Babies having water

Elless

Baby is bottle fed. I've always treated it as the milk is their food so they need water as a drink. I've had 5 and they've all turned out fine.

Babies should not be given water...you are wrong

agnurse

Nurse here. Water will fill the baby up but it doesn't have the nutrients they need. This can be dangerous. A baby under six months old does not need extra water. Breast milk or formula has enough fluid.

Thanks agnurse, I’m not a nurse but I’ve had three babies.
New parents will be wise to follow medical advice rather than do as grannie says

The modern trend to carry water bottles everywhere and swig a gallon a day was started by the manufacturers of bottled water. If we need a drink our thirst will tell us and babies on a liquid diet don’t need water, which is obvious if you consider the numbers who have no access to clean water.

So you are horrified your son is parenting according to current standards.

Please do get yourself up to date and trust your son and dil with their child.

They don't need your suggestions

I don’t recollect being told anything about giving them water, either by the clinic nurse or by my mother. I did give them a little cool boiled water in hot weather, but I don’t recollect at what age and it probably wasn’t under 6 months, because of their birthdates.

Nurse here. Water will fill the baby up but it doesn't have the nutrients they need. This can be dangerous. A baby under six months old does not need extra water. Breast milk or formula has enough fluid.

I was told to give my new born baby boiled water from a spoon to make him ‘last’ between breast feeds. Rubbish advice that didn’t work!

This was in the 70s

Mine did not have water till they were on solids.

I was told to give cooled boiled water if the baby was constipated. This was in the 80s. Also was told that it was ok to give Milupa fennel drink (a powder you mixed with water) to help settle baby if they had wind (as an alternative to Gripe Water).

Both of mine treated anything other than the breast with distain!

My breastfed babies were given tiny drops of boiled water occasionally. All of mine were born in high summer.
I'm happy to go with the new thinking, but I can't think that it might contain "containments": surely this is the product used to mix formula?

It probably depends on what your mum taught you or what the midwife said I didn’t think it was taboo but didn’t think it was a done thing either I used it only if they were had tummy cramps

I remember cooled boiled water in between feeds. This was mid 70 s. Didn’t know that had stopped. Times change.

I gave my children cooled boiled water if I thought they were thirsty. I was NNEB trained in the late 60s and that is what we were taught to do. Times change I recognise that, however my children came to no harm. I realise milk has water in but on a hot day if the baby is unable to settle but has taken a feed, why not offer water ?

So I didn’t remember wrongly I had my babies 60 s and 70 s and really don’t remember giving any water between feeds I do remember gripe water or an ounce of cooled boiled water if they were gripy but not as an inbetween drink

So I think you’re son is doing the right thing and there’s no need for you to be horrified Elless

Your son is following the current guidelines. Times move on and advice changes as a result of research. In the 70’s I gave my babies small amounts of water between feeds but not during the early months while they were being exclusively breast fed.

By the time my grandchildren arrived that advice was outdated. As was the advice to have babies sleeping on their sides etc. Just as there were practices told to us by our own mothers that we didn’t follow. Neat whisky rubbed on teething gums anyone 🥃 😀

I’m sure your son and daughter in law are doing just fine. Take a back seat and enjoy being Gran.

Flavoured drinks also contain sugar.

Flavoured drinks want to sell their products. From I month means it shouldn’t be harmful but I would be concerned about giving this when baby has all they need from breast or properly mixed formula.

I did give (breastfed) baby dds water now and then, but only because we were living in a very hot climate.

My son hasn't gone against advice. I just remember giving mine cooled boiled water in between feeds which made sense to me and it was the advice I was given in the 80's and 90's when I had mine. If you look at flavoured drinks available now they mostly say from 1 month. I remember giving mine rosehip and also camomile.

Both my children are in their early 30's and I remember being told they just need Breast milk for the first 6 months.

Is the formulae for baby feed not mixed up with boiled water that has been properly treated in accordance with NHS instructions. Why would you need to give baby more water against advice?

Jas1013

Why are you horrified? As time goes on more research is done and guidelines change. The baby doesn’t need water at all if they’re formula fed and they may have (but really don’t need) small sips of water in hot weather if formula fed.

I meant at all if they’re breastfed 🤦🏻‍♀️

25Avalon At 11.10am Elless posted Baby is bottle fed.

I didn't give our daughter water.