[chinacat]

hi, my son is 5 1/2 months old. He's not eatting solids only breast milk. Lately he has been so interested in the water i'm drinking, he's grabbing for it. The other day i let him have some out of my cup and he loved it!! he was so excited about it. I don't think he actually got any but none the less he enjoyed the experience. So my questions is would it be ok to give him a sippy cup with a bit of water in it ? I didn't give my oldest any water in a cup untill he started eatting solids at about 7 months. And is water out of a filter ok for them to drink this young?
thanks in advance

Julia

 

[Chelly2003]

I don't think there is anything wrong with giving a baby something like water to "play" with - thats what my daughter does, I've given her a sippy cup with water to "experiment" with, she mostly just chews on the spout and gets water all down her front! I doubt she consumes any of it at all.........

I think all agree, its not NEEDED, but its nice or even fun to give baby something to "play" with like that. (my daughter is almost 7 months now) I've also given her breastmilk in a sippy cup - and she pretty much does the same thing, chews on it and all the milk ends up down her front!

 

[DaryLLL]

Water for a 5-6 mo is OK, no more than 3-4 oz a day. It is lots of fun and good practice. All 3 of mine started a cup early, even at 3 mos. But just tiny sips until 5 mos. They still nursed about 12x/day.

 

[Bethla]

I am currently enrolled in a nutrition class and my instructor touched upon this issue. She said it's best to give baby water in a sippy cup and in very small amounts. Adults can not become full from drinking water, but babies may and then will not want to nurse, which is where all the good stuff comes from!

Just don't give water in a bottle!

 

[chinacat]

thanks for all the replys.
I gave him a bit the other day in a cup and he pretty much just poured it on himslef..lol he had alot of fun doing it!!

Julia

 

[SlingWearin'Mama]

Hey we are going through the same thing as we speak.. when ava was a little over 4.5 months she was obsessed with me drinking, would take both of her hands grab the glass, open her mouth and put it to her mouth.. After a few days of this I gave her a tiny sip, she LOVED it.. and wore most of it.. so I gave her a sippy cup and she took a few sips... Now maybe at most she maybe drinks an ounce a day.. probably not that much.. its really just playtime and s he has so much fun.. and does it get any cleaner than this? My new dilema is to offer some food as she tries to grab my spoon and put it in her mouth.. she is over five months now so maybe time for rice cereal? I planned on waitinh until 6 months but I also believe in follwing their cues.. So we might just try and see how it goes...

good luck with the water I think its just good clean fun and baby learning and exploring the world around them...

 

[DaryLLL]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CrunchyJenn ? My new dilema is to offer some food as she tries to grab my spoon and put it in her mouth.. she is over five months now so maybe time for rice cereal? I planned on waitinh until 6 months but I also believe in follwing their cues.. So we might just try and see how it goes... good luck with the water I think its just good clean fun and baby learning and exploring the world around them...

T I'd rec waiting. Just give her her own spoon with nothing on it for now. 5 mos is kind of young. When you do start, it doesn't have to be processed white rice cereal. Many moms here start their babies on whole foods, fresh fruit purees. Just take a ripe fruit and mash it with a fork.

Some babies seem to want to eat but at this age or even 6-9 mos, have trouble digesting table foods. Go slow! Watch for constipation and gas and rashes.

 

[StarMama]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bethla I am currently enrolled in a nutrition class and my instructor touched upon this issue. She said it's best to give baby water in a sippy cup and in very small amounts. Adults can not become full from drinking water, but babies may and then will not want to nurse, which is where all the good stuff comes from! Just don't give water in a bottle!

Can I ask why? I give ds some water in a bottle sometimes....

 

[stafl]

probably the reasoning behind the advice not to give water in a bottle has to do with nipple preference or creating a nursing strike. I wouldn't want to risk it, either.

 

[rainbowmoon]

i was about to post the exact same question..

our ds is 4 months and he seems thirsty at times but not necessarily hungry? we live in the desert with temps that exceed 100 degrees...would it be ok to give him just a sip or two? or is he just way to young you think? (we BF and supplement)

(DH actually gave him a bottle of water once-not knowing he shouldn't- when he was 2 months old!) I am not worried about nipple confusion at all as we've done it all (breast,cup,bottle,finger feeding,medicine dropper &
lact-aid) and he is pretty adaptable at feeding thus far..

 

[StarMama]

Yeah we've had to supplement too, so nipple preference or a nursing strike isn't an issue for us... any other reason?

 

[Aura_Kitten]

i started giving my son water in his bottle around 3 or 4 months old ~ it was extraordinarily hot out, and his pediatrician advised it, to keep him hydrated. he loved it.

and he had no problem w/ decreased appetite after that either... but then he was always willing to eat.

 

[Chelly2003]

When its hot here, I simply BF more, DD seems to get plently of fluids that way. I don't believe you need to give water when its hot, unless perhaps you're formula feeding (I'm not sure on that one) My breastmilk looks different at different times, when its hot or at the beginning of a nursing session - it will look like water mixed with milk......... then after a time of nursing, it gets really nice creamy white.
I think you just don't want a baby to FILL up on water, and then not get enough nutrients because of skipping a nursing session.

Chelly