Help With Water Between Feeds?

[aries5486]

Ive tried giving jenna water in between feeds and she just spits it out and sometimes makes her self sick and she gags with it! I dont know what to do as i know its good to offer them water inbetween feeds! Any1 have the same problem and find a way to give there LO'S water??

thanks xxx

 

[dom85]

I give Brady his before he has his milk because he's so hungry that he'll have anything!

He only has a little bit because I dont want him to fill himself up on the water but it was the only way that I could get him to have it.

 

[Chaos]

Babies this small don't really need water to be honest. It can fill them up .. they get all the moisture they need from milk.

If he's spitting it out, I'm guessing it indicates he don't want it or he just don't like the taste of plain water.

 

[lexy604]

Ya im not doing water either i had never even heard of that until this board

 

[aimee-lou]

I have the water ready (Make a 2oz bottle up every 24 hours - HV told me that a water bottle will last 24 hours no matter how many times they drink from it, as it can't 'go off' like the milk can) but very rarely have cause to give him any to be honest. I go off him and his soft spot....if I can see his soft spot I'll offer it, and sometimes he'll take it.

I've been told what Chaos said - babies this young shouldn't need anything more than milk really. I think when they start to wean and things like salt start appearing in foods, then water becomes more important.

 

[faille]

Not sure about this whole "babies don't need it this young" as I was told to offer it by my HV and MW - however, Violet was born in April and they mentioned it when the weather was a lot warmer, and espeically when we had those heatwaves.

I could never really get her to take it from a bottle but now she's using a free flow cup, she takes it no problem and controls how much and when herself (but only offered with food).

If your LO is still having wet nappies and the soft spot hasn't sunken then I wouldn't worry about her not taking any water x

 

[dom85]

Ordinarily they don't need it but some babies get constipated and you can't give them anything except water for it until they're 4 months I think. Brady only goes once a day which is fine but if he doesn't have water he really struggles to go and it's quite hard (tmi, sorry)

 

[Chaos]

Not sure about this whole "babies don't need it this young" as I was told to offer it by my HV and MW - however, Violet was born in April and they mentioned it when the weather was a lot warmer, and espeically when we had those heatwaves.

I could never really get her to take it from a bottle but now she's using a free flow cup, she takes it no problem and controls how much and when herself (but only offered with food).

If your LO is still having wet nappies and the soft spot hasn't sunken then I wouldn't worry about her not taking any water x

It's not something I'm making up, it was told by our pediatrician.
She said giving water to young babies between feeds can fill them up, giving them empty calories when they need them the most. Even a couple of ounces can do it as their stomachs are so small, If they are drinking enough milk a day they should not be getting dehydrated.

I've also heard of (via posts on this board) midwives telling people to give water between feeds (to newborns) to stretch out when babies eat for people who want feeds at a more "convenient time" .. I just don't understand that ... I mean I can understand when the baby is at a 4 or 5 months old, but a ikkle newborn?

 

[faille]

I didn't say you was making it up, I said I'm not sure because there is so much conflicting advice on this.

I was told to offer it by HV and MW (and it certainly wasn't to stretch out feeding times as she was going 5hrs between feeds as it was) but like I said, it may be because of the time of year she was born and the really bad heatwaves we were having.

And there also seems to be conflicting advice about whether formula is a drink because I was told again by two different HVs that formula is food only (which confused me tbh as it's made with water!). Seems yet again that there's different advice being thrown about depending on where you are and what HV/MW/etc you get.

A few sips of water never done Violet any harm and it never ever stopped her taking her bottles. But then she was about a month old, not a "newborn".