How to give water to a newborn?

Young mothers often ask: whether or not to give babies water, and when to start adding it to the baby's diet. However, pediatricians do not recommend giving water to children under 6 months who are breastfeeding.

Babies under 6 months

1. Up to 6 months of breast-feeding is not recommendedwater, and replace it with breast milk, since it is 87 percent water. It is better to give more milk, in which there are more nutrients than in ordinary water.
2. At this age dopaivayut and fatten childrenunder the strict guidance of a pediatrician, on the basis of strict medical prescriptions. Even if the child has a fever, it is advised to give him breast milk. In cases where there is no possibility to put the baby to the breast, milk is squeezed and given from a spoon or from a cup.
3. If you still need to add to the dietbaby water, do this between breastfeeding. It should be remembered that the baby's ventricle is very small (about 250-300 ml), so 1-2 teaspoons of water will be enough.

From 6 months to 1 year

1. Starting from the age of six months, doctors allow the child to give water at a rate of 20 ml per kg of the child's weight, but not more than 250 ml. At once a large amount of water, he can not drink.
2. In case of illness, the doctor can increase the amount of water consumed to 30 ml. But if a child drinks mother's milk, do not replace it with water.
3. If the child is on artificial feeding, then in this case the use of water is irreplaceable. The amount of water is set by the doctor depending on the needs of the child.

Dill water

In the second or third week, the baby has colic in the intestine. For relief of pain, the doctor can prescribe dill water. Give it to a newborn follows, based on the following recommendations:

1. First give 1-1.5 teaspoons between the feedings. After the first intake, you should closely monitor the behavior of the child, as in some children dill may cause allergies.
2. The effect after the application of water can occur after 15-20 minutes.
3. Apply dill water 3 times a day for 1 teaspoon. If the effect is weak, you can increase the dose to 1.5 teaspoons.

Preparation of dill water

Dill water can be purchased at the pharmacy in the finished form, or you can prepare yourself. To do this, you need:

• 1 teaspoon of dill seeds;
• 1 glass of water.

Prepare the dill water as follows:

1. Seeds should be poured with steep boiling water and leave to infuse for 1-1.5 hours.
2. Then you should strain the broth and pour it into a baby bottle for feeding.

It should be remembered that the broth can be stored for no more than 5 days in a cold room or refrigerator.

Water for babies

Babies can be given:

• tap water. It should be boiled, and then chilled.
• filtered water. It is also desirable to boil it.
• bottled drinking water for babies.

Disadvantages of using water

1. Malnutrition. If a child is given a lot of water, he will be less likely to ask for milk, respectively, and less to receive nutrients. It should be remembered that if a newborn has drunk 100 ml of water, then he will not drink 100 ml of milk, which affects the growth and development of the baby.
2. Milk production. If a child drinks less milk, then his mother produces less. In the future, this can lead to a significant reduction in the production of milk and the need to artificially feed the baby.
3. Violation of balance. Frequent replacement of milk with water can lead to disturbances in the digestive system of the child. And this can lead to dysbiosis.

The most important thing is to remember that, like in what volumeto give water to newborns, a pediatrician should appoint. More information on this topic can be found in the article - Whether to give water to a newborn.