Pediatricians recommend giving water to babies from 6 months of age, when food begins to enter the baby’s daily life, and breastfeeding is not the baby’s only food source.
However, infants exclusively breastfed do not need to drink water, tea or juice until they start a complementary diet, as breast milk already contains all the water the baby needs, in addition, babies under 6 months of age have a smaller stomach, so if they drink water, there may be a decrease in the desire to breastfeed , which can lead to nutritional deficiencies, for example.Here’s how to choose the best milk for your baby.
- The correct amount of water the baby needs should be calculated taking into account the child’s weight.
- See the table below.
The water should be offered several times a day and you can take into account the amount of water in the soup and theft juice, for example, but the baby should also get used to drinking only water, which has no color or flavor.
Some pediatricians consider that the amount of water the baby needs should be calculated based on his or her age, as follows:
The baby who exclusively breastfeeds at 6 months of age does not need water, as breast milk is composed of 88% water and has everything the baby needs to quench his thirst and appetite, so every time the mother breastfeeds, the baby drinks milk water.
The average daily water requirement for healthy babies up to 6 months of age is about 700 ml, but this amount is obtained in full from breast milk if breastfeeding is exclusive; However, if the baby is fed only milk powder, it is necessary to give about 100 to 200 ml of water a day.
From 7 months, with the introduction of food, the baby’s need for water is about 800 ml of water per day, and 600 ml should be in the form of liquids such as milk, juice or water.
Children between 1 and 3 years old should drink approximately 1.3 litres of water per day.
It is important to note that these recommendations are for healthy babies who do not suffer dehydration due to diarrhea or other health problems, for example, if the baby vomits or has diarrhea, it is important to provide even more water, in this case, the ideal is to observe the amount of liquid that is lost through vomiting and diarrhea and then immediately suggest the same amount of water or homemade serum. Learn how to prepare homemade serum.
In summer, the amount of water should still be slightly higher than recommended above, to compensate for the loss of water by perspiration and avoid dehydration, for this, even without the child asking, the child should be offered water, tea or natural juice throughout the day, several times a day.Know the signs of dehydration in your child.