Is It Safe To Feed Water To Your Newborn Baby?

feeding waterGenerally, feeding water to your newborn baby is not recommended. Water fills up the babyâ€™s stomach without any nutrition. This is the most important time to grow for your baby.

At this time, the brain of your baby starts to develop. So, feeding the baby with empty calories does not encourage the growth.

Too much water consumption stops your baby from receiving the necessary nutrients that he/she needs from the breast milk. Also, this can lead to imbalance of electrolytes and weight loss in your baby.

If your baby is exclusively breastfed, then there is no need to give him additional water, even in very hot climate.

If the baby is formula fed, formula milk itself contains 80% of water. So, giving additional water is unnecessary for the first six months [Infant formula].

Feeding the baby with water takes away the most important time spent at the breast. Supplementing breast milk rarely to your newborn baby can permanently stop the production of milk. So, breastfeeding is compulsory for babies until the age of 4-6 months.

Giving water to the baby on the first day after birth can increase the severity of jaundice. This condition makes them sleepy and lethargic.

Feeding water to the newborn baby can lead to oral water intoxication. When this condition occurs, the sodium content in your babyâ€™s body becomes very much diluted and finally the babyâ€™s body is unable to function properly. This can lead to an altered mental state, bloating, seizures, low body temperature, etc.

Wait until your baby is able to consume solid food, then you can offer small sips of water. But, donâ€™t offer too much until your baby is 8-10 months. Once your baby is teething, he/she needs enough fluoride to support the development of new teeth.

If the baby is running a temperature, then your pediatrician suggests you to give him/her more fluids. Generally, the doctor will suggest a liquid like pedialyte, which consists of nutrients in order to restore the healthy balance of your babyâ€™s electrolytes.


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