[Enudely]

Hi
I'm wondering when I should start offering water to 10.5 mo dd. She still gets a lot of breastmilk, but is eating a lot of solids too...

 

[Maxine45]

I do once in a while, usually if he spits up it provokes me to offer.
I just want him to be able to get that icky taste out of his mouth.

However, I don't claim to set examples of what is right. I usually come here to find out the things I do are not really advised anyway.

 

[devster4fun]

I have read to start offering water when you start offering solids.

DD seems to like cold water, from the fridge, in a Dr. Brown's Sippy cup. We tried every brand, it's the only one she would use.

Also, try it in the bath...sometimes the fun atmosphere and lack of worry about spilling makes for an easier trial.

 

[Stacey B]

I was reading The Baby Book and they suggest offering them at least a little after solid foods as away to clean the mouth a little. Personally I like that my ds is getting used to water so when he is older I won't worry as much about dehydration, some kids dislike water which makes it tough.

 

[HappiLeigh]

I started offering a sippy with water along with solids. DD loves her water. Now she sometimes specifically wants water.

 

[BetsyS]

I started offering water at 5 months old. It was a way to keep him entertained while we ate. He loves it, and reaches for his cup frequently now.

 

[eurobin]

I do. We discovered, accidentally almost, that my DD loves straws. We let her try one at 5 months old and to our complete shock, she got it right away. Now we give her a Nuby straw cup every couple days and she'll drink maybe an ounce or so before it turns into an enthralling game of "toss the cup."

 

[phathui5]

We started around 11-12 months, at meals. I'd be willing to give it younger if we lived somewhere hotter, or if they were close to that age in the summer.

 

[bc1995]

When I started solids with my boys I would set a sippy cup with water on the tray or table.

 

[mean_jeannie]

I offer water everyday at some point - usually during "dinner" but I have some handy during every solid feeding. He loves straws and drinking from the cup. He is 10.5 mos and has had water for quite a while now - I think regularly since 7 mos when he really took off with eating food.

 

[Amila]

I have been offering water with solids for a few weeks now. We have a "sippy bottle" which DD loves- it is the first time she has taken a bottle. She just bites on sippy cups, lol.

 

[lisap]

nak

i was told by my ped no water until 12mo, bm is enough. but i give ds (9mo) some evey oce in awhile. he loves it!

 

[Julian's Momma]

My 9 mo old DS drinks water from a sippy and has been for about a month or so (and started solids about 2 months ago). I was concerned about it as well, but he consumes so little of it right now (since he hasn't mastered the sippy thing yet) so I let him play with it at meals. He seems to love it though!

 

[Flower of Bliss]

Water is the only non-BM food item my DD has had! She's not quite ready for solids (and I'm in NO rush to give them to her). However, she is very inthralled with cups. She is always trying to take mine (food doesn't interest her much, but she really seems to get that there's water in the cup). Once she hit 6 months, I've let her taste a sip of my water a few times. It makes her very happy. I recently got her a Nuby straw cup to try with water. She hasn't figured out how to drink out of it, but she gets a taste here or there and thinks it is great fun.

I'm all for her loving water. I certainly wouldn't give her much of it at this age of course.

 

[eco_mama]

mw 8m old drinks some water. i offer him some a few times a day. he can actually drink out of a cup already! (and he thinks he's so cool when he does it)

 

[cahwilson]

Question for this one...how much water is too much? My dd is 7 months old and loves water. If she sees me drinking it she has to have some. She loves her sippy cup and water bottles, but when I let her drink from them she literally chugs all the water in the cup and then wants more! She also fills the little fish cup in her bathtub and drinks her bathwater, and if she doesn't have her cup she tries to go face first in the tub for water. I am amazed at how much she loves this stuff! Anyone know how much she can safely drink?

 

[nighten]

I would think a couple of ounces a day would be fine, for an older baby. We started offering water with solids around 7 months' or so, and she always has a few sips with her "meals" but we're still mostly breastfeeding.

The worry I think is that if you give them too much water not only does it fill them up without the nourishment of breastmilk, but it can make their electrolytes go all wonky. That's why it's best not to give it to a baby under 6 months or so at all, at least according to what I've read.

We found a good teething trick though was to use a newborn nipple on a bottle and fill it with very cold water. The baby chews on the nipple as a teether, and it helps. She doesn't get much water from sucking but the cold feels good on her teeth. She doesn't drink from a bottle anymore beyond the chewing thing on occasion.

At mealtime though she either drinks from a sippy cup or a regular cup, and probably takes about 1-2 ounces, if that, per seating. (So a total of probably 3-5 ounces a day?)

 

[forest~mama]

My dd went through a phase when she was 7-8mo when she loved water, but I didn't offer it to her much. She just started drinking out of a sippy cup at 12mo. She still breastfeeds, but is always really thirsty for water too.