Do you give baby extra water?

[emetophobe12]

Do/did you give your baby's extra water? DS is 3 months old and both my parents keep asking if I give him water.
My HV said I can give water (cool boiled) if he's constipated or if it's a really hot day but just wondering if people do it more regularly than this? If so, how much do you give?

If he is ebf he doesn't need extra water.

Nope, but my DD was EBF so it wasn't necessary

My mum was like this. Offer water. Give water. We always gave water.

Turns out it's how they managed to stick to 4h feeds. And she wonders why her milk dried up.

If BFing, no additional water is required. Once weaning onto foods start you could offer a sippy cup of water alongside food.

If FFing, I'd only offer water on hot days. If little one is is constipated it's worth trying a different formula rather than giving water as a drink, unless advised by a doctor.

I think it’s quite old advice to give water. EBF won’t need it as your milk adjusts to the climate. It’s not particularly advised for formula fed babies either as filling up on water can prevent them from taking their feeds properly. I would follow HV advice on this one- if they are weeing and pooing fine, they probably don’t need it.

No they don't need water. If it's exceptionally hot then a formula fed baby might need a little water, but it really isn't that hot atm in the uk.

If your breastfeeding they don't need water, and it can cause problems as they feel full so don't take as much milk. I think in the past it was encouraged for this reason much like leaving them in the pram at the bottom of the garden was.

My mum must have recommended water at least 50 times. I think she clings to the idea so strongly because on some level she knows she was prioritising housework and has long repressed mum guilt. She's not ready to accept that, so has convinced herself that it must be the right thing to do.

They don’t need water; i formula fed one baby and breastfed another and neither needed water until 6 months when weaned and it was more about developing the habit. I was told if constipated or dehydrated then consider it but never needed to.

Thanks all. He's formula fed and my understanding was they get all the water they need in their milk which is another reason why it's important to feed on demand which I have been doing. It's just comments that the 'older' generation keep saying that's making me doubt myself and so just wondered whether it was something that others did too.
I'll stick with my health visitors advice.
He has plenty of wet, heavy nappies so I'm not concerned at the moment.
Thanks again 😊

As he is formula fed you may want to offer him a little cooled, boiled water if it’s a very hot day, but it’s usually not necessary. If his nappy output is good then I think you’re right that it’s not needed.

If I had a penny for every time my MIL mentioned giving my babies water I’d be a rich woman
No need for water unless constipated and suggested by HV or GP until weaning starts

My Mum gave me extra water when I was little and mentioned it when I had mine too. I brought it up with our pediatrician and he strongly recommended against it on the grounds that it can mess up baby's electrolytes and can lead to seizures. Apparently it was a question on his board certification exam out here in the US.

My mum kept telling me to give water as well, back in the days I think that’s what they did and was advised. But now it’s different and they say not to because it’ll fill them up therefore won’t be taking as much milk.