In the last issue, the pediatrician said that Dr. Shihan told everyone that exclusively breast-fed babies (babies within 6 months old) do not need additional water. There are many mothers backstage asking [do babies who are mixed-fed or have already added supplementary foods need extra water]?
Let’s talk about it today.
In hot summer and autumn, especially when the temperature reaches ≥ 32 ℃, the baby should stay in a cool and ventilated room as far as possible, regardless of the amount of activity, it needs to appropriately increase the intake of liquid. This is beyond doubt.
What about babies who are mixed-fed or have added supplementary foods? Do you need extra water?
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends:
- Within six months, No matter whether the baby is fed with mixed or pure formula milk, Under normal circumstances, there is no need to give extra water (plain boiled water) and fruit juice (unless there are medical indications). For babies after 6 months of age, You can start thinking about feeding water in cups, But the quantity must be small, And don’t force your baby to drink. Don’t worry if your baby refuses to drink water, Because babies may prefer to drink milk (breast milk or formula milk) frequently to get the water they need. Babies who have added supplementary foods will have a relatively increased demand for water. Parents should take the initiative to find signs of thirst in their babies, such as dry lips, yellow urine color, little or no tears when crying, etc.
Can I have juice?
What parents need to pay attention to is that drinking water is a habit problem. We should try our best to let the baby form a good habit of drinking plain boiled water, which can benefit the baby for a lifetime.
Some parents may think that their children’s drinking plain boiled water is tasteless and want to give their children some fruit juice, but in fact fruit juice cannot be given to their children casually.
If the baby forms the habit of drinking fruit juice instead of plain boiled water, it may lead to the baby being willing to drink only sweet drinks when he grows up, which may cause the baby to be overweight, obese and other problems.
Therefore, parents must pay attention to remember the following two points:
1. Try not to drink fruit juice to babies under 6 months old, including freshly squeezed fruit juice, 100% pure fruit juice and diluted fruit juice.
2. Babies over 6 months old can drink a small amount of diluted fruit juice, but babies between 7 and 12 months old are more recommended to eat fruit directly. Because the nutritional value of fruit juice is not as good as real fruit, puree or small fruit grains are more nutritious and healthier than drinking fruit juice.
If you drink fruit juice, you must pay attention to the limit: the daily consumption of pure fruit juice for babies aged 7-12 months should not exceed 120ml, and that for babies aged 2-6 years should not exceed 180ml. Moreover, you should not drink it before going to bed, nor should you use it as a supplement for dehydration and diarrhea.