LO (10 months old) drinks quite a bit of water with her meals, but i am concerned as to whether she is drinking TOO much water. Should i be offering milk instead of water, since water doesn't have any nutritional value? Or should i be offering her formula/breastmilk?
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would love to hear what other people will say about this, as we have the opposite situation -- LO is totally not into water yet, but still loves his milk.
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I would do milk or formula/breast milk. At that age I had supply issues so our doctor ok'd introducing cows milk early. Maybe sips of water if they seemed really thirsty, but I would stick with something else for meals.
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I disagree, if your baby is eating significant solids, they need to replace the water that they're not getting from breast milk or formula. Water doesn't haves any nutritional value, sure, but its still crucial.
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LO drank water only with her meals if she wanted anything. She never drank milk (she has a dairy allergy but still wouldn't take soy milk or almond milk) and her doc said it was fine,
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I don't think there's any harm in offering milk or formula or breastmilk instead of water, but I would just focus on what she's eating rather than what she's drinking.
FWIW, I offer my LO lots of things to drink (fruit/veggie smoothies, water, milk) and while he CHUGS his water, he only takes sips of everything else.
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@sarac: I agree that water is crucial but sometimes she will have 6-7oz, and i think that's a lot!
@Sammyfab: Ooh, i really should think about offering her smoothies. What do you put it in -- a sippy cup? straw cup? cup? When did you start offering (whole) milk?
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Our doctor said solids were just for funsies until lo turned one and that she got her nutrition from formula or breastmilk until one so make sure she got a certain number of ounces a day, I don't remember the number. I think as long as they have enough formula or breastmilk, its ok to have a good amount of water too.
Also, the doctor said not to introduce cows milk until one.
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I don't think I would ever deny a child if they are asking for water... Hydration is essential, especially once their solids intake goes up. Why not offer both at mealtimes for her to choose and continue to offer formula/breastmilk at designated times thu the day/evening for her nutritional needs?
(Taking into account that water is discouraged at all before 6 months old and then limited until they start eating more regular meals, of course).
FWIW, at one year you don't need to offer cows milk either as an alternative as long as she is eating dairy from yogurt, cheese, etc. and also getting enough calories from her meals/snacks. Our bodies actually absorb calcium more efficiently from cultured dairy products than they do straight milk. This advice came to me from my pediatrician because my son did not like to drink cow or goat milk at one year old (though he was also still nursing quite a bit at that time) and I was worried about his calcium intake. I researched it after and felt ok to take my ped's advice.
Since every kiddo is different and has varying dietary needs, I would encourage you to call your pediatrician and ask his/her opinion about your question.
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@mama_byrd: She eats a ton of solids, and i do think water is necessary to help with the regularity of her bowel movements. I now nurse her 4x a day, and i don't know if i want to offer her formula (i have no frozen milk stash) with her meals. It's all very confusing, especially since i'm trying to wean her (unsuccessfully). I offer her yogurt and cheese, so i hope that it's enough calcium for her.
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Well, in our case DD no longer wants to drink a bottle anytime around solid food meal time. (She is also 10 months.) So in her case the only way that she gets enough liquid nutrition (she is formula fed), we have started putting formula in her sippy cup. Now she drinks almost as much formula from her sippy cup as she should be getting from a bottle, so I feel like we're doing the right thing.
Does your baby still get enough breast milk or formula throughout the day? In that case, I might just stick w/ water at mealtime, or offer milk / formula at one meal per day. You can always just try a sippy cup of milk and see what she does with it...
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Yes, regularity is definitely something to think about as her food intake goes up, especially if she is a big eater and not just eating solids for funsies.
How much is "a lot" of water at her meals? its recommended no more than 2-3 oz per meal at this age, as to not affect her sodium or electrolyte levels. If she is nursing 4 x's day still, she is still getting a fair amount of hydration and nutrition from that amount and it doesn't sound like she is replacing water with her breastmilk interests. But you mention weaning more soon, so I think these re all good things to consider.
Friends of mine have offered goats milk (easier to digest than cows milk) and kefir (but not all kids like the taste of this certainly) before a year old when breast milk was waning but not wanting to convert them to whole milk at that point. I think the biggest concern for weaning from breast milk completely and not replacing with formula before a year old is actually iron related, so you could also make sure she is getting iron rich foods in her diet as you wean. We did finely cut-up dried apricots, minced spinach and kale in a lot of his lunch and dinners, molasses in banana bread, etc to get that extra iron boost around that age. I also started him on a multi-vitamin when nursing became less frequent.
But again, I would talk to your pediatrician about a good food/milk plan for the one year mark. She's so close to this age and who knows, maybe your pediatrician will just recommend switching over now to cows milk at meals as you begin the fuller weening process over the next couple months.
Weelicious.com is an awesome website for infant and toddler food combos and to make sure you are getting balanced meals nutritionally without getting stuck with the same ideas all the time, if you need some inspiration.
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11 comments