Does baby ever need other liquids?

[kfillmore]

I am pretty sure of the answer. NO, right. I am wondering becasue DD (10+months) show interest in water (if I have a mug; playing with water she sort of laps it up; like to suck on wet face cloths.

Is is OK to give water? SHOULD i be giving water? She eats a little food but is mostly BF.

Will she had a hard time in the future drinking from a cup etc if I wait too long?

[Amatullah0]

i doubt she'll have trouble in the future just because she isn't drinking from a cup NOW. one day, she's bound to drink from a cup, right?

if all she's drinking is BM, then no, she probably doesn't need water. if shes taking solids, then maybe a sip or two of water is a good idea. especially if shes seeming dehydrated.

ds is 7mo, and loves to drink water from a cup. or, rather, he likes to rinse his mouth out

[Nicole730]

If you are nursing a lot, she probably doesn't need water. But, if she is showing interest, there is nothing wrong with giving her a cup to practice with. I would actually recommend it.

[LindsC]

I agree with the PP's. If she is nursing a lot, she probably doesn't need water, but it won't hurt her if she would like some to drink.

[KristyDi]

I agree w/ PPs. Your DD dosen't NEED water if she's allowed to nurse on demand and will eventually figure out a cup. But if she's interested then there's no harm in offering a little water. I started offering a sippy cup of water when I offered her solids. When I drink water I will also let her have sips from my cup and have done this since she was maybe 7 or 8 months.

[Llyra]

I start offering water when my kids start eating more than a tiny bit of solid food. I don't think a baby who nurses on demand NEEDS water, though. But I think it's fun for them to try drinking from a cup, at an age where they are becoming interested in imitating what the "big" people do. I don't think there's any harm in offering water at this age, as long as you're not offering so much that baby is becoming too full of water and uninterested in nursing.

[crunchy_mommy]

Yeah, I agree with the others.

We give water when we give solids. Just a few sips... he likes practicing with the cup. Other than that, we only offer him water when he sees us drinking it and wants a sip. In total he has no more than an ounce or two a day.

[Heba]

Nodding. A little water with the introduction of solids.