How do we encourage drinking water in infants and toddlers?
Clear, clean water is a key factor in maintaining a healthy lifespan for both adults and infants.
How can we encourage the little ones to drink enough and have healthy habits?
How do we identify a baby’s thirst and what do we do when he refuses to drink?
All answers are here:
Water, from what age?
As you’ve probably seen in countless exciting pictures and maybe you’ve learned to read articles on the subject – babies usually feel great in the water.
Given that the baby spends the first nine months of his life surrounded by water, it is not surprising that he feels relaxed and relaxed even when he is out of the womb.
But as far as drinking water is concerned, the situation is very different – every baby and his drinking attitude.
Drinking water is essential to the development and normal growth of the baby, but is it important to drink them from the moment of birth?
According to the instructions of the Ministry of Health, in the first six months of life, the baby receives the full amount of fluids required by the mother’s milk or food substitutes, without the need to drink water separately.
After half a year, more or less near the time when he begins to eat solid food, one must start incorporating his drinking water in his diet.
A winning recipe for water
Today, most of us know that quality, clean water is a basic need to maintain a healthy lifespan and it is best not to compromise on it.
In most homes, you can find a water bar or at least a sink for a tap. Of course, it is important that we also take care of the water for healthy and available water, but before that, we should make sure that they are safe for their bodies and do not harm their digestive system.
Drinking water for babies should be boiled for at least two minutes and then cooled.
It is recommended to prepare a sufficient amount of water for the baby for the entire day.
The water should be offered at room temperature in order to accustom it to it.
How do we recognize thirst in babies?
Do you know this feeling when you come home from a workout or other strenuous activity, and you want to drink a whole gallon of water?
This feeling is also present in babies who have already started to eat solid food, but they can not tell you about it.
Babies are thirsty, they need liquids consistently and regularly, and it is very important to get used to them, but we as parents should know and recognize a feeling of thirst in the baby as well-worn parents already know the crying of hunger or any other kind of crying.
First, if the little one has finished eating and the crying continues – it is quite possible that it is thirst and a bottle of water will solve the problem and calm it down.
Second, just as when we are thirsty we squeeze our lips, babies also do the same natural movement, and sometimes the blinking sounds can be heard from their lips.
However, try to offer them a bottle of water frequently during the day.
Do not worry – they will not drink excessively but according to their need, and you will be calm that you provided it.
It is worth mentioning that in the summer season babies are also warmer and therefore it is better to offer them more water, even when they wake up at night.
And what if they are not thirsty?
Just as in experiences with food, each baby reacts differently to drinking water.
In some cases, babies will get used from the first moment to the water bottle, taste, and texture.
In the more common cases, we encounter refusal to drink, push the bottle, or cry when the baby is drinking water.
It is important to remember that in the end, all the babies get used to the water and your habit will also become accustomed to them, so patience and perseverance are important.
If the baby is not eager to drink from the bottle, it is worth trying to change it to another bottle that will arouse curiosity or make it clear to him that it is a drink that is not the milk he is accustomed to.
Given that babies learn first of all from their parents, we should use a personal example and think that we too drink water.
So, whenever you drink, offer water to your baby as well. This is usually a message that passes quite quickly.
Water has no substitute
Quite a few parents tend to replace the water with another drink because “the child is not ready to drink water” and “the main thing is to drink something that will give him strength.”
Here is the place to mention: boiled water is irreplaceable, and the alternatives are not healthy for them.
Water sweetened with sugar or concentrate, let alone commercially sweetened beverages, contains harmful sugars that can lead to obesity and some babies with other side effects.
Moreover, the babies exposed to this drink will become accustomed to it and develop a dependence on it, which will make their future transition to water drinking longer and more complex.
Drinks like tea, even without sugar, are not recommended for babies.
Tea contains active ingredients that may damage the growth process and lead to tooth decay and even lack of appetite.
Keep the water boiled and cooled to your baby, and be patient.
In the end, you will find out how much it will pay you down the road.
