At what age did you start your baby on water?

Angela - posted on 07/21/2010

i started my baby girl after the 3month mark when it was alright to give water to her. it was summer at the time some she drank it as often as needed, now she loves water.

Mahja - posted on 07/21/2010

We live in Saudi Arabia so it is very hot. So I started giving my baby girl water about 1 month and now she is 4 months...When I all ready nursed her and changed her diaper and she is still fussy (this is when we go out)..I know she is still thirsty...She does not drink much just a sip or two..I think she just drinks to cool down from the hot weather.

Kerry - posted on 07/21/2010

i had my drinking water at 6wks to try and make it easier to go for a poo and has been drinking it since x

Ellen - posted on 07/21/2010

i started giveing my Daughter water at 2days old

Cande - posted on 07/21/2010

i started at about 4 or 5 months and my son enjoyed it....he's now a year old and only wants either breastmilk or water to drink with his food.he still doesn't like juice though

Gyani - posted on 07/21/2010

my daughter is 6 months and ive been giving her water for about a month now.

Michelle - posted on 07/21/2010

I started my son at 3 months. If your baby doesn't like water you can put a couple drops of pure lemon or orange juice in it to sweeten it without using sugar. or even a small lemon or orange wedge. My son loves just plain water now.

Emily - posted on 07/21/2010

Our daughter was on breastmilk only until I started her on cereal, around 4 1/2 mos. With the introduction of solids I noticed a dramatic change in her movements, and decided she needed water. It helped! I also left it just plain water for a long time, very rarely giving her even watered-down juice.

Leanne - posted on 07/21/2010

I started mine on water when she was a few weeks old and she loves it. She is stil on the bottle but has a couple of ounce of water in between feeds.

Lisa - posted on 07/21/2010

If they are formula fed then sooner than if they are breastfed! My daughter switched at 6 months and we started her on water then! We added a small bit of baby juices in the water until she caught on to it and now she drinks up to 16 oz a day at 1 year.

Kareemah - posted on 07/21/2010

when istarted water when they started drinking juice 6months

Katy - posted on 07/21/2010

Yuor baby is not going to get water intoxication unless you are giving a lot of water. A few sips of water a day will not hurt them.
It sounds funny but we have a little spray bottle for doing hair and spraying the cats and all three of my children were so interested in that bottle that they would cry for it. I started softly spraying water into their mouths with it and they were HOOKED! They love it still at ages 7, 3, and 1. I probably started doing this at 4 or 5 months old. So the same rules apply to water as with anything else...
All things in moderation! Don't sit and let your baby drink bottles of water, but htere is NO HARM in letting them try it or teaching them to like it. God forbid we should have children that perfer to drink water over kool-aid or pop or 10% juice drinks!

Tonya - posted on 07/21/2010

I started giving my son a 4oz bottle of water a day at probably 1-2 mths. There were certain reasons that I did and I also mentioned it to my doctor. Of course she said you shoudn't give your baby anything but breast milk or formula until about 6 mths but she also said that water wont hurt. And he loves it.

Rachael - posted on 07/21/2010

I gave my son apple juice for a while at around 8 months, diluted of course, then transitioned to water and now at 19 months he is partially breast-fed and drinks water only. When he goes to daycare he gets a cup of milk and a cup of juice. 4 times a week.

Amanda - posted on 07/21/2010

i waited til 6 monthsish. he was nursed and i didnt think he needed it before then. but to each his/her own

Kathleen - posted on 07/21/2010

I think I started giving my son water at 8 weeks. He's 5 now and he carries a water bottle with him every where he goes!

Donna - posted on 07/21/2010

i gave my son water from 2 weeks old about 1 or 2 oz's and now he's only 4 months but has 5oz a day and loves it.

EMMA - posted on 07/21/2010

ive always given my daughter water from the age of bout 6ms it wont harm them in fact its better for them according to my health visitor dont worry keep trying soon they'll learn to like it

Athena - posted on 07/21/2010

I want to say 6-8 months but I don't quite remember.... they get lots of water in their food & formula. But you can never get enough water. I'd say try it when you start them on cereal. just have to make sure its only a little bit, you don't want their bellies getting too full on water & not food. Otherwise they will be hungry again in about 15-30 minutes.

Good luck. Just try the water sometime & see if your child likes it! Your baby will tell you!

Stacia - posted on 07/21/2010

i started mine right off... gave a few sips after feeding for them to rince their mouths out... sour milk baby breath is gross...

Ashley - posted on 07/21/2010

my first child we started at 6 months, and my daughter we started at 4 months only because she grabbed the glass while I was holding her and drank from it

Bevin - posted on 07/21/2010

you can give your baby water right away its good for them to get some, nurses in hospitles used to give new borns water for their first feeding out of the womb, nows its breast feed this breast feed that, and one time you wore told to start your baby on soilds at 3 months to

Tiniko - posted on 07/21/2010

my baby started it at 4 n with great success, it is very hot n he took it with pleasure.

Jennifer - posted on 07/21/2010

I started both my babies on water at about 2 months old. They were both born preemie so we had to be careful but water was important to my kids so they could have adequate bowel movements. If your baby is not interested now-I would offer the advice of adding a little water to their juice. Our pediatrician says,"they actually consume enough water in their fomula", but for kids like mine who had a hard time with gas and digestion water was important from the start.

Loni - posted on 07/21/2010

Pretty much from birth, as long as it was boiled I didnt see the harm in it, hes now 2 and loves water and is a very happy healthy lil man :D

Shauneen - posted on 07/21/2010

Well if hes breastfed he doesnt need it till 6 months. Or when you start solids or formula. Alexis was also not interested at first. She is 16 months now and will ask for water and then drink plenty of it.

Yurena - posted on 07/21/2010

In England they tell you to give water if they have formula.

Audrey - posted on 07/21/2010

I started as early as 3 months and since then my baby cant live without water.

Corinna - posted on 07/21/2010

i started between 1-2 months, he loved it haha

Jennifer - posted on 07/20/2010

I started water with my youngest at 3 months old. He has never had diaper rash either due to getting water.

Amber - posted on 07/20/2010

I started at 4 months.

Christina - posted on 07/20/2010

My two older kids didn't start drinking water until after their 1st birthdays, and it looks like my youngest is following the same pattern! Hope this helps!

Kyra - posted on 07/20/2010

I gave my baby some water in a cut at 5 months in a regular kids cut and she loved it. The doc said its not necessary to give her water until she is a year but i did it and she wont take a sippy cup. Which is ok with me one less thing she wont have to change when she gets older.

Robin - posted on 07/20/2010

I tried a little at 2 months then a little more at 4 months. Water cant hurt them but they do get water in the formula but just do little bits at a time and then increase as they get older.

Nikita - posted on 07/20/2010

I started at about 2 weeks! It was a very hot summer. He loves his water and is now 7 months and has a drink after his breakfast, lunch and dinner!

Maricar - posted on 07/20/2010

6months because she's exclusive on breastmilk

Callie - posted on 07/20/2010

I had to start my child fairly early (couple of weeks old) as this was the only method that would relieve her wind. I was also advised by my GP to give her water when she was having a constipation problem. Don't be too conserned that they aren't drinking litres at a time. They will take it when they want it.

Melinda - posted on 07/20/2010

I gave them water early on even as little as a few months old, specially if they were constipated. I then switched to only water in the bottle and juice/milk in sippy cups at one year . . . didn't take long to loose the bottle :0)

Carrie - posted on 07/20/2010

My son's doctor told me to start him at six months, said the fluoride in our water would be good for his teeth. He actually likes it quite a bit, especially on hot days. If he's hungry he doesn't dig it too much because his mind is set on real food.

Sharmaine - posted on 07/20/2010

I think I waited until mine were about 9mos and 1yr. Both were breastfed till those ages and that's when I started the water. We tried water earlier with my younger one who was BF'd till 1yr but she didn't ever take a bottle so I don't know if it was the bottle or the contents!

Jennifer - posted on 07/20/2010

My little one has had water since he was very little, I would say 4 or 5 mos and he is 15 months now and he prefers it over milk or juice.

Shamekia - posted on 07/20/2010

That CDC article was an example of mothers taking giving their babies water to the extreme. You notice one woman had given her child three bottles of water. The other one only gave her child water all day. I give my baby four oz of water a day. Not mixed with anything and right after she eats her cereal meal. I was told to give her water with her "solid" meal. Even still each child is different. Please consult with your doctor. They are smart. Do NOT replace a meal with water. When you drink water, you also eat food.



*Edited to add: I was told to give my daughter water with her "solid" meal because feeding her formula after she ate would make her gain a lot of weight and she is already a big baby. She is also five months old.

Amanda - posted on 07/20/2010

I started water in a sippy cup at 5 months. My twin daughters really didn't take to it until about 6 - 6 1/2 months. But I kept giving them sippys for them to get used to, let them try it as they wanted.

Yurena - posted on 07/20/2010

Isn't Powerade similar to Gatorade?! I doubt any doctor will approve of it since is made of sugar and salt (check on line). Please see your doctor if you think your child needs 'more' than water to be hydrated.

Yurena - posted on 07/20/2010

About juice, be careful. It should be freshly squashed and diluted in a 1 part 10 water ratio. Mainly to avoid the rotting of their teeth, but also to avoid a sweet tooth, it is very likely that they'd reject water if offered juice. My children drink water and milk, very occasionally (less than once a week, they have a tiny bit of fresh orange juice diluted). If you think of it, humans are meant to drink water and milk, just like any other animal.

Yurena - posted on 07/20/2010

Babies don't need any water when they are being entirely breastfed -unless you live in a hot climate. If you are doing formula, or if they have started solids, keep a bottle or beaker cup-whatever they prefer- within their reach and offer every now and then.

Amber - posted on 07/20/2010

I have to say I would die before I let my daughter have to struggle to poop. If water helps her poop soften up so she doesn't strain I'm going to give it to her. I don't substitute it for her formula and she eats plenty. She is healthy and she is developmentally on target and advanced in some areas. Everyone has different beliefs in raising children. If it is not harming my child but helping my child, then I will do what I think is best for my child. Voice your opinion but do what you think is best for your child.

Laura Zoey - posted on 07/20/2010

I am so dissappointed in this page. I thought better of Drs, I thought better of moms. *sigh*

Rebecca - posted on 07/20/2010

The funniest thing i saw in the responses was to dilute the water with juice! LOL!!!

Krystle - posted on 07/20/2010

I let him try a sip water in a sippy cup at 7 months at the same time I let him try food.