When can you start giving water to baby?

Jessica - posted on 05/08/2010

Giving water that young is a bad bad idea- not until after 6 months. Its actually normal for a breastfed baby to go several days without a poopy diaper so don't worry about that. There's so much going on developmentally at that age that I'd bet her crankiness is due to other reasons.

Becca - posted on 05/08/2010

It is normal for a breastfed baby to go as much as 9days without a bowel movement because there is nothing extra in the breastmilk that the baby's body can't use. This just means that your child's body is using up all of the breastmilk. Also at her age she may be waking more frequently because of a growth spurt.

Ariel - posted on 05/08/2010

my baby was doin the same thing. we even had too try suppositories. my pediatrician told us too give her apple or pear juice. dilluted wit water. so like 2 ounces water 2 ounces juice. we have been doin that everyday or every other day since she was about a month old. she is now 2 months old. talk too your pediatrician about it. maybe it will help. if that doesnt work try the pedialite the same way. 2 and 2. everyday for 2 or 3 day. or til she gets cleaned out. trust me it makes life alo easier. and that will help with getting her on a good sleepin scheduale too. From a mom that knows. I hope it works well for u. goodluck!!! hope this helps.



p.s. also when she crys wit her belly aches try bouncing and walkng her and moving her legs up and down in a sort of bycicle motion. seems too help them go. when i did this and gave my daughter the pedialite within a few hours she went. it was a little hard too get it out but she did and then she was so happy. a wave of relief just washed over her face. it was amazing. now she is 2 months old and goes on her own everyday. it also could possibly be somethin in ur milk. or that she just needs the help for a lil while.

Chatty - posted on 05/08/2010

Here's what Babycenter.com had to say about it....



" In general, it's not a good idea to give your baby water until he's about 6 months old. Until then, he'll get all the hydration he needs from breast milk or formula, even in hot weather.



Giving a baby younger than 6 months old too much water can interfere with his body's ability to absorb the nutrients in breast milk or formula. It can also cause his tummy to feel full, which curbs his desire to feed. (While small sips of water probably won't hurt your baby, it's best to check with his doctor beforehand during those first six months.)



In rare cases, a baby who drinks too much water can develop a condition known as water intoxication, which can cause seizures and even a coma. Water intoxication happens when too much water dilutes the concentration of sodium in the body, upsetting the electrolyte balance and causing tissues to swell.



Adding too much water to your baby's formula not only risks water intoxication, it means that your baby is taking in fewer nutrients than he needs. Carefully follow the package directions for mixing powdered or concentrated formula and don't try to stretch formula by using more than the recommended amount of water.



In some instances – if your baby has gastroenteritis, for example – the doctor might advise you to give him an electrolyte drink like Pedialyte or Infalyte to help prevent dehydration.



Once your baby is 6 months old, it's okay to give him sips of water when he's thirsty. You still don't want to overdo it, though, or you might give him a tummy ache or make him too full to eat well. After his first birthday, when your baby's eating solids and drinking whole milk, you can let him drink as much water as he likes. "



About the constipation.....talk to ur doc first but I know some moms that will dilute a lil' prune juice with water and give it to baby BUT only in extreme cases of constipation!



Good luck!

Jenee - posted on 05/08/2010

No. For one babies do not need water. They get all the water they need from the formula or breast milk that they are fed. Second giving water can throw off their electrolytes which can lead to all kinds of problems such as seizures and in the worst case death. Usually doctors say to introduce water or juice at around 6 months but even then they really don't need it since they still get it from formula or breast milk.