Babies having water

Grammaretto

Breast fed babies don't get constipated but perhaps formula fed babies do.
My neighbour back in 1972 recommended a spoonful of whisky to cure colic. That really did shock me.
--perhaps she meant for the parents--

When I mentioned brandy, I think my aunt used to give me a drop 😲
My mother was very ill with complications after I was born so my single aunt gave up her job and took over the running of the household, boys and the new colicky baby too. She must have been at her wits' end with it all.

Breast fed babies don't get constipated but perhaps formula fed babies do.
My neighbour back in 1972 recommended a spoonful of whisky to cure colic. That really did shock me.
perhaps she meant for the parents

The only time I gave any of my babies water was when I had twins and was desperate to give them something to sooth them while they were in the breast queue.

Times change. I didn’t really give mine water born 1980/1986 just their milk. Think watre is favoured after six months at my nursery.

Bottled water is bad for babies because of the high percentage of salts it contains.

Yes, the advice I was given was a couple of teaspoons of cool boiled water occasionally if the weather was particularly warm.

I do remember some people putting an extra scoop of baby milk in when making up formula, or adding a thickener to the night-time bottle to help them sleep at night 😲

I remember talking to a young man at a campsite in France who was rinsing out a baby bottle which had contained water for their baby. I was quite amazed at the thought of giving water to a baby - something I never did. But I never got any advice as to whether to actually do it myself.

When mine were born, before data protection, you used to get loads of freebies for newborns. I did get a free bottle of Evian but I understood it was to make up formula with, something about it not needing boiling because it was sterile in the bottle.

I do bluebelle and my Daughter is 60 now always advised to give water.

ViceVersa

Advice changes all the time. As others have rightly pointed out, advances in science have proved that many of the older ways are not necessarily the best. Just because we may have done things in a particular way when our children were babies doesn't mean that there aren't better ways to do it now.

Fads and fashions change.
Babies don't.

ExDancer

Yes, I can remember being told to give mine cooled boiled water in a bottle if they wouldn't settle.
It didn't work.

My eldest daughter was born in the heatwave year of 1976 and was always thirsty but would never drink water. She got quite plump due to drinking so much breast milk.

Advice changes all the time. As others have rightly pointed out, advances in science have proved that many of the older ways are not necessarily the best. Just because we may have done things in a particular way when our children were babies doesn't mean that there aren't better ways to do it now.

When I had my daughter, hospital advised to give water in-between feeds.
Loosens the stools and stops baby becoming constipated.
Worked a treat

My DC were born 90 and 93 and I was told no water until 6 months, unless they were constipated and then cooked boiled water . Both were breastfed

Times have changed and science has proved that things we did in the 60s are now wrong. However, I was also shocked, Elles, to be told during the hot weather we don’t offer teaspoons of cooled boiled water.
I don’t know how my DDs survived. Those suspended bouncing toy aids which have been proved bad for the legs, cot bars too wide, pushchairs that are still sold that don’t support the toddlers’ backs, car seats etc etc. This is my 6th GC and I am still being corrected.

Water is useful in bottle fed babies if they become a bit constipated. Otherwise bit more water added to bottled milk.

I tried to give water but the baby spat it out!
Surely if you bottle feed you mix the formula with water so don't need to add more?
My DiL who is a nurse, gave her baby fruit juice and regretted it as it resulted in damaged teeth and reflux.
He's fine now that he's a teenager but it was a shame.

I remember having something called a dinky feeder in the sixties. It was a tiny round bottle with a teat.

A teaspoonful of cold water to get rid of hiccups.Still works I gave my great niece some today.Shes 9 months old

Flippin2

Things change,god knows how our kids survived or come to that us!..

Yes, the teaspoon of brandy in warm water 😲

Things change,god knows how our kids survived or come to that us!..

Elless

My son had his first child two weeks ago. As with all babies it's trial and error at first and he and his wife have had a few teething problems. I only thought to ask him this morning if he is giving baby a drink in between feeds to which he replied 'no, we have been advised not to give them water until they are 6 months old'!!😲 I am horrified.

No, I wouldn't. The weather is cool.

NHS:

Water
Once your baby has started to eat solid foods (from around 6 months) you can offer them sips of water from a cup or beaker with meals. Drinking water for babies over 6 months does not need to be boiled first.

Fully breastfed babies do not need any water until they've started eating solid foods. During hot weather they may want to breastfeed more than usual.

Formula fed babies under 6 months of age may need small sips of cooled boiled water during hot weather as well as their usual milk feeds.
Small sips in hot weather, not cupsful, filling their tummies.

Usually breastfed babies are fed on demand and would not need any water.

Dr Buckingham is American, I believe. I would follow NHS advice personally.

I was told only breast milk for 6 months.

Why is anyone giving babies of just a month old flavoured drinks?

Are they even legal to advertise them as suitable for babies 1 month old?

Yeah! I must’ve got something right. Hot weather started around 6 months after my DC were born.

Babs thanks for the details. Not difficult for anyone to understand

Looked it up and this is what I found -

“Water fills up little tummies

One of the reasons water is such a perfect drink for big people is that it provides the hydration your body needs without any extra calories.

But babies need those calories. They need the nutrition they get from breast milk and formula. When you give a baby water, it takes up valuable real estate in their itty-bitty belly. For context, a 1-month-old’s stomach is about the size of an egg. It fills up fast.

Giving your baby water means less room for breast milk and formula, which contain the vitamins, minerals and proteins babies need for healthy growth and development.

“Giving babies water dilutes their calorie intake,” Dr. Buckingham clarifies. “Proper weight gain is such an important indication of your baby’s health in those first few months. We want them to be getting those calories.”

Risk of water intoxication

Even more importantly, giving babies water can throw off the delicate sodium balance in their bodies, which can be very dangerous.

“When you give a baby water, it can dilute the sodium in their bloodstream. That can cause a condition called hyponatremia, or what some people may call ‘water intoxication,’” Dr. Buckingham says.

Water …. intoxication? Yes. That’s a real thing. And it can be very dangerous. Let’s break down how it happens.

Among other things, your kidneys help remove excess fluid by filtering it into your bladder (aka, allowing you to pee it out). That essentially keeps your system from flooding with water.

Adult kidneys are about the size of a large avocado, so healthy, grownup kidneys can typically keep up with removing any extra fluids we take in.

Newborn kidneys, on the other hand, are about the size of a grape. So, it’s easier for your baby’s kidneys to get overwhelmed. And it doesn’t take much for your baby’s body to get more water than it can handle.

When a baby’s (or adult’s) body is overloaded with water, it can begin to dilute their blood. That’s when things get dangerous. Because waterlogged blood lowers the sodium content in your body.

When your baby’s sodium content goes too low because of taking in too much water, it can lead to serious symptoms, like seizures and even coma and permanent brain damage.

When can babies have water?

Typically around the time your baby is 6 months old”