How to keep your baby healthy? Drinking water incorrectly can also affect the health of your baby. What do you need to know about your baby drinking water? Maybe you have been missing the correct method!
When can babies start drinking water?
Pediatricians recommend not giving babies plain water or distilled water before they are six months old.
Babies get enough fluids from breast milk and other baby foods (such as formula).
The diet of infants is almost entirely composed of breast milk or formula, both of which contain a high percentage of water. Therefore, young babies usually do not need to drink additional water.
Once your baby starts teething, they will need fluoride to support the growth of their new teeth, so this is when you can start giving them drinking water.
Things to consider when feeding water to your baby
1. Do not feed water to your baby within half an hour before meals
Although drinking water can speed up metabolism and promote health, it can actually have a negative impact on the health of young babies if consumed at inappropriate times.
Drinking water before meals can dilute stomach acid, which is not conducive to food digestion. If the stomach is too full from drinking water, it can also affect the baby's appetite. Therefore, water should be given a little earlier.
2. Do not feed water to your baby within two hours before bedtime
It is also not advisable to give water to your baby before bedtime.
Younger babies cannot fully control urination when they are in deep sleep. If they drink too much water before bedtime, it is likely to result in bedwetting.
Even if bedwetting does not occur, frequent urination during the night can still disrupt sleep.
3. What type of water and temperature is best for your baby
Plain water is the best choice for your baby's drinking water.
After multiple layers of purification, the microorganisms in tap water have been killed at high temperatures, and the calcium and magnesium in the water are beneficial for the body.
However, it is important to give your baby fresh tap water, as tap water exposed to air for more than 4 hours will lose more than 70% of its biological activity.
4. How much water should your baby drink each day
Factors such as age, room temperature, activity level, body temperature, and the water content in breast milk or food can affect the amount of water your baby needs.
For babies aged 6-12 months, the daily water intake should be 120-160 milliliters per kilogram of body weight.
For babies aged 2-3 years, the daily water intake should be 100-140 milliliters per kilogram of body weight.
It is not advisable to give water to babies before six months old
1. Causes malnutrition
Babies under six months have small stomach capacities. If water is forcefully given, it can reduce the amount of milk consumed and lead to long-term malnutrition.
2. Increases kidney burden
The kidney function of babies under one year old is not fully developed, and excessive water intake can put pressure on the kidneys.
3. Imbalances electrolytes in the body
Excessive water intake can cause a decrease in sodium concentration in the body, and even lead to "water intoxication".
Water intoxication is a severe condition where the body's sodium levels drop to dangerous levels due to excessive water consumption.
Breast milk contains a small amount of sodium, making it the best choice for hydration for babies under six months old.
