The first time mums questions thread

Originally Posted by Lollipopbop

Another thing - Is it okay to give your baby water? I know they get hungry but do they need to drink especially when it's hot to cool them down and keep them hydrated? xo

I read you shouldnt feed babies water until they are a minimum of 6 months old and even then you should keep it to a minimum until they are 1. x

Generally when they are little they feed so often they shouldn't need much additional water, but if it's really hot then you could offer a little (I did). Water can also help if they get constipated!

ooh will be keeping an eye on this thread for sure, need to remember the questions I have!!

Originally Posted by Sunshine12

I read you shouldnt feed babies water until they are a minimum of 6 months old and even then you should keep it to a minimum until they are 1. x

I was told by several HV's when i had my LO that you can definitely give younger babies water (although only a very small amount, like literally an ounce or 2 a day) when its hot. ESPECIALLY if they are formula-fed. Breastfed babies shouldn't technically need it but it doesnt hurt them at all and if you have a little baby in the summer, it is quite a good idea to offer them a little bit of water at times. And it helps with constipation

It's not true that you need to keep it to a minimum until a year old, most babies drop feeds once they start weaning around 6 months and they definitely need water in their diet, so please don't deprive your baby of water till they are 1

BUMP! I'm loving this thread! Most of the questions I wanted to ask have been answered but if I think of any I will be watching this ^_^

Dig the thread. thank you!

This is a bloody good thread! Thanks for starting this. The whole dummy/breast feeding thing is new to me so glad I know now to hold off with the dummies for a few days xxx

Really good idea for a thread! I'll be keeping an eye on this one and try to think of any questions I had.

BF babies don't need additional water as the mother's nipples and baby's saliva have a special bond: they exchange information via hormones, which allows baby to tell Mum exactly what he/she needs and the milk will change accordingly to suit baby's needs. If it is hot, milk will adapt to this and boost its water content. After 6mo it is OK to give water to a BF baby when they begin solids.
For dummies, some BF babies will refuse them based on the different teat shape and will prefer to comfort suck on the breast rather than take a dummy. Mine used to gag when a dummy was placed near/on his mouth.
I never used talc and used Sudocrem when he got a rash, which wasn't often. Oh yes, and BF babies tend to poo less than FF, and less often too, as BM is so easily digested and baby doesn't produce as much waste product as they take more from BM ingredients which are specifically tailored to them. The poo smells a lot sweeter too Once, E didn't poo for five days, but that's still in the normal range for a BF baby I didn't know that at the time though and thought he was terribly abnormal

I live in a second floor flat with no lift and worried about times when I go out to get food shopping etc and get back. I couldnt realistically carry a car seat and all the shopping bags up the stairs at the same time so do you think it would be ok to run the baby upstairs in their carseat and then lock the door behind you while you go back down to get the rest of the bags etc?!