would like to check wz mummy here.. a lot of people tell me baby can't drink plain water issit true..my girl is coming to 4 month and currently bf . when can I give her water ?

Hi Julie! Generally, babies should not be given water until they are 6 months old. After they are 6 months they can be given small sips of water when they are thirsty. For the first 6 months, your baby has all the hydration and nutrition she needs coming from your milk. She does not need any other liquid to hydrate her or quench her thirst. Water has no nutritional value and may make her full enough not to take her milk. She needs the nutrition that comes from your breastmilk. I breastfed my 2 daughters until they were more than a year old and only gave them water to sip and play with when they would eat solid food past 6 months to help them wash down whatever they were tasting.

It is true that water should not be fed to babies. Water is only given after a baby is 6-months old. Giving water to a baby in large amounts can even lead to oral water intoxication, a condition in which the electrolytes (such as sodium) in a baby’s bloodstream become diluted, inhibiting normal bodily functions and leading to dangerous problems such as low body temperature or seizures. In addition, water is void of nutrients and could fill a baby up easily. Therefore, even after a baby is past 6 months old, it is recommended that only small amounts of water should be given.

the funny thing is a lot of articles said not to feed babies water. But when we were growing up, our parents used to feed us water and we turn out perfectly fine. my daughter PD told us to feed her about 30ml of water a day when she was 1 month old. she explained that because of our hot climate, they need water to hydrate themselves. they will perspire the excess water in them anyway. another factor I had to feed her water was because she had constipation. we force fed her water for about 2 weeks and gave up after because it was a battle everytime. my girl is still on full bm.

Yes, there's no need to give water to babies less than 6 months old. Breast milk is more than 80% water, especially the first milk that comes with each feed. Therefore, whenever you feels that baby is thirsty you can breastfeed him or her. This will satisfy the baby's thirst, and continue to protect the baby from infections, and help the baby to continue to grow well. Babies do not need water before they are 6 months old, even in a hot climate. Giving water may also cause the baby to drink less breastmilk or to stop breastfeeding early and therefore cause malnutrition.

hello mummy.. i think it's fine to give water (1 or 2 spoon) if u want. I was told that baby get active and tend to need more water. i am total bfing my lo (9.5mths) and i did give my lo water when she was around 5mths. started her with solid food at 6mths and i also feed some water (3-4spoon) after her solid food. she also taking ebm when i'm at work. so.. i think it depend on whether you are comfortable to give ur lo water.. =)

Breastfed babies do not need any supplementary water. Breast milk is composed of 90% water and it can provide all that nursing baby needs. WHO recommends babies 6 months and below to be exclusively breastfeed. Giving water also can interfere with milk production, thus can affect the milk supply. I slowly started giving my baby water when she also started on taking solid foods.

Mommy if your exclusively breastfeeding water intake is not allowed 6 months and below because your breastmilk consists of 88% of water. Breastmilk has all the water your baby needs even in a very hot wheather. But once your baby start solids, you might want to give him a few sips of expressed milk or water with solids some babies needs this to prevent constipation. Hope it helps

Nope. You should not give water. Breastmilk or formula milk already contain water. I never gave my son water when he was a baby. I think it’s around 1 Year old when I started giving him water as I remember. It has something to do with the electrolyte balance in the body of babies that we avoid to over hydrate the baby. Since their bodies are too small, extra water is not needed.

Hi mommy, as I am also breastfeeding my baby exclusively I also got to do some research about this and also asked my baby's pediatrician. Breastfed babies do not need additional water – breastmilk is 88% water and supplies all the fluids that your baby needs even when the weather is hot. Giving water to babies below 6 months would be risky and may cause water intoxication.

I go by my baby's pediatrician's advice - the weather in Singapore is too hot these days and he suggests I give my baby 30ml water everyday - around afternoon when it's the warmest. This has helped her with her poops - which earlier would be like once in two days and a lot - but now it's come down to once every day. She wasn't constipated but still this works well for her.