do you give your babies water?

[choffee]

i've never formula fed before, so i don't know if i should be giving JJ water or not. it's been really hot here the past few days, and sometimes he acts like he wants a drink, but not to eat a whole bottle. does that make sense?

anyway, just wondering if i should be giving him water.

[Lucy]

I used to give DS some water if it was really hot and he was eating his bottles of formula at regulat intervals still. I would guess your DS is on a recognizable schedule at 5 months (though not all are!) so you'd be able to tell within a day if it was making him eat less formula, in which case stop with the extra water and offer more formula more frequently.

[Sarah]

No I don't....well, not usually.
We are going to the park today and I'm going to bring a bottle of water for him, because it's so hot today.

[CNYMom]

i would say a small amount mixed with a small amount of sugar.

You really shouldn't give A LOT of water, thier kidneys aren't able to dispose of all those extra elecrolytes.

I've asked a pedi and he said it was fine, just not a whole bunch.

[Travelin Mama]

We give a little (only 1/2 ounce max). Our pediatrician said a few cool sips of water on a hot day isn't going to hurt them and it would help them cool down. Just don't replace formula with water.

[MaryB23]

I didn't really start giving a whole lot of water until Andrew started eating more solids. Eric hasn't had any water yet, but on really hot days, I put a smidge more water in his formula bottle (just a hair above the line rather than on it, KWIM?).

[metta4]

we didn't offer Iain any water until he started solids. the ped said to offer it in the sippy cup..given he hasn't figured out the sippy cup yet i don't think he has gotten more than a sip or two.

[Libby]

Our dr said not to since they got water from their formula but my mom was very upset with this & said babies need water. I aske the dr again & he said we could give them water but not to overdue it and that they really didn't need it. I would think on really hot days babies would welcome some cold water just like we do.

[AmyA]

We were on vacation and at the pool quite a bit last week. With it being so hot even in the shade, I packed a bottle of cold water and gave Jake a few swigs every now and then just to make sure he didn't dehydrate.