My DD is eating 2 'solid' meals a day, in addition to nursing. She LOVES to drink water! If she sees me drinking, she wants some. I usually will give her a few sips if she comes to me wanting some, and during her 'solid' meals I put a little bit in a sippy cup for her. Right now she only gets 1-3 oz daily, for fear of poisoning her. I know that too much water can be very dangerous for a baby, but I have also heard that it's a good thing to give a little bit when they are on solids... so my question is how much water is it OK for her to be drinking? I don't know if it matters, but she is in the 97% for weight (Just under 23 lbs...), and is still nursing plenty. I only give her 1-2 oz of solids per meal, depending on how much she wants. She also 'snacks' on puffs, but most of those go are going to the dogs until she gets her hand-mouth coordination figured out. lol.
I thought I read recently not to allow your baby to drink more than 6 oz of water per day due to risk of water in the brain??? Maybe ask her doctor and/or google this? My son is 10 months and loves water also, but I limit it to 6 oz because of what I read...it was in an e-newsletter for parents.
I really think you are fine. Water poisoning happens when a younger baby drinks water instead of nutrition and becomes malnourished and fails to thrive. They fill their small tummys with water instead of calories. Your daughter sounds healthy. I would just increase her water consumption slowly and make sure she is getting all she needs in terms of calories and nutrients. Your fine! (obviously, this is my opinion, hope to help)
I'd say at least 10 oz of water daily shouldn't hurt. As long as she is getting most of her nutrition through breastmilk (or formula). Water only becomes dangerous when it replaces the nutritional feeds. never let her fill up on water before a feeding, but cups between feedings or with food is okay. As long as she keeps nursing enough to keep up your milk supply, she'll be fine, just remember with breastfeeding, it's all suply & demand. Whatever she demands, your breasts will supply, so the more water she drinks, the less she suckles & the less milk you'll make. Tiny stomachs need frequent refills. But, there is a endocrine disorder called diabetes insipidus, which causes a constant thirst. It is rare, but if it seems like she constantly wants to drink, no matter how much she gets, maybe wise to have a pediratrician check her out. It really doesn;t sound nerly that serious to me, but hard to tell in an email, so jut thought I'd mention "worst case scenario" possibility.
I think there is no way they are going to drink too much water if they are 7 months that it would affect their brain. I think the main issue is that they are filling up on water and not getting enough calories they need at this age. I think 6 to 8 oz a day are probably the most I would give, but I don't think it will cause her any real danger.
I went to this site : babycenter.com and it says that if a baby (6 months and younger) drinks a lot of water in some rare cases, they can develop a condition called water intoxication. It says it can cause seizures and even a coma! I didn't even knew this but I actually gave my daughter water when she was about 8 months or so.
Anyways, I found this unbelievable, I had no idea water could cause such a bad effect in babies (6 months and under though).
Here's the link if you want to read the whole thing:
http://www.babycenter.com/408_when-can-my-baby-drink-wate...
Water intoxication can occur in babies if they are not getting enough food sources to replenish lost sodium which is flushed out of the blood and can therefore alter brain function and cause seizures. Children already dehydrated are more at risk and because of their immature kidneys they cannot flush out water fast enough which can cause dangerous build up of water in the body. I also heard it was more about how fast water was consumed not so much as to the amount. I personally just give my baby the water I mix with formula and water I use to dilude the baby juice. ie 2 oz water with 3 or 4 oz juice for example ..I rarely give water straight unless they have hard bowels or are constipated. I agree with the others that 6 oz of water should be fine.
