Is it possible to give water to a newborn? The answer to my mother's question

The recommendations of the World Health Organization state that before a baby reaches the age of six months, no additional fluids other than breast milk are needed for the child. However, our grandmothers, aunts and girlfriends, as well as books about the upbringing of children, which have grown more than one generation of Soviet citizens, say the opposite - the child must be dosed with water. Who of them is really right? Is it possible to give water to a newborn? Is it useful?

Milk of the mother is unique in its composition, which changes not only during the day, from feeding to feeding, but also during the process itself. So-called "front milk", or early, consists of 90% of water. Even his color says this - it's a bluish tinge. It has a lot of lactose and protein, and at the beginning of feeding the baby sucks it, quenching and thirsting, and hunger at the same time. That's why the extra drink is not needed for the baby, at the beginning of the feeding, he gets the necessary amount of liquid. So it is necessary and possible to give water to a newborn who is breastfed?

Already at the end of feeding, the baby begins to suck out the so-called "mature" milk, or the back. It, unlike the front, white, thick and fat. In it - the main part of calories and fat (about 4 times more than in early milk). It gives the baby a feeling of fullness. Thus, a child who is on natural feeding, at first feeding, first drinks, and then eats.

Does water need a newborn - an "artificial"? A slightly different situation with children who are on artificial feeding. They from birth receive instead of constantly changing milk the same mixture in composition. They are often constipated, so they need dopaivanie. Its daily volume is recommended to be compared with the size of one feeding. That is, for a newborn it is approximately 100 ml per day. Is it possible to give water to a newborn such as we drink? Of the tap, raw - definitely not. The most secure is boiled, but it does not contain anything useful. The best option - dining cleaned bottled still water.

When and how to start?

The baby can be offered water from the age of 6 months, that is, from the time when the lure begins. You can offer up to 200 ml of water per day. Strict rules are not here, and parents decide whether it is possible to give water to a newborn, or else to wait. The amount of water can depend on the density of complementary foods and climate (temperature and humidity) in which the child lives. For example, a crumb living in a room with ideal conditions - 20-22 degrees of heat, 60-80% of humidity - needs water significantly less than a child spending time in a dry room with a red-hot battery or without an air conditioner in the summer.

It is better to give water to a child on breastfeeding from a cup or spoon, so as not to develop a "bottle" sucking and avoid breast failure. If a child refuses to drink from a spoon and a cup and water is necessary (for example, with a dissolved medicine or on the advice of a doctor), draw water into the syringe without needles and direct the jet into the mouth on the side surface of the cheek. Take care that the baby does not choke, do it gradually. Artificial animals can be given water from a bottle.

Should I give water to a newborn child if it's hot outside? It is possible, but still it is desirable simply to apply it more often to the chest. Do not give water when the baby wants to eat. The stomach filled with water will give him a false sense of satiety, but after 20-30 minutes he will again ask for food.

Babies of any age need to be given water if there is a risk of dehydration, for example, if the child repeatedly vomits, but it will not be pure water, but water with saline or "Regidron".