Many parents, caring for newborns, are wondering when the baby can be given water. Even if the baby is suckling regularly, he has no problems with the toilet, and he himself looks healthy and cheerful enough, every second parent has a desire to “drink” the child.

The need for water depending on the type of feeding

Each pediatrician, answering parents' questions, emphasizes that the need for additional nutrition and water varies depending on the type of feeding - artificial or natural. To understand exactly why a baby under 6 months does not need water if he drinks his mother's milk, you need to consider in detail the composition of this liquid.

Its large share - 90% consists of the very water that fully satisfies the baby's need for liquid, the remaining 10% are carbohydrates, proteins and fats necessary for the construction of the baby's body. Nature arranged everything so that the child could live perfectly if his mother takes care of him, without additional “soldering” and eating.

The volume of the baby's stomach is too small for ordinary water to enter it, because it will fill it so that there is no room for milk, which is what the growing body urgently needs in the first six months of life. Accordingly, because of the water received, the baby will drink less milk, and the mother will have to express it so as not to disrupt lactation.

In artificial mixtures, on the contrary, the level of nutritious protein is exceeded, therefore, babies on this type of feeding need to be watered from a spoon already on the first day of life. At the same time, water does not become part of the feeding and is given only if necessary in small quantities.

When to start giving water

When answering the question from what time it is possible to give water to a newborn, one can refer to the WHO recommendations, in which parents are not recommended to give additional water to the baby until he is six months old. Adding water to the diet may be required only when the child becomes dehydrated (due to an illness, infection, abnormally hot weather or excessive dryness of the air). It is noteworthy that children consciously begin to drink the offered water to quench their thirst only at 9-12 months of age, until this moment they may swallow the liquid reluctantly.

As for the more popular drinks, such as fruit juices, it is important to ensure that they do not affect the physical well-being of the baby. It is known that tea gives a person a charge of vivacity, which kids have plenty of. A diluted drink can be introduced into the diet at 1.5-2 years, not earlier. Juices specially formulated for children with a low concentration of stomach irritants can be given from six months, but care should be taken with citrus, tomato and grape drinks - they can cause allergies.

How much should a child drink

Babies up to a year old need no more than 50 ml of water per kilogram of weight for the normal functioning of the body and the development of the digestive system, but they receive about three-quarters of the required water with milk. In order not to upset the delicate balance in the baby's body, it is best to write down each intake of water, and set the volume of liquid opposite the time.

How to choose water

Since the baby's body is just starting its work, it is important to understand how to supplement the baby with water and which liquid option to choose. Ordinary filtered water, boiled water from a kettle and "raw" tap water are not suitable for crumbs. In order to protect the baby from unpleasant digestive problems, it is better to purchase proven bottled drinking water. However, when buying, be sure to pay attention to the label: water not labeled “for children” may be too hard or contain preservatives. While adults can drink it without experiencing any problems, drinking such a liquid by children can cause vomiting, stomach irritation, or an imbalance in the water-salt balance.

In pharmacies and stores today you can find bottled water for children. It costs more, but it is precisely such liquids, freed from harmful impurities and preservatives, with a balanced mineral composition can be given to babies.

It is necessary to purchase water in advance and preferably several bottles at once - so that there is always a supply in the house drinking water. A convenient option that many families choose is ordering children's drinking water with home delivery from an online store: this saves time and allows you to free yourself from bulky grocery bags.

When placing an order for water online, always carefully choose both the brand of water and the store that will deliver. Only proven companies engaged in the delivery of drinking water can guarantee the quality of the delivered product and the absence of fakes in the assortment.

What to do if the child does not want to drink water?

If the child refuses to drink water, but feels good at the same time, it is possible that his fluid needs are fully met by other drinks that he consumes during the day. However, do not forget that the water in the diet cannot be completely replaced with juices, fruit drinks and teas. The baby must, along with other liquids, consume clean drinking water.

If you have questions about how and in what volume to give your child water, consult an experienced pediatrician - the doctor will be able to give recommendations based on the age and health and development of the baby.

On our planet, water is the main component human body. In order to both live and function normally, cells require a sufficient amount of water. With its lack, serious malfunctions in the work of all body systems begin.

But does this apply to a newborn baby who is breastfed? Does he need to give him extra water, or does he get enough of it from breast milk? We will understand the features of infant nutrition and when you can give a newborn some water.

Features of breastfeeding

As you know, mother's milk is an ideal food for a baby, because it contains in its composition all the substances necessary for proper development. The optimal combination of nutrients with trace elements has a positive effect on the growth and healthy development of the child.

In addition, breast milk has many other important advantages:

• allows you to fill the fragile digestive system of the baby with the necessary enzymes in a gradual, very gentle mode;
• supports a healthy bacterial balance in the children's intestines;
• has in its composition important antibodies that help the newborn to use the immune system when confronting viruses and diseases;
• well-established breastfeeding provides the child's body with all necessary nutrition, as well as liquid, because breast milk consists of 90% water.

Why is breast milk necessary?

• For a baby, there is still no difference in hunger and thirst. His ventricle is still very small, the size of his fist, so the drunk water will take the place of milk in the stomach, and this will deprive the baby of much-needed nutrients without any benefit.
• Even the highest quality water can be unsafe for the digestive system, and the intake of a third-party substance into the body of a child carries a real threat of dysbacteriosis.
• Mother's milk, as opposed to water, is completely harmless to the baby, clean and nutritious, having a beneficial effect on his immunity.
• Water received by a child under three months of age overloads the work of the kidneys; mother's milk supplies the baby's body with exactly as much salt as it needs, and water removes them through the kidneys.
• Replacing feeding with water can interfere with the production of mother's milk, because when the baby suckles, its production is stimulated. If you skip the moment of feeding, replacing it with water, the whole process may be disrupted. In addition, having become accustomed to effortlessly sucking water from a bottle, the baby may completely refuse the breast, and you need to work hard to get food.
• Water interferes with the process of removing bilirubin from the infant's body and can lead to yellow skin pigmentation. Bilirubin comes out only with mother's milk, dissolving in milk fat.

In the light of such a convincing argument, there is no doubt that the child not only does not need water in the initial months of his life, but it can also interfere with his proper development. However, everyone understands that this liquid will still have to be introduced into the baby's diet. But at what age can you give water to a newborn?

When can you start feeding your baby?

No matter how harmful water is at the beginning of the adaptation of the digestive and other systems of the baby to the surrounding reality, you still have to start doing this, because this world is arranged in such a way that a person urgently needs water for life. In this regard, young mothers are very concerned about the question of how much water can be given to a newborn, and how often should this be done? According to experts, water in the smallest quantities should appear in the baby's diet with the introduction of additional complementary foods. Different children have different ages.

If the process of breastfeeding is well established, the baby, apart from mother's milk, does not need any bait until the age of six months. But now the moment has come when you can give a newborn some water. From the very beginning of baiting, the child should already be given some water. It is best to start drinking it from a cup or use a special drinking cup, because a six-month-old toddler can already quite cope with these devices. The feeding of the baby should be carried out only with water, no juices and teas.

What should be the water?

In order not to harm your baby, you should clearly understand what kind of water can be given to newborns.

According to the recommendations of doctors, this should be either pure water without any impurities, or structured melt, which is even better absorbed by the baby's body. Today, pharmacies and some specialized sales outlets have a special purified water for babies, which is ideal for children's organisms that are not yet strong enough. It contains all the necessary salts and trace elements, so necessary for the healthy development of each child. But if it is not possible to buy such water, then you can use ordinary tap water, previously boiled and cooled to a state that is comfortable for the baby.

Which one should not be given?

We have already found out when you can give water to a newborn baby. Remember that in no case should you use raw water from the tap, because it contains microelements that are too harmful for such a crumb, which can bring him a lot of trouble. To exclude undesirable consequences, one should be very careful and serious about the choice of water for drinking a child.

From the time when you can give a newborn some water, you need to strictly follow the advice of doctors and use only special water for drinking the baby, at least boiled. This will save the child from many troubles, and parents - from worries and unnecessary waste of nerves. Given the often occurring malfunctions in the child's intestines, a logical question arises: is it possible to give dill water to a newborn? More on this later in the article.

Dill water: medicinal properties for babies

The adaptive processes of the digestive and nervous systems of babies do not always go as smoothly as mothers would like. Many children, starting from three to four weeks, begin to feel intestinal colic. For children, this is very painful and debilitating, because such intestinal manifestations can last for about 2-4 hours, mostly in the late afternoon or at night, completely exhausting both the baby and his worried mother. Since for the most part such processes are observed up to 3-4 months, it is necessary to remove the painful spasm using dill water.

This method of alleviating intestinal spasms has been used for a very long time and has been passed down through more than one generation. And although it has been used for a hundred years, it is still relevant and helps to calm the baby. But how often can you give dill water to a newborn? Babies have no other experience of taste sensations than the taste of mother's milk, and dill water causes very positive emotions. She has a mild sweetish taste, unusual, but pleasant for a baby. You can start with one teaspoon before feeding and immediately after it. If the baby is bottle-fed, then simply add dill water to his nutritional mixture.

Older children with problems with the gastrointestinal tract can enter dill infusion through a syringe without a needle installed. And if, nevertheless, the baby refuses to take a healing infusion, mix it with breast milk and drink from a spoon.

When answering the question of how much dill water can be given to a newborn, it should be noted that this volume may differ for different children. For example, children who are breastfeeding, cost a smaller dose than artificial ones. But in any case, you should start with the minimum dosage, while carefully observing the reaction of the baby. Only after making sure that there is no allergic reaction, you can increase the volume of dill water up to 4 teaspoons at a time. Only this should not be done immediately, but gradually, during the week, bringing the dose to four tablespoons 3-4 times throughout the day.

When does dill water work? Is it addictive?

The action of dill water begins after its intake - after 15-20 minutes. You can drink it for as long as the specific situation requires. It does not cause addiction. But if it does not have an effect or gives, but is too weak, you need to consult a pediatrician. He will either adjust the mother's diet or recommend another remedy that is more effective for the baby.

How to give dill water?

When offering a baby dill water, you need to know how to give it correctly:

• You should start with one teaspoon, heated to room temperature. The next day, you can already apply this dosage three times, and subsequently increase the number of doses to five to seven per day.
• If 15 minutes after taking the remedy, the baby remains as restless and colic does not let him go, the dosage can be increased.
• Dill water should not be used as a drink - in large quantities it can provoke gas formation and increase pain in a child.

How often should water be given to a child?

Still very important aspect in the matter of watering a child: how many times can you give water to a newborn so as not to harm his body? After all, the same medicine does not recommend doing this daily, arguing that water has a bad effect on the baby's appetite. How to determine the optimal dose that is beneficial for the baby and safe for his body? Ideally, it is better not to give water to babies up to four months old, but if you do offer, then no more than 60 ml per day. But this is the absolute maximum, it is impossible to give water to babies more than this norm.

Answering the question of how often you can give water to a newborn, it should be said that it should not be too often either. But of great importance the interval and the number of receptions do not have. You can give water as needed, just do not exceed the established limits of daily volumes.

Gradually accustoming the child to water, after reaching the age of two months, you can give him to drink no more than 120 ml per day. When he is one year old, the dose should gradually reach 150 ml. But in general, the child's body itself regulates the amount of water needed, so you should never force a baby to drink a daily dose.

Having successfully figured out when you can give a newborn water, let's pay a little attention to how this should be done.

When starting the gradual introduction of water into the baby's diet, you should pay attention to some important things. You can give your baby water to drink with the help of such items:

• spoons;
• syringe;
• cups;
• a special drinking cup.

You can, of course, do this with a bottle, but this is the last way that you can use only when you can’t get your child to drink in other ways. The nipple greatly facilitates the process of drinking for the child, so that in the end he will no longer want to work, extracting food from the breast, and will begin to demand food through the nipple. In some cases, you can resort to abundantly moistened gauze, which, wound around your finger, can be given to the baby's mouth. But if you have to resort to using a bottle, the nipple should be the tightest there.

When water is in dire need

• at elevated temperatures - drink and regularly moisten sponges;
• in heat without temperature - in small quantities;
• with diarrhea, constipation, vomiting;
• with hiccups - a few sips to relieve spasms of the diaphragm.

And it is also very important to offer water, but not to drink through force. It is better to do this in between feedings, and just a couple of sips. In hot summer time, you can often put your baby to the breast, because the first portion of breast milk is not saturated with fats and is perfectly able to drink your baby.

The issue of supplementing an infant with water is one of the most controversial in pediatrics. A bunch of different opinions You can read on the forums dedicated to motherhood.
Some pediatricians insist that the baby must be given water between feedings, others say that he does not need it, he has enough milk or a mixture. Naturally, confused mothers do not understand whether it is possible to give water to newborns. Let's look at this issue in more detail. It turns out that the drinking regimen of a newborn depends on the type of feeding.

Breast-feeding

Milk: both food and water

Nature took care of the nutrition of the little man. Breast milk is a valuable nectar for the baby. Mother's milk contains everything that is necessary for the development of immunity and proper growth. baby. It contains useful material and vitamins. Moreover, the mother's body produces milk specifically for the baby she is carrying.

The composition of breast milk, along with proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals, contains almost 90% water. Probably, all mothers know that the front milk is ideal for quenching the thirst of the child, that is, the one that the baby begins to suck first. After drinking comes, in fact, the nutrition of the baby - hind milk, which contains less water, but more nutrients and fats. Thus, during feeding, the baby both eats and quenches thirst.

Based on this, we conclude that It is not necessary to supplement the baby if he is breastfed. Most pediatricians in the world unanimously say that breast milk is able to fully satisfy all the physiological needs of the baby for liquid. I.e, if the child does not have pathological (unnatural) fluid losses, then he does not need anything.

What is pathological fluid loss? If the child is in optimal conditions, does not overheat, he does not have diarrhea and vomiting, the room is clean, cool and humid, the baby does not need to drink any additional liquid. But if the room is dry, warm, the baby is sweating, overheating, then, naturally, in such a situation, non-carbonated, unboiled water is necessary for the child.

A newborn who is breastfed, gets enough milk and does not lose fluid due to unnatural causes, does not need water

Heat and sickness

Some mothers ask if it is necessary to give water to the child in the heat or during illness. The answer is unequivocal: if breast milk is enough, then water is not needed. That is, in hot weather, he is given only breasts. If the heat is very strong, and the room is stuffy, then you can support the baby by wiping the body with a damp cloth.

It is also better to treat with mother's milk, because it contains the antibodies necessary for the baby. However, your healthcare provider may recommend that you start adding water to your diet if:

• certain diseases;
• heat;
• frequent regurgitation;
• indigestion;
• vomit.

You can also dissolve the tablet and make up for the loss of fluid using mother's milk, and not water. But the lack of breast milk is recommended to fill with water, after consulting with the doctor.

Artificial and mixed feeding

As a rule, feeding or feeding infant formula requires a lot of water to break down proteins, which are more in an adapted formula than in breast milk. But even here the answer to the question of whether to give water to a newborn is ambiguous. Some pediatricians believe that if the adapted mixture is diluted correctly, then he will not need water. The need for water increases only if the baby begins to suffer from constipation (often, by the way, on artificial feeding). Therefore, the child can not drink water if he feels well, he has 10-12 urination per day and daily stool.

When is it necessary to supplement the baby

There are certain conditions that dictate the need to supplement an infant, regardless of the type of feeding.

Signs of dehydration

• restless behavior;
• lethargy;
• irritability;
• few tears when crying in a baby, while his eyes sink;
• dry, flaky skin;
• dry tongue and mouth;
• infrequent urination (less than 10-12 piss or 6 diapers a day);
• dark urine with a strong smell.

If one or two of the above signs are observed, then it may not be dehydration. But if the baby suffers from a whole range of symptoms, then you need to pay attention to this. Special attention. He's most likely dehydrated. In this case, he should be given up to two teaspoons of water every 10-15 minutes after feeding.

It is necessary to drink the baby if the mother's milk is too fatty. In this case gastric juice can hardly cope with its digestion, constipation and colic may occur. Therefore, the pediatrician may prescribe some water to the child. As a result, the gastric juice becomes less thick, it is easier to digest food, colic and constipation disappear, digestion and calmness of the baby are restored.

How to give water

It is worth noting that some mothers who are afraid for their lactation are in no hurry to give their babies water to drink from bottles, believing that after this container the baby will not breastfeed. This fear, in principle, is justified, although everything is always individual. So, if the bottle does not suit for this reason, water can be given to the newborn from a spoon or from a syringe with the needle removed.

A small amount of water is better to give crumbs from a spoon

How much water should a newborn drink

How much water is recommended for a baby to drink is decided on an individual basis. When a child is breastfed, it should be borne in mind that if he drinks a lot of water, he simply will not have enough space in his stomach for milk. After drinking water, he will refuse to breastfeed and become malnourished. This can harm the child, affect his health and general development. With such a diet, mother's lactation will decrease and gradually come to naught.

But if water is vital for him, then you can calculate its amount for a child up to a year using the formula: 50 ml per kilogram of weight. Do not forget that the baby receives part of the water with milk. The norm for a newborn is up to 120 ml of water per day.

The question of the amount of water is important, but it is especially important to know what water to give him.

What water suits the baby

What should be the water for the baby? Children's water should be safe, clean, of high quality. It should not be any extreme taste, but should be neutral. The ideal water temperature is room temperature (20 to 25°C).

Water should be of such quality that it is suitable for both an older baby and a month old baby.

For drinking, babies can be given:

• plain boiled water;
• filtered water (the filter must be very good);
• bottled, intended for newborns (sold in pharmacies).

To purify water for a newborn, it is good to use a reverse osmosis membrane filter.

Should I give water for hiccups?

Hiccups in newborns are the norm, a frequent occurrence due to a sharp contraction of the diaphragm and the walls of the larynx. Causes of hiccups can be:

• swallowing air while feeding;
• hypothermia;
• thirst;
• nervous excitement;
• gases in the intestines.

In most cases, hiccups can not be eliminated. She will go by herself. When she torments the baby for a long time and often, then he can be given water, which must first be boiled. She will relieve the spasm. But before he starts drinking, check if the baby just needs to be warmed up or put a warm diaper on his tummy to remove gas.

The issue of water is undoubtedly complex, therefore it requires an individual approach. Do not panic if the newborn drinks little or does not want to drink water at all. So he doesn't need her. First of all, it is necessary to look after the condition of the baby, which will Starting point helping to understand if he needs water.

Water is a vital substance that makes up 85% of a person. It is needed as a nutrient medium during fetal development. After birth, the child receives it with breast milk, which consists of 9 parts of water, and 1 part contains the following components: proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. Many parents are wondering at what age you can give your child water. It used to be that the baby should receive it from the first days of life. Now the opinion of experts has changed. They recommend starting to give water to the baby 3 months after birth.

Does a newborn need water

Can I give water to a one month old baby? With breastfeeding, this is not necessary, since in the first 2-3 months, mother's milk completely provides the baby with drink and food. If the child is thirsty, he is always applied to the breast. Therefore, he is able to satisfy his need on his own.

In the future, the mother needs to focus on certain factors:

• At the age of three months, the child can be given water for the first time.
• You can determine the baby's need for additional drinking by dryness on the lips and in the mouth.
• Significant sweating is a sign that the baby needs water.
• In such early age liquid is better to give with a spoon, so as not to accustom the child to the bottle.

Is it possible to an infant give water? It must be offered to the baby, and then monitor his reaction. If he turns his head away, it means that he does not want to drink yet.

Every mother should know that a newborn can quench their thirst with the first portion of breast milk. In the summer season, it becomes more liquid, so it quenches thirst better. In winter, milk becomes thick and high-calorie.

Pediatricians recommend starting to give water at the age of three months. Many grandmothers are surprised by this, since they raised their children according to different rules. Can I give my 1 month old baby water? It is not worth it, because the drunk liquid will fill the stomach, so the baby begins to suck worse. Because of this, the mother may experience unpleasant consequences, such as:

• Decreased productivity of the mammary glands.
• Excess milk will need to be expressed.

You should not worry if some grandmother, who does not trust modern methods, gives a month-old baby some boiled water. If the baby does not need the liquid, he will not drink it or spit it out. If the baby drinks water once between feedings, this will not affect his appetite. In order to prevent thirst in an infant in the first months after birth, it is often applied to the breast.

The benefits and harms of drinking water while breastfeeding

The benefits of water when thirsty are invaluable to humans. It helps to restore the water-salt balance and removes toxins from the body. But it should be given only when necessary.

Having taught a child to drink from a bottle, a mother can harm not only the baby, but also herself:

• He may refuse to breastfeed.
• There is a danger of increased bilirubin, the appearance of jaundice. This is because breast milk dissolves this substance, but water does not.

What kind of water can be given to an infant? Experts advise using only bottled baby water. To obtain a safer liquid, it can be filtered by hand and then boiled.

You need to understand that along with water, harmful bacteria can enter the baby's body. Ordinary bottled water will not save you from this. Even boiling does not kill some harmful organisms.

Doctors advise giving the child water in such cases:

• It is dry hot weather.
• The baby has a high temperature.
• The child suffers from colic.

When to start giving water when formula-fed

We figured out whether you need to drink But what about artificial? From how many months can a child be given water if he grows on mixtures? Doctors say that you can offer your baby water at any age (despite the fact that parents prepare most mixtures with water).

By kneading the mixture, you can easily determine how much water enters the baby's body. Of course, you need to do everything according to the instructions that are written on each package. baby food. Violation of proportions can lead to constipation, an overabundance of vitamins and minerals, as well as to the appearance of excess weight.

It is logical to assume that the child should have enough water, which is in the mixture. However, in between feedings, you need to offer him a drink. For example, if the frequency of feeding is every 4 hours, then water can be given every time 2-2.5 hours before feeding. How much water can be given to a one month old baby? You can supplement formula-fed babies in any amount. According to statistics, children under 5 months of age rarely drink more than 30-70 ml per day.

Why supplement a child with artificial feeding

There are reasons why formula-fed babies need more water than formula-fed babies. natural nutrition. Among them:

1. The formula needs water because the mixture contains more protein than breast milk. For its splitting, more liquid is needed. When can you give water to a bottle-fed baby? An artificial newborn should receive water from the first days of his life.
2. Supplementation is an excellent remedy for the prevention of constipation in such babies. The reason for their appearance is the lack of fluid, due to the deficiency of which the feces become too dry and dense, so it is more difficult to remove them from the body.
3. Water is an excellent remedy for hiccups (this is an involuntary contraction of the diaphragm and larynx). It relieves spasm and eliminates the cause of the condition. In order to prevent repetitions, the baby needs to be dressed warmer (if it is cold), hold it vertically for several minutes (if it swallowed air during feeding), calm it down (if hiccups appeared due to strong crying).
4. At an elevated temperature, it is imperative to supplement the child - so it will be easier for the body to cope with thermoregulation and remove pathogenic bacteria.
5. With vomiting and diarrhea, the newborn needs to replenish the disturbed water balance. Therefore, during this period, you need to drink it often.
6. There is a myth that water can cure jaundice in newborns. This is a controversial statement, since jaundice appears due to an increase in bilirubin in the blood, which does not dissolve in water. Therefore, it is unlikely that additional fluid will help in this case.

Formula-fed babies are given water from a bottle. The temperature of the liquid should be 36 degrees - so it will be easier to digest. At the age of 3 months and older, you need to start lowering the temperature of the water, gradually bringing it to 20 degrees.

How much water to give to a newborn artificial

We have already found out that it is possible to give water to a one-month-old baby if he grows on artificial mixtures.

Mom should offer water to the baby, but whether he wants to drink it or not, it already depends on his needs. In the heat or in a stuffy room, it is necessary to offer water every 20-30 minutes. If the temperature in the room is normal (does not exceed 20 degrees), then the child will not want to drink. He will have enough of the liquid that is contained in the mixture. In a room where the temperature is room temperature (not higher than 24 degrees), the baby needs 60-100 ml per day. However, there are other opinions on this subject. In general, it is recommended to give the baby 50-200 ml of water per day.

What water to drink the baby

Supplementation can bring both positive and negative consequences. Therefore, special attention should be paid to what kind of water is given to the child. There are several rules on how to choose it correctly:

1. There is no doubt that tap water is not suitable for feeding a newborn, as it is chlorinated and contains a lot of harmful substances.
2. The best choice will be bottled water for children (it is sold in pharmacies and supermarkets). It indicates the age for which it is intended, as well as the minerals that it contains. In addition, it is enriched with vitamins and microelements useful for children. Such water is poured into containers made of plastic with a high degree of safety.
3. A suitable liquid for babies is water from spring or artesian sources.
4. At what age can you give a child water with gas? If it is not possible to buy baby water, then the baby can be offered carbonated liquid. However, you must first shake it well, open the lid and let it stand for several hours so that all the gases come out. It should be remembered that the water should not be too mineralized. It is better to give preference to neutral.
5. Filtered water may be used if the filter is changed as required.
6. Boiled water is allowed. You can still hear that old-school pediatricians advise her. In those days, it was believed that boiling kills all microorganisms. It really is. In such water, neither useful nor harmful substances remain. Even salts dissolved in water precipitate and do not enter the child's body.
7. Babies can and should be given decoctions, however, not every herb is suitable for these purposes. For example, dill water will help with colic, chamomile and mint - with strong excitement, linden - with colds. You can buy ready-made teas in granules. They are convenient to use. In addition, they undergo rigorous production controls.

Never sweeten water with sugar. It only increases the thirst of the baby, so it is impossible to drink such water. Sugar is hard to digest by the body and overloads it. If the child does not want to drink, it is better not to force him.

Water characteristics

For babies, water must comply with the following standards:

• It should not contain nitrates (< 15 мг на 1 литр).
• The content of mineral salts should not exceed 500 mg/l.
• The most important requirement is the absence of harmful microflora.

Therefore, it is necessary to carefully study the composition of children's water and choose one that meets the standards.

The need for water with mixed feeding

A mixed feeding regimen, consisting of breast milk and artificial mixtures, requires additional feeding of the crumbs. At what age can a child be given water? It is necessary to start introducing liquid into the diet from the first days of life.

It is necessary to drink 2 hours before feeding. On average, children under 6 months of age drink about 200 ml of water per day, and during illness, the amount of fluid is increased to 300 ml.

After the start of complementary foods, the child needs more water. This is due to the beginning of the use of cereals, vegetables and fruits.

Signs of dehydration in a newborn

We determined at what age you can give your child water. Now it is important to prevent dehydration. Every parent needs to know how their symptoms manifest themselves and how to get rid of them.

Signs of this dangerous condition include:

• Dryness of mucous membranes.
• While crying, the child does not have tears.
• The baby's eyes are sunken.
• The navel is retracted.
• The child rarely urinates (less than 6 times a day).
• Urine color changes (becomes darker).

If a parent detects such symptoms in a baby, you should immediately increase the amount of water consumed and consult a doctor. Severe dehydration cannot be eliminated simply by increasing the drinking regimen. It needs to be treated with special infusion solutions in the hospital.

Conclusion

We told at what age you can give your child water. When offering it to a child, parents should take into account the diet, climatic conditions, room temperature, and the well-being of their crumbs. The main purpose of soldering is to bring more benefit newborn health.

There are a lot of questions for young mothers, one of them is whether breastfed newborns need water, and if so, how much and in what circumstances. The problem is quite relevant.

The answer to the question of whether babies need water is quite simple. Let's just try to mentally go back even a hundred years ago. And let's think about how many mothers always have enough clean (apparently boiled) water to give it to the baby without risk to his health? For many thousands of years of human evolution, babies in the first months of life did not receive water, because this meant a direct danger to their lives. That is, for a person, as for a biological species, it is unusual to supplement small children with water. As, however, for other mammals, the cubs begin to receive water when they begin to eat the same food as their parents.

If we talk not only about common sense, but also about medical justifications, then the World Health Organization, as well as the latest instructions from the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, suggest not giving additional drink to breastfed children without special medical indications, up to about six months. Why?

Danger one- malnutrition. The stomach of the crumbs is the size of his fist, and he is able to accept and process a limited amount of incoming food (in the first month of life, this is 1/5 - 1/6 of body weight per day). A feature nervous system the newborn is such that the water in him causes a false feeling of fullness. Therefore, it is important for a mother to understand: if her child drank 100 ml of water, it means that he did not receive 100 ml of milk. At the same time, the growth and development of the child depends on milk, and water does not bring him absolutely any benefit.

Danger two - Decrease in milk production. Milk is produced in response to the sucking of the child, that is, how much the baby sucked at the breast - so much milk will subsequently arrive. If the mother gave the child water, then he will suck less at the breast. Especially dangerous in this regard is the nightly feeding of a child with water, because during night feedings the production of the hormone prolactin is stimulated, which increases the daily production of milk. This means that a baby who feeds on his mother's breast at night, thereby provides himself with the necessary amount of milk during the day. And if “well-wishers” advise the mother to “deceive the child with some water so that she doesn’t disturb at night” - think that the child may be able to be deceived, but you can’t deceive the natural milk production system ...

Danger three - violation of the natural balance in the digestive system of the child. A child is born with a sterile intestine, and until about six months of age, it is actively seeded with beneficial microflora. Mother's milk helps to form and maintain the natural balance of bacteria in the digestive system, and everything that the baby receives at this time of life in addition to mother's milk worsens this balance. And if the practice of supplementation becomes constant, then very often a preponderance of harmful microflora over useful microflora is found in a child - the very phenomenon that our doctors usually call dysbacteriosis. Studies specifically conducted by the World Health Organization show that most babies who are exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months are healthy and grow well. And children who, in addition to breast milk received water or tea, suffered from intestinal disorders three times more often than babies who were fully breastfed ... Do you need such a risk?

Danger Four - probability of breast failure. Water is given, as a rule, from a bottle with a nipple, which often leads babies to "nipple confusion" - that is, the refusal to suck on the mother's breast in favor of the bottle.

Let's now consider the arguments of those who insist on the need to give the baby water.

"Water helps eliminate infantile jaundice"

Jaundice is caused by bilirubin, which is a fat-soluble enzyme. Not water soluble, but fat soluble. That is, it is not excreted from the body with water, but is excreted precisely with colostrum and subsequently with milk, which, unlike water, contain the fats necessary for the child in the optimal proportion.

“Milk is the same food as, for example, porridge. Hunger must be satisfied with food, and thirst with drink. Otherwise, the child gets extra calories!

In fact, the consistency of milk and porridge is completely different. Milk is 85-90% water. If adults constantly ate such liquid food, then they would not have any assumptions that it needs to be liquefied even more ... In addition, up to a certain age, a small child does not make any difference between hunger and thirst at all. That is why, as already mentioned, water creates a feeling of false satiety in him, displacing mother's milk. We are shifting the emphasis: since getting water is not biologically justified, it is correct to say not that an exclusively breastfed baby receives “extra calories”, but that a child who is supplemented with water loses the calories he needs.

“Water should be given if it is hot outside and the air in the room is dry”

Indeed, in summer, additional soldering is argued by the heat, and in winter - by the dryness of the air in the heated room. However, many studies have been carried out around the world in dry and hot countries (for example, in India at a temperature of 35-40°C and a humidity of 10 to 35%; in Pakistan at a temperature of 27.4-40.7°C and a humidity of 24 to 77%; in tropics at temperatures between 4 and 41°C and humidity between 9 and 60%), which unequivocally showed that only breastfed babies suffered less dehydration than those fed only breast milk. The fact is that mother's milk contains the optimal concentration of all the salts and minerals- by the way, if an adult suffers from dehydration, he is also recommended to restore the moisture balance not with plain water, but with a solution of specially selected salts ... So, if the mother thinks that the child is hot, he should not be given more water, but it is easier to dress and ventilate well room! A baby who is thirsty will simply ask for his mother's breast more often. In extreme heat, you can wipe the child’s body with cool water, and room air will make a steam humidifier or a simple spray gun less dry, but in this case, water is desirable outside, and not inside the child’s body ...

“If a child is sick, water is indispensable - it will restore the balance of moisture, help eliminate viruses in the urine, and medicines can be dissolved in it”

In the above, there is not a single function that mother's milk would not cope with. better than water. The same medicine that the child will try his best to spit out diluted in water, he will take much more favorably with expressed mother's milk, which will also help better absorption.

“My child sometimes calms down just getting a bottle of water.”

The key word here is "bottle". For many different reasons, a child sometimes wants to suck on something, but not on his mother's breast. The two simplest and most harmless ways to calm a baby who is not having enough of his mother’s breast right now are to let him suck on a cleanly washed finger or just rock him to sleep, because most often children who are tired of daytime impressions behave this way before falling asleep.

“Everyone is thirsty, and children are no exception!”

There are many foods that adults can safely eat, but which will cause big problems in babies because they digestive system not yet mature enough. An attempt to feed a child, focusing on the needs of an adult stomach, would lead to dire consequences. Most babies themselves refuse to drink the water that they are offered, and begin to quench their thirst with it only after 9-12 months.