It is necessary to start giving water to the baby as soon as he starts drinking and eating baby food, and it is also necessary to provide water if the baby does not exclusively breast feed and already has adapted milk, which are special milk formulas for babies. Here's how to choose the best milk for your baby.
However, infants who are exclusively breastfed do not need to drink water, teas or juices until they start complementary feeding because breast milk already has all the water the baby needs.
The correct amount of water the baby needs should be calculated taking into consideration the child's weight. See the table below.
| Baby age | Amount of water required per day |
| Pre-mature with less than 1 kg | 150 ml per kg of body weight |
| Pre-mature with more than 1 kg | 100 to 150 ml per kg of body weight |
| Infants up to 10 kg | 100 ml per kg of body weight |
| Babies between 11 and 20 kg | 1 liter + 50 ml per kg of body weight |
| Babies weighing more than 20 kg | 1.5 liter + 20 ml per kg of body weight |
The water should be offered several times a day and one can take into account the amount of water that is present in the soup and the juice of steal, for example. However, the baby must also get used to drinking only water, which has no color or taste.
Right amount of water according to baby's age
Some pediatricians consider that the amount of water your baby needs should be calculated according to your age, like this:
Up to 6 months of age
The baby who exclusively breastfeeds up to 6 months of age does not need water because breast milk consists of 88% water and has everything the baby needs to quench thirst and appetite. In this way, whenever the mother breastfeeds, the baby is drinking water through the milk.
The average daily water requirement for healthy infants up to 6 months of age is about 700 ml, but this amount is completely obtained through breast milk if breastfeeding is exclusive. However, if the baby feeds only on powdered milk, it is necessary to give about 100 to 200 ml of water per day.
From 7 to 12 months of age
From the age of 7 months, with the introduction of food, the baby's water requirement is about 800 ml of water per day, and 600 ml should be in the form of liquids such as milk, juice or water.
From 1 to 3 years old
Children between the ages of 1 and 3 need to drink about 1.3 liters of water a day.
It is important to note that these recommendations are directed to the healthy baby who does not have dehydration due to diarrhea or other health problems. Thus, if the baby is vomiting or having diarrhea, it is important to offer even more water. In this case, the ideal is to observe the amount of fluid lost through vomiting and diarrhea and then to offer the same amount of water or homemade serum. Learn how to prepare homemade whey.
In summer, the amount of water has to be even slightly higher than the one recommended above, to compensate for the loss of water through sweat and prevent dehydration. For this, even without the child asking, one should offer water, tea or natural juice to the child throughout the day, several times a day. Know the signs of dehydration in the child.
