When to introduce water?

[MaggieW]

DD is 12 weeks old and formula fed. Should I be offering water now? Her poo is regular and loose so no problems there.

I didn't bottle feed but I remember someone telling me that you do offer water to formula fed babies.

maggie
i breast fed til 6mths and introduced water when weaning her to the bottle and trying to space out the feeds a bit longer, ie at 3pm if she started to look for a drink i gave her water, sometimes it worked sometime not, but now she'll pick up her water bottle throughout the day and just sips shes 11 mths, or maybe when she wakes after her snooze and quick sip. i'd just let your dd have it when not thirsty so she doesnt panic or baulk at it. but wouldnt rush it either

My dd (almost 8 months) has been exclusively bottle-fed since she was 4 months. My understanding has been that bottle-fed babies of any age need (cooled, boiled) water in hot weather, but that all children need to drink water once they start eating significant amounts of solid food. At this point, they begin to reduce their milk intake, so they need to get fluid in the form of water. I did not give dd water until she began to eat solid food, but she began on solids before the weather warmed up.

I gave water in a cup at 4 months, although breastfed until 6 months.