When Is It Better To Allow Babies To Drink Water?

Illustration (Sergey Makshin/Pexels)

JAKARTA - The body needs to have enough fluids to function properly. If children's bodies lack fluids, they are at high risk of dehydration. To prevent this condition, make drinking water a good habit for children from an early age.

But at what age can parents introduce their children to water? Launching Very Well Family, Wednesday, May 24, children aged six months and over are only allowed to drink water. Meanwhile, children under the age of six are not allowed to drink water because at that age, he simply gets hydration from breast milk or formula.

If you are worried about your child getting dehydrated during the summer, know that breast milk consists of 80 percent water itself. During hot weather or if you're worried that your baby doesn't get enough liquid, give him breast milk or formula instead of offering water. Apart from containing water, breast milk and formulas also offer many important nutrients that water doesn't have.

Introducing water to babies before the age of 6 months can be dangerous. This can lead to malnutrition, supply problems, and unwanted early screening. Unclean water can also pose a safety risk that can cause diarrhea or infection. Here's a further explanation of the risk of introducing water too early to the baby.

Early Vocational

Breastfeeding works based on offers and requests. If you are breastfeeding, your body continues to produce breast milk depending on how often your baby is breastfeeding or how often you pump breast milk.

If you give a baby water instead of breastfeeding it, you may accidentally signal the body to produce less breast milk. Over time, this can lead to unwanted early screening.

Infection

Water is felt not clean enough for the baby's digestive system so it is feared that it can cause digestive infection to diarrhea. The baby affected by diarrhea is quite dangerous because it can make the little one dehydrated. Water also has the potential to remove nutrients that exist in breast milk or formula before being absorbed by the baby's body. If so, your child has the potential to be malnourished.

Malnutrition

Your baby needs nutrients found in breast milk or formula for the right development, especially during the first six months of their life. Providing water to babies can cause them to drink less breast milk or formula.

Then, how to introduce a 6-month-old baby to the water? Well, you can start introducing to the baby by pouring water into a glass of belimbing or drinking bottles with straws.