.

There are some moms who give water, juice and other liquids before then - but its really not necessary at all and it often causes more harm than good to their babies.

So with that, I'd take the safer route and wait at least 6 months before introducing your son with anything besides your breastmilk. Its definitely better than having to face possible negative affects from water (overfilling his stomach with no nutritional which makes him drink less of your milk) or juice (too much sugar for his digestive system which can result in diabetes, among many other issues).

Good luck with whatever you decide! <3

Answer 7

around 1-2 months

answer mine plz

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...

Answer 8

DO NOT give your newborn water; it can seriously s***w up his electrolyte balance; talk to your doc before giving baby water for any reason...and u dont need to water down your breastmilk; your baby needs all the calories in it he can get...

Answer 9

Breast milk provides all the fluids they need. No need to mix your milk with water. You usually don't try to feed your baby water until they are older, or if they are very sick and getting dehydrated - which you could probably just try breastfeeding more often in those circumstances anyway. I wouldn't worry about it until your thinking about starting your child on solids. My son is 5 months and if I give him water he sucks it out of his sippy cup and then spits it straight back out all over himself. Milk is their main source of nourishment for their first year of life!  

Answer 10

Try when you start feeding him his baby food.

I dont think he will like it cause it wont have taste.

But thats when I started giving my daughter water.