Breastfed baby on solids - should I also give water ?

[Ruthiebaby]

My ds is nearly 6 mths old. I started him on the purees a few weeks ago.

Should I now be giving my ds additional water or will breastfeeding alone meet his fluid needs ?

Breastfeeding will cover it for now, because you're only giving small tastes of food to start with and will still be giving almost the same amount of milk feeds as you were before. When you increase the amount of solid food, you can introduce water.

The advice used to be that you offered water once they started solids, as well as the usual milk feeds, but someone might have more up to date info than me.

Oops

Small tastes ! lol ! My DS is a hungry horace - he has about 10 tablespoonfuls at breakfast, lunch and tea/supper !

He sits like a little bird with his mouth wide open waiting for more at the end. God I love him !

So, does this mean I should give him water now ?

I would.

Offer him a beaker and see what he does with it. If it means he drastically drops his bfeeding, rethink it.

Good lord, my dd wasn't eating that amount when she'd been on solids for 4 months

Perhaps you better had introduce water then

I personally do not think you need to introduce water because you are introducing solids. Thirst can be quenched with breastmilk. You certainly can introduce the concept of water from a cup but TBH I think I would wait a bit longer for that. Once solids are established as 3 meals a day and you are dropping milk feeds, That is when they can be replaced with water. Don't give yourself any more hassle than you need to

Ooooo, I'd definetly give a drink, in one of those little tommy tippee sippy beakers. Just cooled boiled water will be fine...don't want him getting all bunged up

There is lots of water in his "solids". I would stick to breastmilk.

lots of conflict here...are you giving DS a breastfeed before or after his solids ? If you are maybe he won't be thirsty.

However, if you're not, we do all need a drink when we eat & I can't imagine he'll drink so much water that he'll reduce his milk feeds ?

My DD has suffered so badly from constipation, I think it's a really good idea to get them into good drinking habits. If you find this is happening & you haven't offered a drink, please please offer at each meal. Once it starts, it's a terrible cycle to break

Breastmilk is an adequate drink though. I must admit I always breastfed after solids were given. Also continued to give breastfeeds between mealtimes as it were. Foremilk has a high water content anyway. So if babe is thirsty, breastfeed is all that is needed. Ruthie's DS isn't quite 6 months old yet so breastmilk is far more beneficial than water.

I always breastfeed after his solids.

So, weighing everything up, I'm not going to give additional water.
If he seems constipated at all I may give a little then, but his poos are fine (if not a bit more stinky !)

Thanks for your help girls.

Oh - I also breastfeed in between solids too Mears. He is breastfed well over 10 times in 24 hours.

My ds didn't drink water until well a year old when he got the hang of a straw cup. I have my own private theory that it's not that babies don't like water - it's that they can't get a sufficient drink from any of the amazing range of cups. When mothers finally give in and give juice then that was actually the time they would have been ready to drink water IYSWIM.

Agree with lots here who say that they dont need it but I started giving ds a cup of water, in a Boots 1st stage one with only one hole, just to get him used to it. If you don't want to wean for a long time though, don't bother.

MT, that was the one I gave DS to start with. The very first time I gave it to him (he was six and a half months old) he took it from me and swigged away like he'd been waiting for me to offer him a drink!

He still drinks copious amounts of water 11 months later - heard him having a drink in his cot at 6am this morning (pregnancy bladder wakes me then!), then settling back down to sleep again!