Babies having water

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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 😲

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.

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.

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

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.

I struggled to feed my 2nd until one day I was pumping (advice to increase supply). A friend remarked that my milk was very yellow. No help at all from NHS, but La leche told me to add boiled water to the bottle. Problem solved. She fed well, gained weight, slept better. It turned out she was dehydrated.

For baby 1, I bottle fed (again on bad advice) but giving him water between feeds was the only way to keep his feed down.

Oh Fran, how I loved the support from the NCT and La Leche League.

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.

Could be. But take care if new 'scientific' advice involves buying anything. Always check who funded the study.
Remember when that milk formular told whole countries that formula was best - even when the mothers were able to breast feed and water was not always too clean.

Grannynannywammy

Things have changed alot - almost to opposites haven't they?

I also recall following advice for baby to sleep on his side. I put a rolled-up towel behind him to stop him rolling over. *

The contention was that if baby was on their back they could possibly choke on their own vomit if they were sick following a feed. That still makes sense to me - but my two little grandsons slept on their backs from birth. However, I kept quiet about my experiences as I'm the paternal granny not maternal one!!

* Reminded me of me doing the same when he was 30 and 6'3". We had dropped him off locally to meet some old school chums (all decent guys, good catchmdng pub). Within 30-minutes we had a phone call asking to collect him as he felt really ill. He appeared very drunk and could hardly walk. He vomited alot but we eventually got him into bed and onto his side with pillows to stop him rolling onto his back. I STILL, all those years later, thought that he could choke on his own vomit - especially as I had read a couple of times of it having happened.

P.S. Young girl at my hairdressers hearing me telling my stylist the story said saying my son hadn't left his drink or his friends, said ' "I can tell you exactly what happened. The pub only rinsed the glass quickly and didn't wash it properly. Some drug from a previous drinker was still in it". She said it happened to a girlfriend of hers when they were together and safe and it could be the only explanation.

I ended up telling said son to ALWAYS drink his beer out of the bottle. Words that I never have thought would come out of my mouth!!
.

Things change, when I had my first they told me to start weaning him at 8 weeks old, my second it was 12 weeks, now it's 6 months.
Breastfed babies don't need extra water but bottle fed babies might.

I never gave either of mine water. That was in the 90's

Allira

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.

There are 'fads and fashions' and then there is scientific evidence and advances. There was a time when it was considered acceptable to give babies a bit of brandy or whisky to settle them - and a time when no-one would bat an eyelid if someone was smoking around babies. Thankfully, most of us know better now.

ViceVersa

Allira

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.

There are 'fads and fashions' and then there is scientific evidence and advances. There was a time when it was considered acceptable to give babies a bit of brandy or whisky to settle them - and a time when no-one would bat an eyelid if someone was smoking around babies. Thankfully, most of us know better now.

Yes, I posted about that above, ViceVersa.
I have to say I rarely touch brandy now!

Gripe water contained alcohol, still recommended by Health Visitors when my DC were babies.

DS1 was born in a private hospital, now closed, that specialised in natural birth. The first night after he was born he was very unsettled and the midwife gave him camomile tea to soothe him. It worked very well and I have both sons this if they were fractious as babies.

I wonder if this is actually what "flavoured water" is PernillaVanilla

As people have said, times and opinions change. I had my first child in 1982 and my last in 1996 and the difference in care and advice was amazing. I am NOT 'wrong' LOUISA1523 I greatly believe mothers intuition is the best thing to go by and I used mine along with advice.
I must point out that I would never give flavoured water, as I said when they were older I used natural Camomile or Rosehip.

Gripe water contained alcohol, still recommended by Health Visitors when my DC were babies.
When mine were too , and it tasted so delicious.

No…don’t need it

No, I never gave any of my children water as babies and I don't remember that ever being recommended either. I am not sure this is one of those "I did it and mine turned out fine" situations. I think the advice is probably correct and should be followed to the letter because while I have a lot of experience with babies I am very sure that milk is a liquid and if I can survive on tea alone a baby will do just as well.

All of my children had cooled boiled water between feeds, they've all turned out to be fabulous adults.