giving boiled water between feeds (formula fed baby)

[fireflyz]

Hi
I sometimes wonder whether my baby is thirsty rather than hungry and have heard you can offer boiled water between feeds. My baby is 4.5 months old and generally doing well, 50th percentile. Had some diarrohea a while back, possibly due to having a cold, so am extra cautious about everything.

Here are my questions -

Do you boil the water and keep it in the kettle to cool (and if so, for how long?), or do you put the boiled water straight into the empty sterilised bottle?

Do you store it in the fridge or on the kitchen counter?

If in the fridge, do you warm it slightly again before offering it?

Do you feed the water with one of the usual bottles or with a baby beaker?

Do you only offer it between feeds, or after a feed if the baby has drained the bottle?

It should be so simple but it's something new so feels scary! Very grateful in advance for all advice.

PS :)

Do you sterilise baby beakers for a 4.5 month old?

We've got an Avent trainer cup, just arrived yesterday.

no need unless the weather where you are is very, very hot indeed.
just give formula if she's thirsty.

Agree with Charlotte, unless the weather is hot where you are there is no need to offer water. If she is thirsty just give her more formula, that's all she needs to grow.

Thank you! It's so confusing - was told by health visitor a few weeks back that I could try giving him water between feeds because 'just like me, he might get thirsty, and formula is not a drink, unlike breast milk' - sigh... I did try to BF, but that's another story...

He has cradle cap and she said he looked a bit 'dried out, poor little thing' - which made me wonder. But baby oil on his scalp seems to be helping that.

Anyway I have been boiling up fresh water, leaving it in the kettle to cool and then either forgetting about it and then feeling unsure about whether it is still safe to use, or just staring at it and thinking - How? Should I?

To be honest, I am so glad at what you say - it kind of didn't feel right to me to upset the status quo.

Only 6 weeks to go and then he can be weaned so I guess he will get more water from things like puree and bits of fruit?

We're in the UK so it isn't that hot... not at the moment anyway :)

Don't think your HV should have suggested that at all, especially her comments on Bfing when she knows your aren't anymore. Anyway, I don't think bfing would have made any difference to cradle cap. DS was bf at that stage and had terrible cradle cap. Two things helped, Dentinox and Coconut Oil, much nicer than using Olive Oil.

Keep offering the formula, you know you are doing the right thing even if your HV doesn't

My HV also suggested giving water between feeds which she says will help avoid constipation. This wasn't an issue until we recently changed formula so I have been offering water. Baby just refuses it if she doesn't want it.

I don't think it would do any harm to give some water, but it's up to you. They don't drink much from a cup at first anyway. I started weaning at 5 months so ds was having water from a cup then anyway - boiled water left to cool is fine, I didn't sterilise cups for water though.

Thank you all for your help.

Recently it's been a bit warmer and DS has taken less milk when it's hot in the middle of the day but then he just wants a bit more milk and a bit earlier than has been the pattern in the past. He's not seemed dehydrated though and is producing plenty of wet nappies so I'm not going to worry about water.

Only 3 more weeks until DS is 6 months and then I guess with purees and things like cucumber, he'll get more water naturally anyway... and I think I'll feel braver about giving cooled boiled water than I did a month or so ago :)

gallicgirl re constipation - if your baby is weaning, I read that pureed pear helps with constipation.
Using carton formula milk (rather than powder formula) if you're bottle or combination feeding can also help with constipation.

PS - his cradle cap has got better too - all cleared up thanks to a daily dose of Johnsons baby oil!

I was worried it would irritate the scalp as its slightly perfumed but it was OK.

He seems to even like having it gently stroked onto his head, sort of sighs happily when he smells it on our hands :)

when he gets to 6 months you can just give tap water as a drink so there would be no need to boil it. I would use a cup for the water rather than a bottle too - no need to sterilise it either.