How to Introduce Water to Babies

Giving water to your baby earlier than six months of age can interfere with the necessary daily intake of nutrients from breastmilk or baby formula. Water gives a young baby the sensation of feeling full, which reduces the urge and desire to consume milk. In the first six months, your baby receives plenty of healthy water, since formula milk contains 80 percent water, and breastmilk is composed of 90 percent water. After six months, gradually introducing water into the diet weans your baby from breastmilk or formula and teaches your baby how to use a drinking cup.

Things You'll Need

  • Sippy drinking cup
  • Regular drinking cup
  • Water

Instructions

    • 1

      Give your baby a lightweight sippy cup of water starting at six months of age. In the beginning, let your baby play with the empty sippy cup to become familiar with the shape, size and weight.

    • 2

      Teach your baby how to practice holding the empty cup with both hands. Assist your baby by gently holding their hands over the sippy cup and practice lifting the cup to the mouth.

    • 3

      Ask your doctor about the best type of water for your baby. Certain types of spring water and natural mineral water contain dangerously high levels of minerals and sodium.

    • 4

      Introduce the sippy cup of water occasionally during feeding or snack time, and continue helping your baby practice using the cup. Use a cup with a sealed lid and drinking valve on the top. Continue feeding your baby milk and formula until his first birthday.

    • 5

      Replace the closed-lid sippy cup with a regular open cup filled with water. Wait until your baby learns how to properly drink from a closed-lid cup before making the switch.

    2. Previous:

    Next:

    • How to Mix 24-Calorie Similac
      Similac offers a line of formula designed for premature infants, including Similac Advance, Isomil and Sensitive. The formula provides 24 calories per fluid ounce and is fortified with iron to give premature or low-birth-weight babies the nutrition t
    • When Can I Give My Baby Green Peppers?
      When to introduce bell peppers into your babys diet depends less on their ability to digest the vegetable and more on how you prepare it. Chunks of raw bell pepper may pose a choking hazard to children younger than 4 years old. Prepared properly, how
    • What Kind of Water Should Be Used in Infant Formula?
      For many parents who are new to using infant formula, its common to have questions about the best water to mix with powdered or concentrated liquid formula. While you may not need to spring for the expensive nursery water from the baby isle, the best