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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Original poster

is it right to give 6 week old water or weak juice?

30 replies

Gemmitygem · 20/11/2006 13:07

Some of the babycare books are suggesting one drink of water in the afternoon for 6-8 week olds. My DS is just 6 weeks. Is this really necessary? They suggest water at 4.30 pm, then feed at 5 (he usually feeds at 5 anyway)..

I don't want to start giving him anything dodgy or anything he doesn't need: does anyone know if this is appropriate or not?

OP posts:
lulumama · 20/11/2006 13:08

no.

IMO and absolutely not juice, however weak. milk & milk alone is sufficient at this age. I personally would not give water until solids are introduced at 6 months or thereabouts!

HTH!

LaylaandSethsmum · 20/11/2006 13:09

How is he fed? Breast fed babies shouldn't need anything but milk as long as they are fed when they ask for it. Bottle fed babies may need to be offered some boild water but I think its more if its particularly warm weather

Twiglett · 20/11/2006 13:10

no

just milk ..

lulumama · 20/11/2006 13:11

just milk, regardless of whether breast or bottle IMO

flack · 20/11/2006 13:12

I think maybe the babycare book Gemmity is talking about might be one of which discussion on MN is banned?....?

Nemoinapeartree · 20/11/2006 13:13

if he doesnt seem to need the water then I wouldnt bother. I think Dd was around 4mths when I started giving her additional drinks to the milk etc.

Gillian76 · 20/11/2006 13:14

I wouldn't.

KathyMCMLXXII · 20/11/2006 13:16

Dentists aren't keen on you giving juice at all. Ours was very pleased to hear dd had only ever drunk water or milk.

TheHighwayCod · 20/11/2006 13:20

grr my mate has given her 6 month old juice as he wont drink water
i am cross wiht her ( in a lovely way!)
will fwd this to her

tribpot · 20/11/2006 13:23

Can't really believe any book which specifies that a certain drink be given at a precise hour of the afternoon but assume this is an aspect we should not discuss.

I only gave my ds small amounts of cooled, boiled water in very hot weather (e.g. not November unless you are in Oz) - he was ff.

munz · 20/11/2006 13:25

nope def not, even in high summer J just had more feeds (althou he is BF) not sure if that makes any differnce. now he only has water - we started that whne we started a savoury and sweet in the same meal. (after the h/v advised it was OK then)

liquidclocks · 20/11/2006 13:28

Flack - not in that one.

Only time I've read to give baby cool boiled water is if they're FF and you're trying to cut the night feed after 3 months OR for some reason it says to on the back of my farleys tin - if they're thirsty and have drunk their recommended daily allowance for their weight.

myermay · 20/11/2006 13:31

Message withdrawn

LIZS · 20/11/2006 13:33

Not necessary unless they are formula fed ^nad6 it is very hot. Introducing juice creates a bad habit and lines the manufacturer's pockets. tbh I think too many mums feel that their babies should be taking something other than milk in a quantity too soon and resort to "baby" juice on the basis that "he/she won't take water" when infact they don't really need either until much later. ds was about 18 months old at his cousin's 1st b'day party when he had some diluted baby juice as a treat from his normal water and he vomited everywhere !!

liquidclocks · 20/11/2006 13:36

Ooops, I'm wrong, just checked. sorry.

Gemmitygem - u can email me at my mnet name at yahoo com if you want to ask detailed question on subject but I that particular piece of advice in the book I think you're on about can be ignored - I have with DS1 and DS2, everything else still 'works' just fine.

TheHighwayCod · 20/11/2006 13:48

hehe emailed her this linka dn now she has binned it!

Original poster
Gemmitygem · 20/11/2006 14:22

aha, thanks everyone. indeed it is the forbidden 'bible' to which I refer. perhaps that's just one of the things it's best to ignore.. it works well otherwise but I don't want to give water unnecessarily (and as others have said am wary of juice because of sugar etc)

my little one is breast fed, and as far as I'm concerned he should be ok on that alone for the first few months, specially in winter (he's only 6 weeks)...

so consensus seems to be no water..

OP posts:
Twiglett · 20/11/2006 16:02

"is if they're FF and you're trying to cut the night feed after 3 months "

.. I'm sorry but does anyone really propose cutting out a night feed at 3 months?

really?

liquidclocks · 20/11/2006 17:01

Twiglett - i'm BF DS2 and he's defintely not going to be dropping a night feed anytime soon (he's 8wks) but DS1 was formula fed and slept through 11pm-7am at wks (completely unforced - we just expected him to wake us and he never did!). Depends on the baby and also if you're BF I'm led to believe night feeding is good for keeping a good supply.

liquidclocks · 20/11/2006 17:02

sorry - slept through at 5 weeks

Twiglett · 20/11/2006 17:04

some babies do that .. but most don't

a baby has a stomach the size of its fist

there is no way they can generally take enough nutrients to last them through the night at such a tender age

you're lucky if they can

if they wake up for a feed in the first 6 months of life and you don't feed them then I think you're failing in your duties as a parent .. personally

I'm appalled that this advice can be given tbh

liquidclocks · 20/11/2006 17:10

I know I got lucky with DS1 - nature's getting it's own back with DS2 though - he's only just managed 4hrs between feeds for the first time two nights ago bless him!

Good luck with your LO Gemmitygem - and take the advice loosely, your instincts as a mother should always override the advice in any book IMO, like you've found with the water thing.

soph28 · 20/11/2006 17:10

i have just cut out a night feed at 3 mths. she could sleep through at 6 weeks from 6.30pm-7am but would sometimes wake around 3 or 4am. If I fed her then she would sometimes refuse to feed when she woke up in the morning at 7am- sometimes she would refuse until about 11am which messed up the whole day and following night. Is that SO bad- surely it just depends on the baby?

liquidclocks · 20/11/2006 17:18

Personally soph I think it's the right thing to do if you know she'd been managing on a regular basis to go that long without too much persuasion. I think there are other reasons babies wake in the night once you get past the newborn stage. I know my DS1 would regularly wake around 3/4am but went back to slepp within a minute or so if I left him so I don't think he was really hungry. I think they just come into a light sleep or wake up a bit and can just truggle to settle themselves again at first.

lucky you though!

soph28 · 20/11/2006 17:30

Yeah I agree, Liquidclocks. I think she is a light sleeper and would sometimes wake up with wind etc.

Don't know about being lucky though. Nearly everyone I know who has followed a good routine (and I don't mean completely rigid and inflexible) has had babies who have gone to bed at 7pm and slept through the night from quite an early age with maximum of one waking.

Of course it's not the case if your baby is ill or underweight/small/not gaining weight.

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