Is water more important if you're doing finger foods only?

[Findingthingstough18]

As DS (six months) utterly refused to be spoon fed, we're currently doing all finger foods, though I am also putting purees and some mashed up food (avocado) on toast, etc. with moderate success. We're also offering water at every meal, as advised, but he's taking a while to get to grips with the cup (using a free-flow beaker). I can see from my friends's babies that it's normal for them to take a while to 'get' water, but what worries me is that all those babies are having purees, so loads of liquid in their food - what DS is having is a lot 'drier'. He's not eating a lot at the moment, but he is definitely swallowing some food, and it's getting more day by day. Should I really be pushing the water? Maybe even putting it in a bottle to make sure he actually takes some?

No, it really doesn’t matter as long as you’re still offering milk feeds on demand. Water is really just for practice, not for hydration at this age. As long as they’re fed on demand, they’ll just drink more milk if they’re thirsty.

Great, thank you!

I didn’t add water with purées. My children either got some steamed carrot (for example) blended up or a stick of steamed carrot to nibble on. It’s the same food

Water helps us poo. Constipation is common in weaning babies so water along with fruit and veg helps things along.