giving water to 5 week old?

[Greythorne]

Friend's baby is 5 weeks old. She is FF and worried about giving him too much milk.

I have never FF so can't help much.

Any ideas if she can give water to a 5 week old, as he is clamouring for a bottle of something, and she does not want to give him too much milk.

How much milk is too much though? I'm sure you can give water, in fact I'm pretty sure I did when dd2 was really little. But they're pretty self regulating at that age and I would take a lead from the baby. How often is he feeding?

Is water really necessary? If the baby wants to comfort suck I'd give a dummy, but I think even with formula you're supposed to feed on demand.

Water not normally recommended or needed by bf or ff babies.

She needs to ask her HV for advice and support.

She tells me that he is on a routine of a 90ml bottle every three hours, but suddenly, the past few nights, needs / wants more. She has increased the bottles to 120 ml, but last night, one hour after having 120 ml, he awoke, apparently hungry and drank a whole bottle of water, as she was worried about giving him more milk so soon after previous feed.

Thanks for your help, my friend is feeling overwhelmed, hence my posting on her behalf.

Back in dim and distant early 70's we were told by health visitors, milk is food, and cooled, boiled water should be given as a drink inbetween feeds, if the baby was constipated, a little bit of brown sugar in the water would sort that out.:o

Maybe he's having a growth spurt? Or just wants a comfort suck and a cuddle in the night?

The rough amount of formula they should have a day in oz is 2.5 times their weight in lbs - that should give her a rough idea if he's having too much.

when my baby was 5 weeks he was on 120-150ml every 3 hours they dont need water at such a young age thinking back a few months i hink he was on 90 ml the week he was born and then went to 120 on week 2