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Infant feeding

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

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Original poster

water for 5m bf baby??

20 replies

spinach · 27/03/2007 19:01

dd2 is breastfed, 5 months. someone suggested giving her water to drink.... should i be? sure i didnt give it to dd1 till she started eating solids at 6 months... doesnt giving them water affect their sodium levels or something??

OP posts:

Hathor · 27/03/2007 19:03

It sounds OK to me. It will just make her less thirsty. Maybe less inclined to feed if only thirsty and not hungry. Can't do her any harm.

llareggub · 27/03/2007 19:04

I thought no need for water if breastfed unless v v v hot....

mears · 27/03/2007 19:05

No need for water at all TBH. Will do no harm but will do no good. All she needs in breastmilk.

tasja · 27/03/2007 19:09

don't think water will do any harm. I gave my daughter water from 1month old. She is 10months now and loves her water.

SoupDreggon · 27/03/2007 19:11

No need to give a breastfed baby water whatsoever.

BizzyDint · 27/03/2007 19:11

nope. don't give water. no need at all unless it is very very very hot, which is rare in this country. your breastmilk is all that your baby needs. if anything the water would supress her appetite for breastmilk, which is no good thing. her tummy should be full of milk not water.

raspberryberet · 27/03/2007 19:12

Breastmilk is a drink as well as food - as others have said, she doesn't need anything else.

terramum · 27/03/2007 21:45

BM is mostly water so no need for extra water drinks. This link from Kellymom explains it better than I can.

foxybrown · 27/03/2007 21:47

Foremilk for thirst, hindmilk for hunger is my understanding. So no, I don't think so.

I give mine water when they start solids. Warm water in a bottle is good to clear constipation.

MadamePlatypus · 27/03/2007 21:50

Why would she need water? You would have to mess around sterilising something to put it in. Far too much trouble IMO. I think the desire to drink water is pretty universal amongst humans and doesn't really need to be taught.

MadamePlatypus · 27/03/2007 21:52

Although... the Kellymum site also says its OK to give your 4-6 month old baby 'learning to use a cup' some water...? I'm a bit confused by that.

terramum · 27/03/2007 22:00

I think that bit about the cup is either to do with going back to work & giving expressed milk?....or its connected to the next point about offering water with solids. The page itself is part of the solids section so Im inclined to think the latter...maybe worth emailing the site to ask?

Jacanne · 27/03/2007 22:06

You don't need to give water to a BF baby as someone has already said - the foremilk acts as a thirst quencher. I have been told it's not advisable to give a BF baby water because there is a danger they could fill up on water rather than the milk they need, ifyswim.

LittleMissLate · 28/03/2007 12:00

I'm wondering also wondering about using water to help my (4mth) ebf daughter learn to use a cup (hate pouring away my expressed milk!). I go back to work in 9 wks and she has refused all bottles tried so hv suggested going straight to a cup (am trying a tommee tippee one with a flip spout as I tried drinking out of one of the no spill cups with a valve myself and found it too difficult )

BigEggLittleEgg · 28/03/2007 12:13

My DS had water from about 4 months, but he was having some formula by then. It was when it got a bit hot early last summer and I just wanted to keep him hydrated in between feeds (and also keep him quiet!). It only upsets sodium levels if you give mineral water (I checked this with HV so if wrong blame her!). I do think it helped DS be the water addict that he is now, and certainly did not affect his appetite, but also agree that if your DD is breastfed there really is no NEED for water at all.

BizzyDint · 28/03/2007 13:44

littlemisslate- try a doidy cup, or try one of those valve cups but take the valve out.

Original poster

spinach · 28/03/2007 20:13

thanks.... won't bother with water then! didnt think it was necessary but thought i'd check.

We're going abroad in 8 weeks... dd will be 7 months, so just starting on solids... what water can i give her if not mineral water... local water not advisable...???

OP posts:

terramum · 28/03/2007 20:41

TBH if its only for a couple of weeks then I wouldnt bother with the water until you are back home. Most bf babies dont need water as a drink when they start solids as long as they are still being bf on demand. I didnt offer DS water with his solids until he was 9-10 months.

yellowrose · 28/03/2007 20:58

Breastmilk is both a drink and food, even in very hot weather. Ds was born in the middle of a very bad heat wave, never gave him anything other than bm until he was 6 months old, never got dehydrated. The advice is if you feed exclusively, no need for any other fluids or solids until 6 months or later. The danger is that baby will take less bm as tummy will get full with water.

yellowrose · 28/03/2007 21:09

spinach depends on where you are going. If the local tap water is generally not the best, boil it and cool it first. Otherwise a few sips of bottled water is ok too. Make sure it is mineral water you have bought in a shop rather than bottled water in a restaurant which may have been opened and added to, etc.

We took ds to a developing country when he was 8 months old. I only gave him bm, some porridge, fruit that had been peeled or steamed. No food I didn't trust. Fruit and veg. that hasn't been washed properly can be very dodgy too. Be careful. Best to peel all fruit and veg. I also increased his bm intake while abroad so he could fight off any germs better.

Of course if you are just popping over to France, don't worry about any of the above !

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