8 week old dd doesn't like plain water.....alternatives??

[iliketosleep]

With my other 3 dc I was told by the health visitor to drop a bit of sugar in the water to make it sweet and more appealing, although i never liked this idea I must admit it worked.

I dont really want to do this with DD3 as she is quite greedy as it is and i dont fancy bumping her weight up giving her sugar plus it cant do any good! Is there an alternative to giving just plain water? She will have 1 or 2 mouthfuls realise it isn't her milk and start 'gulp spitting' resulting in her bib, clothes and vest getting sodden.

I have heard that pure fruit juice in the water is ok but surely the acid in it would be bad for her?

Any advice much appreciated

why do you need to give her water??

I think she's too young for extra water.

why do you need to give water, have only given it when very hot.

should n't be necessary to offer other than milk at that age . She will take water in time if thristy as long as you don't train her taste buds to accept flavours or sweeter stuff yet.

just milk at this age. It does thirst and hunger.

A health visitor advised you to put sugar in their water???????!

just milk is fine for now isn't it?
dd didn't really drink water til she was weaned (and even then she was not keen for a while)

DS didn't start having water till he was 6 months or so, and that was because we were living through a New York summer and he needed the extra fluids.

I can't see any reason to give an 8 week old water, and definitely not fruit juice or other sweetened drinks.

Don't like the sound of your HV!! My DD started getting water when I started weaning her (about 11 weeks). She was the same - spitting it out. I'm afraid perseverence is the only answer. She is now 8m and LOVES water - won't touch any of the baby juices, etc.

Why on earth would you give a tiny baby water? Babies aren't "greedy" they are hungry

A HV suggesting water and sugar? I've heard everything now.

Wait until you wean her at 6 months and then give her water.

My GP told me to give ds1 brown sugar dissolved in water to help with his colic. I didn't, btw....

Sometimes she fusses and is routing but if i give her milk she spits it back out and carries on screaming, a little bit of cooled boiled water soothes her when i manage to get it down her.

I cant believe how many of you dont give any actually in the hospital after having DD1 the midwife brought me a bottle of milk and a bottle of cooled boiled water!

I have always been told to give abit of water as well as the formula, its different if your BF though.

Mind you this was back in the day when you weren't classed as a bad mother for weaning at 4 months but thats a seperate issue

Not trying to start anything btw its just the way I do things but was seeing if there was an alternative

thanks for your replies xx

(p.s. She is greedy, very greedy!!) at 8 weeks old she is on 6 x 9oz bottle of the cow and gate for hungrier babies a day! Must be all the take aways I ate while pregnant

Sounds to ´me like you have been very very badly informed, the formula of formula milk is carefully made up to give exactly the right amount of liquid nutrician and water is absolutely not needed. My experience is that even a 6 month old baby who has started weaning only takes the tiniest amount of water in addition to milk. The milk is still enough on its own.

How very retro! Haven't heard of that sort of advice being given out since the 70s!

I FF and have been told with both DC's that water only necessary in hot weather.

Taken from Formula container:

*If necessary offer cooled boiled water between feeds.

Sometimes it is necessary, I dont do it all the time or even every day, but i do when she is restless and nothing will soothe her, and then its only an ounce or so.

The trouble is, the rules of what you should or should not do keep changing. My 3 older dc are 8,7 and 5. Everything was kept the same for them but 5 years on and everythings changed but I do what I have done for all of my dc then feel guilty as im not following the rules

I cant win

It could be worse, MIL gave her very very new baby (probably about 2 hours old) a pork chop bone to suck on and keeps telling me to put rusk in dds bottle......

actually she gave dd1 a chocolate biscuit to suck on when she was 3 and a half months old without me knowing

iliketosleep - water is only necessary if it is very hot or if they are constipated.

Amy78
Did you really wean your dd at 11 weeks? Why?

My ff dd didn't take water even during a really hot summer. HV reassured me that they are highly unlikely to get dehydrated on an all liquid diet. That makes sense to me. If you are using it for settling - why not just use a dummy?

Ds (ff) refused water too.
I gave up till he was on solids at 6 mths. He quite liked it then and still does aged 2.
I am your hv told you to put sugar in the water!
Maybe your dd is fussing because she is tired or windy? Or just palin hungry from a growth spurt?

I try everything feed, change, wind, play, dummy, infacol, rocking, go out in buggy/car, then give water, maybe coincidense that she has worn herself out but it works for me!!

id only offer if constipated or really warm.its not needed.i agree its confusing if you have older dc and were told different when they were babies!
shes only 8 weeks-id keep offering water if you need to but if she doesnt want it its ok .id rather not give juice etc.

also something i was told or i heard/read it somewhere is if their soft spot is slightly sunken that is a sign of dehydration? I could have been dreaming though