Can newborn babies drink water?

Parents are unaware of some of their children's physical manifestations as they are their first time parents. Many people think that babies will be thirsty if they keep crying after birth, so they will feed them water. In fact, children do not need extra water, but if you want to feed them, they can drink a little bit appropriately. Be careful not to drink too much, because the baby has not yet adapted to the external environment after birth. A little bit of taste will make the baby's stomach more receptive.

Babies cannot survive without water. Do babies need to drink water? The answer to this question can be yes or no. The full answer should be: Babies are just like the rest of us humans; they need water to survive.

Babies Don't Need Extra Water However, the fact is that babies don't need to drink water. Pediatricians recommend not giving your baby plain or distilled water until he or she is six months old. The water that babies need can be adequately supplied from breast milk and other baby foods (such as milk powder). Because babies' diet comes almost entirely from breast milk or formula, and breast milk and formula are mostly water, babies usually do not need to drink additional water.

Doctors will usually tell you not to give your baby plain water. This is because water easily fills up a baby's stomach, and only a few ounces are needed to make a baby full. Adults drink a lot of water every day because their main meals contain more solid food and salt, and they need extra water to adjust.

In addition, adults are more active and sweat more, so they need to drink more water. Babies should get the nutrients they need through their usual, normal diet. Breast milk contains the nutrients that babies need. Babies absorb the calories and other nutrients in breast milk to provide nutrition to their bodies and grow gradually.

When does a baby need water?

Once your baby starts to grow teeth, they will need fluoride to provide nutrients for the growth of new teeth, so let your baby drink drinking water at this time to meet the needs of the growing new teeth. However, before teething, it is best not to let babies drink water, but to let them get the water they need from breast milk and other baby foods.

Some parents want their babies to drink more water because they are afraid that their babies will become constipated. In fact, there are many reasons for baby constipation, which are mainly related to the function of the baby's gastrointestinal tract. Although eating habits have an impact on constipation, they are not the main factor. Therefore, the amount of water intake mainly affects the amount of urine rather than the quality and quantity of stool. In addition, do not let infants and young children drink too much sports drinks, because in addition to water, sports drinks also contain electrolytes, which can easily satisfy the baby's appetite and reduce the amount of food eaten at regular meals.