Giving Water to a 6 Month Old Exclusively Breastfed Baby When Starting Solids

I would only worry about giving water when you are ready to introduce sippy cups. If you're ready now, then go ahead. I would put enough water in the cup so that they can comfortably drink from it (don't have to stare at the ceiling to tilt it up enough), but not so heavy they can't lift it.
Other than that, it shouldn't affect the baby's breastfeeding if you are only doing the cup at the table - no giving them the cup as a toy, or to take around the house. The cup should be for mealtime, not playtime.

Good luck!

He is still so young it is really not necessary but I have let some of my kids play with a sippy cup of water at that age. Food when they are that young is really about exploring anyway.

Great idea, giving water in a sippy cup with meals is a great habit....But wait until and ask nurse/dr how much or when to start water due to concerns about diluting his electorlytes.

I believe the doctors say 1 oz of juice for every month old they are a day...i choose pear and prune juice because rice is know to stop up your baby...I believe that is also the rule for water... I offer the juice or water inbetween every 3 or 4 spoon fulls of the solids....my little one is 6 mo old and doesn't process the rice very well so i'm just sticking to oatmeal with home made fruits and veggies

Hydration is always a good idea. But I would give water an hour AFTER solids or no more than an hour before eating. My husband and I are reading a book right now and there is much information on proper digestion. Stomach acids need to be allowed to work to digest the food - if we dilute them with liquids then the food has a harder time breaking down for the body to use. The author says that many people have reflux and indigestion because too much liquid is consumed with our meals. So we are taking that que for our whole family and drinking when thirsty in between meals. I hope that helps. Blessings, S.

I don't think he needs water. Just keep nursing him. AF

My pediatrician actually said no water until after 6 months because babies need all the nutrition they can get so they should have breastmilk or formula instead of water until after 6 months. After 6 months, he said I could offer water but it shouldn't be the main source of hydration over breastmillk or formula until age 1. My daughter continued to prefer breastmilk over other liquids after 6 months. After a year, she started drinking a few sips of soy milk (she couldn't tolerate whole milk) with meals. But even with that she hardly drank more than half a cup of liquids because she was still breastfed. I had to remind myself to constantly offer water to her. Now that I'm weaning her at age 2, she drinks more.

Some ways of telling if your daughter is hydrated is checking the soft spot to make sure it is not sunken, she's not constipated and that she wets at least 3 diapers a day. Also, she should have tears when she cries and her mouth and tongue should be moist and not dry or white. Hope this helps.

I was told at this age no more than 3 oz a day of water should be given. I have been freezing juice in ice cube trays and using them with a little water in a sippy cup for practice. I also make my baby's food at home and I always add a little water in with the frozen food cubes. My baby is 7 months old and doesn't really get to much from the cup but she likes to hold it and gum the nipple of the cup. Good practice.

My boys were both exclusively breastfed as well, and I didn't start giving them water until they were 9-10 months old. I was told that regularly drinking water before that age isn't good for them since their systems are so tiny it can actually dilute their blood. I don't know for sure, since I'm not a doctor myself, but that is what both of my boys' peds told me.

I would say no don't give the water. Breastmilk should be the main source of food and drink at this point.

On the other hand I didn't give my kids water until they were much older. My problem was that they were so addicted to my BM that they didn't want to drink anything but!

I gave my breastfed children a small cup with about a half an inch to an inch of water after they ate their rice cereal. For my oldest, I used an open cup and that actually worked for her. For my boys -- who tended to throw things at that age -- I used the sippy cup. When they were older, they made the transition to learning to use a regular cup.

Hi ~ I think you should definitely be giving him water... I was giving my son water at 2 months, I started with just 6oz of water a day.

Career Mom of a 2 year old healthy son!

Your breastmilk should provide plenty of hydration. I waited until my breastfed babies were ready for sippy cups, about 8 months before giving them water. I would recommend you breastfeed first before doing solids or water to make sure he gets all the nutrition he needs before filling up on other stuff.

I didn't start giving my child water to drink until after she was 1 year old. Before that, I gave water in a sippy to train her with the sippy, but she didn't start drinking water until after a year.

Breastmilk is mostly water and provides nutrition. My concern with giving water in the absense of an indication that baby needs water, is that he would fill up on water and not get the nutrition he needs from the breastmilk.

Until 1 year, breastmilk or formula should form the basis of the child's diet.

It doesn't hurt to offer some water in the sippy cup with foods, as L. as the foods and water don't replace the amount of breastmilk the baby consumes.

Breastmilk/formula are the primary source of nutrition throughout the first year.