Is It Necessary/okay for My 7 Month Old Baby to Drink Water?

What a great question! Little ones under a year old definitely should get filtered water of some sort, instead of just tap water. They also get thirsty once they start moving around, and I would imagine they would loose some of their hydration while out hiking on such a hot day. Don't forget to drink extra water yourself to keep up your milk supply! Have a great time!

No one mentioned the diapers. Pay attention to how much wet diapers you are changing and that will give you a sign if she is getting dehydrated. I would offer her the breast more often as someone mentioned. Keep yourself well hydrated. Try to use a thin breathable hat for her. The sun can be brutal on those hikes, especially diamond head and some on the big island, no shade and you are stuck until you get where you are going and then you have to go back. Talk to the locals, they know of some really cool of the beaten path and not so touristy hikes. We found all these water falls on Maui in the old water irrigation system by talking to the guy selling pinapples on the side of the road. Don't go in the water falls with open cuts and don't pee as they have a parasite that travels up the urethra when you urinate(look it up on the web I can't remember exactly what it is called) It is beautiful there you will love it. Have fun!!!!!!

I think you could maybe pump just before you go and bring some of that along, as refrigeration is not needed right away. Personally, I would stay hydrated myself and offer the boob more often; I think it's a great time to rest. My dd doesn't always let me know she's thirsty, she'll just sleep, so be careful and offer more.
Watch out for the sun for all of you, too! I turned lobster-esque 10 years ago on my trip :)

After 6 months, our pediatrician gave us the ok for water. She said filtered was fine; she advised against using bottled or nursery water because they have no flouride. That was for long-term though. When we started giving our son water, I used a sippy cup to get him used to it. He would also drink straight from my bottle of water when we were out. If you want to use sippies, I'd recommend giving it to her now to let her play with it and get familiar with what it does. Have a great time on your trip!!

I am also a nurse and I have to go with the other nurse on this one- babies don't need water. Breastfed babies especially. It's okay to give her a littlle every now and then but she doesn't need it. Babies are very sensitive to the effects of two much water and since they eat so little if water fills up their tummy they miss out on calories and nutrients. Breastmilk should be more than good enough.

By the way, if you were to give bottled water remember that many bottled waters are usually bottled local to where you are- it is not the same water baby is used to anyway, even if it is the same brand. As long as the tap water is safe for you it is safe for baby.

Ask your peditrition about the water. Babies dehydrate something like 30 times faster than people. It doesn't take a lot of heat for them to become "overheated". Your peds. nurse can answer that question in 1 phone call. Please don't take a chance on someones answer to this being something like "my baby was fine", "just feed him more", etc. Feeding him more in heat can make him sick also. So please call the ped.

Wow, you have gotten a lot of advice that doesn't seem to match. You should probably check with your pediatrician. My experience is that my pediatrician told me I could give my daughter little drinks of water in-between feedings (I breastfed exclusively for 9 months). He suggested against nursery water and told me I could use tap water (I am in the city). My daughter was never interested and she has always been on the light side, so we never felt any need to give her water. To be honest I can't remember when the first time was that I gave her water to drink, but it was probably after 9 months.

Have Fun!

D.

It is definitely ok to give water to infants as long as they are taking solid food, like cereal and fruits/veggies. (I don't know what that nurse it talking about.) Do they NEED it, no. Just nurse more often and keep yourself hydrated. But you can give her water if you want to. I would give bottled water while you are on vacation and tap water if you are at home. Pay attention to the diapers like someone else said. If the urine is dark yellow, then your daughter is dehydrated and needs more fluids. Good luck and have a wonderful vacation!

So my daughter is only a month older and i have been giving her water with meals (solids) i brought this question up with my doc when i first started her on solids at about 4 months and she is also breastfed anyway it's fine but not really recommended for supplement only thirst. at this age if your concerned about her eating enough on your hike just bring some jar food and some sippies and my doctor said another thing that just made so much sense to me that i wondered why it never came to me before " just think of what you eat and drink in a day and remember that is the ultimate goal for them" she will be fine have fun and try not to worry.

you may find you have to nurse a bit more but other than that no extra water should be needed. It's ok to give them about 4 oz at that age, throughout the day, but really not needed. It's not like you are going to the dessert.

If you do give water, or use some to mix with her cereal, use only bottled. Tummies at that age are sensitive and even a tiny change in the location can make a change in what is in water, so I didn't ever risk tap water if we were outside our own area.

Babies under 1 do not need water, just as they don't need juice. It's great that you are exclusively breastfeeding; just keep offering her the breast (and if you aren't comfy doing it in public just pump and bring it). Breastmilk does the job in keeping her hydrated. Have a great trip!

My ped said they dont need water before 1 year. And it would be nursery water if they did. Not tap or bottled. But i would call your doctor or his nurse for sure. Only they can answer for your child.

J.,
I'm a nurse at Children's Memorial. Babies under 1 year old should never have water. Their bodies don't know how to process it. Did you hear recently of a girl who either died or was in the intensive care unit because her mom was supplementing her formula with extra water, less powder, to save money? She will be fine on breastmilk and her solids. Have a wonderful time in Hawaii!!!

Since I've been accused of not knowing what I'm talking about, please check out the Johns Hopkins website at www.hopkinschildrens.org/newsDetail.aspx?id=4844

I would try to maintain her normal breastfeeding routine. While it's true that babies can harmed by having too much water, a sip or two of nursery water here and there to wet her mouth won't hurt her. I try to think about how often I need to have a sip - do I want my baby to only have something every couple hours?

p.s. They don't slow down. Mine is 10 mos. old and it's game on from the time she wakes up in the morning.

As a best friend to a pediatrician, it is 100% OKAY to give your daughter water. It is whole milk that should wait until 1 year old due to the baby's system not having the fully developed enzyme to break down and process the milk. If it is really hot and baby seems to be sweating, then yes offer her water or even very diluted juice. The worst thing you want to happen is for your baby to dehydrate while on vacation! Enjoy your trip. Hawaii is absolutely beautiful :)

This is something you should definitely check with your pediatrician just to play it safe. Also, I would trust a nurse from Children's Memorial as my child had to go there and I got to see first hand how terrific and knowledgeable they are. Please, play it safe.
Have a wonderful trip.

Most doctors recommend not to give babies water until they are a year old. It has something to do with Kidney development. I would just contact your doctor before the trip.