to not follow MIL's advice?

[Ecgwynn]

3 month old baby has diarrhoea and a slight temperature. The doctor said he could possibly have a virus. MIL suggests I feed him cooled boiled water between feeds to clear out the virus. AIBU to ignore her advice? Doctor didn't mention water, just to keep feeding him as much as possible.

I'd keep giving milk feeds as normal, but if he is refusing milk (if he feels unwell then he might not be hungry) giving boiled water will keep him hydrated, and if the diarrhoea is really bad a bit of extra fluid won't go amiss anyway. It is VERY important not to let him get dehydrated.

If bf, do not give water. If ff, do.

My two were breastfed, yet my HV always used to advise cooled boiled water as well, if they were poorly.

I agree that if bf, don't give water, if ff then do.

Why are so many people leaping in with "ignore the MIL," as if by virtue of the fact that she is the OP's husband's mother, she must be talking old-fashioned, ignorant rubbish?

It all depends if bf, I have a ds 3 mths and h v said to offer boiled water through out the day when its warm to stop him getting dehydrated.

When ds1 had d v was told by dr to give boiled water

Cooled boiled water does no harm to any baby regardless of wether they are breast or formula fed. The only thing it will do is rehydrate them (even if bn does that already).

And Flat full fat coke has been a good remedy for rehydration and upset tummies for many years - and works a treat.

We used to get flat coke when we had the runs as kids. Having the runs was shit (literally :o) but at least the flat coke was vaguely a treat - remember me and sister being really jealous of bro who was getting flat coke :o

(Can you tell we never got fizzy drinks?)

no one is saying 'ignore MIL' just because she is MIL!
her experience of parenting a baby is - probably- 20+ yrs old
if baby is bf, nothing else is necessary, as long as baby is feeding often

My GP advised cool,boiled water too when ds was I'll, and it certainly won't do any harm.

(Flat coke is a brilliant cure for a hangover!)

*ill

Bloody iPad......

Agree with previous posters - if you breastfeed, then continue to breastfeed. Your milk will be have the correct balance of nutrients , water, fat etc that your baby needs.

Bear in mind that your baby will probably want to BF more than usual - this is perfectly normal and you should follow your baby's lead here.

If you FF, I would check with the doctor.

It certainly wouldn't hurt to offer it would it? If he is thirsty, he'll appreciate it.

And full "fat" coke works because it raises the blood sugar AFAIA.

20+ year old advice didn't kill you or me, nor did 40+ year old advice.

Human race would have died out years ago.

it's so utterly stupid disrespectful to assume anyone who hasn't birthed in the last 12 months is somehow so far out of tough with childrearing , that they are somehow slightly simple in such matters.

Breastmilk is much better for a sick baby than water.

Formula milk is probably better than plain water too (it is mainly water after all) but I would check with the GP first.

Many people have saud this already but I'm sure bf babies dint need water but ff might benefit from it to keep hydrated.

My nan was confused as to why my cousins hv had told her not to give baby water, despite him being 100% ff. Just goes to show how advice has changed and even how it varies from hv to hv.

Ps if you are bf, make sure you keep yourself well hydrated too, to cope with potentially increases demand!

Where does everyone get this flat coke from?

By leaving the top off fizzy coke!

I don't think anyone is saying to ignore the MIL's advice because it's from the OP's MIL, but people are rightly rubbishing the idea that cool boiled water will magically 'clear out the virus'.

I thought everyone knee about flat coke for the runs!

Flat coke is because basically the body only needs some sugar and water to keep it going, and if you have the runs, then your body finds it hard to tolerate food. It doesn't have to be flat - it's only that it doesn't have to be fizzy but cola has a high amount of sugar, and so, in the absence of rehydration sachets, it's the ideal drink.

And the reason for water for babies is that often even a bf baby won't want to keep feeding if they have an upset stomach, and so water ensures that they won't get dehydrated.

You'll know if they are getting dehydrated if they are feeding less than normal, aren't having wet nappies, and the fontanelle sinks in.

CBW certainly won't do any harm at all.

If bfing, no water needed.

If ffing, boiled and cooled water is a good idea.

Weird that op posted about mil - why not just ask the question without involving her?

People in general can definitely become a bit 'behind the times' with baby advice, as I was advised by a rather elderly on call gp to give my 36hr pfb cooled boiled water with sugar in it when he continually projectile vomited all his breast milk after every feed. I was a bit sceptical of this terrible advice, so took him back to the antenatal ward who told me under no circumstances to do anything of the kind, and it turned out he had severe gastric reflux. Not saying that mil's advice will be poo just because it's mil, but some advice is most definitely outdated or we'd all be giving 10wk old babies mince n tatties

"Weird that op posted about mil - why not just ask the question without involving her?"

Because MILs are a separate species. Their evolultionary niche is to jeered at, ranted at, mocked, abused and generally derided. No mumsnetter will ever become one, and they don't have feelings, so it doesn't matter what you say to them or about them, or do to them. And they are congenitally vicious, so deserve anything they get.