Giving My 1 Year Old Water

Milk should be given with meals and you can provide water in a sippy cup the rest of the day. He will drink as much or as little as he needs. Try to refrain from juice. Many children only want sweet drinks after having juice and will not take water! Relax and have fun with him!

Hi~ I agree with Halia, start him out with small amounts adding at least 1oz every 3-5days. My youngest is 16 now, but that's the advice I remember the pediatrician giving me. Good Luck!

I have a 22 month old daughter. We started giving her water around 8 months, but only a little bit. The doctor said we could, but didn't really need to since she was getting everything she needed in the formula. When we started whole milk we started giving her water whenever she seemed thirsty. She started saying "agua" for water and that's how we knew she wanted it. It's not her favorite beverage so we add a little bit of apple juice for taste. She just now started to drink it without the juice, but only if it's really cold. Hope this helps.

Hi M.,I think milk should be given with all his meals and water between meals - that depends on you and, every kid is different. If your son is very active he might require more drinks than others and that's when water comes handy. Just make sure he drinks enough milk because he needs all its nutrients.

at his age, he should only be drinking 4 cups of milk per day. (i usually chose breakfast, lunch, dinner, and before bed for milk) so any other time he's thirsty, give him juice or water. i always dilute my kids' juice about half and half with water b/c even 100% juice has natural sugar and can make kids fat if they drink it all the time. also, even a baby's body needs water, especially on a hot day or after playing really hard. plus, you want him to get used to drinking water now while he's young so he will drink it when he's older (trust me on this, my older daughter HATES water b/c i let her drink milk and juice all the time when she was little!)

I always gave my daugher milk during meals and water throughout the day. I never gave her juice until she was over a year and a half old (my mom actually started it not knowing that I didn't give it to her), so she always just had milk or water. You don't want him to drink it excessively, but if he is thirsty during the day aside from mealtimes, you can give him water in a sippy cup.

Dear M.,

I was 18 when I had my first child. I am now 38 and have four children. Water is always good for any baby. I gave my children water bottles in between meals, starting at months old. They would tell me that they were getting plenty of water with there formula, but it was okay to give a bottle of water as well.
The only thing is sometimes the water will come out faster than the child can drink it. I would recommend giving it to him in a sippy cup. They have stoppers on the inside that help the flow of the liquid. Good luck
C.

Water is something that our bodies need and yes he should have some water to drink. However just like anything moderation do not fill him up on water. Just like you a good drink of water feels good.

I don't think water ever hurt anyone....so of course he can have water...it's really good for him, especially in this heat. I put ice cubes in my daughter's water and she loves drinking it when she has been outside and is hot when she comes in. She won't drink any juice (just doesn't like it), so she drinks milk in the morning and with her meals and water the rest of the time. I let her start drinking water when she was 1 year old (although she had sips of water before that, but always preferred her formula)......she is now 16 months old and will drink up to 16-20 ounces of water a day.....sometimes it's just 8 ounces, but I let her decide. Kids know their bodies alot better than we think they do.....they know what they need and if they feel thirsty.

Since he is one, giving his a few sips after each meal would be fine. This would not only top him off, but it would also help him rinse any little foods left in his mouth.

Don't worry, there is no right or wrong amount. If he has already his servings of milk for the day or you want to give him a little something different with his next meal, change it up and give him a little water.

It will also help him eat his food first without getting full on the whole milk with his meals.

It really depends on how much exercise and how much sweating he is doing. He doesn't necessarily need to drink water, but if he is a warm blooded baby like my son, he may need some on hotter days.

So no he doesn't need to drink water, but giving it to him once in a while is fine.

http://www.more4kids.info/347/toddlers-and-water/

This article states "Young children are said to need about 1-1/2 ounces of water per pound of their body weight each day."

You may want to call back to check with the doctor. Ours didn't give us amounts, but in general said that milk is for meal times and water is for non-meal times. That may be different if your baby is still taking a bottle in the morning or evening. Good luck!

M., I'm a mother, grandmother, & great-grandmother. If you're ever in doubt after leaving the doctor's office, feel free to call him/her and verify any questions you have. That little life is most precious, and the doctor should make sure you don't have any questions before he leaves out of the room, but sometimes they take it for granted that we know these things automatically.
When our first child, a son, was born, we panicked & rushed him in to the doctor when his umbilical cord started coming off. We were in the military & away from family, so the doctor was our primary source of information. He laughed & said " Your first child, right?" We call him our little "guinea pig".
As for the water, you can be the judge of that because you don't want your baby to dehydrate. Just have water ready when your baby starts fretting, and giving him a little water before the milk is good. Use yourself as a frame of reference, also, because when you get thirsty, give the baby some water. Pretty soon you will learn to recognize all the little signs as to when he is hungry or thirsty, etc.
Good luck, and GOD BLESS

We gave our daughter whole milk a lot. She loves milk today and it is so good for her.

We offered her milk or water through the day, but at meal time it was always milk. you'll know if your little one is thirsty. there isn't a set amount like when they were babies. you'll go through the hardly eating anything to survive to eating anything that isn't nailed down. relax and offer, just make sure when it's hot you are constantly offering a drink.

he'll be fine, your doing a great job already.

I am a 30 yr old mom with 2 boys and kids need water more than they need anything else. Everytime your son is thirsty give him water.6-8oz of juice 1 time a day then the rest should be water or milk.

M.-I started just having a sippy cup out for my daughter that she could drink her water whenever she wanted it from the time she was about 8 months old. I didn't keep track of how much she drank or anything like that. Now, she's 5, she only drinks water...no juice or juice boxes or anything like that.

Well when my daughter was about 6 months when i took her for her vacc. the doctor told me to give her water, about 2 oz. a day. Of course I never listened and gave her water once a while, not all day or every day, only once in a while. By the time she turned one whole milk was introduced to her and more water. I would assume as healthy it is for adults to drink water, it should be for toddlers as well. Just don't over do it. My advice is just to start little by little, when he's playing outside or instead of juice at mealtime give him water. I know this doesn't help as much but every child is different and if you still have doubts how much and how often, call your doctor I'm sure they won't mind.

Hi M.. Yes you can give him water. I am an older parent (grandmother) to 4 wonderful children. 2 in Canada and 2 in Texas. I introduced water at 3-4 months of age. You just don't give too much so that it interferes with milk intake. Whole milk can have an effect on the bowel and leave children constipated sometimes. Not all children but some. You didn't say if the baby was on formula or breast milk. Mine were formula so the first week of making the transition, I would add one ounce of whole milk to the formula until their system got used to the whole milk. I would the next week increase the whole milk to 2 ounces and so forth until they were on whole milk. Never had a bowel issue with any of them. If you find that he is thirsty in between meals offer him water. If you are going to introduce juice make sure you water that down. Juice is hard on the teeth. Children do not need any more than 4 ounces of juice a day. Only my advice. Good luck and enjoy that bundle of joy.

L.

I give my daughter water whenever she is thirsty. If he has had enough milk or juice for the day and still wants a bottle or cup, then give him water. I dont think the amount you give him is limited. As long as he stays hydrated!!

I don't think there is a specific amount. I gave our daughter water around that time when she had a snack or any other time I was having something to drink. I gave her milk at meals. Later she started asking for something to drink.

Water is absolutely necessary for life, especially if you're not breastfeeding and living in this heat. How much at this age? I don't know. I would say 4oz is plenty, no more than 8oz? I wouldn't worry about it too much as long as he is eating everything else correctly. As long as he is eating a good amount and gaining weight, then I would let my kid have as much water as he wants. The more, the better.

CHILD !! What planet did you and your doctor come from??I can't believe anyone would wait a WHOLE year without giving a child water,,how would you be without water for a whole year!!!!My babies had a water bottle before they left the hospital!!All this new stuff the doctors tell these new mothers ..if you would just ask your mother or grandmother,I bet they could give you some really good advise!Just give the child what ever he wants /or likes..be your on judge..Good luck little one!!

My baby will be one in a couple weeks, and I have been letting her drink water for a couple months now. I basically have her sippy cup full of water on the coffee table all the time, and any time she wants a drink, she knows that it's there. I don't really think that it's possible to drink too much, I would be much more concerned that she wasn't getting enough. I would also think that it is much more important to have your son drinking water, than it is to drink milk. After all, we are humans, not cows ;)

Oh yes you should be giving your baby water. at lest 2, 6oz bottles a day at least that is what my childrens doc told me.

Check out the responses to Bobby on her question "Water??" posted on 7/4/08.

Amanda P's response was very thorough...

Hi M.,
Water should have been started long ago.Water is so much better than any juice you can give your baby or yourself.Water also is great for the kidneys and yourself.I was just wondering why you waited so long to give your baby water??Goodluck to being a first time mommy.

Water is good for them. It is a very healthy habit to acquire. Take it easy on the juice and caffiene drinks. I know some kids that get tea 24/7. My 20 year old and 15 year old more often than not order water when we go out to eat.

You should start with 2 oz per day. May be your baby is not going to like the water, so you can add a little bit of sweet, like honey or juice, but just a little bit. It is important that they learn to drink water.

I bleive I got all the info on water on babycenter.com. Please use your judgement and call you dr. office and ask... I remeber the article saying to much water for babies under a year old can intoxicate them and cause seizures but when they reach a year old they can drink all the water their little heart desires. Also it will tell you how much water for certain age groups.

My daughter just turned 2 and we have been giving her water for a very long time....we actually give her water for all of her meals and I carry that with me when we go out to give her if she gets thirsty. Our Dr told us that was better than juices because of all the sugars in them. She loves water.

I'm a little old-fashioned but my kids have always gotten water, especially in the hot summer time. If you're son is on milk-only now and not being breast-fed or given formula, then you may be surprised how happy he is to get a cup of water. I'd offer him a water cup with each meal and always have one with you. If it's available, he'll drink when he's thirsty.

My little girl is 16 months, and I only give her water if we go for a walk, and I give her a sip before bed, and that's all. My doctor said that she needs 16 ounces of milk a day, and I can barely get her to drink 10. If I fill her up on water she'll drink even less milk. Also remember that they get water in the food that they eat. I hope I helped.

Hi M.,,,
you can give you son as much water as he wants ,,,acutally you could have been giving him water all along since when he was a couple of days old.
good luck L.

I know exactly what you are talking about. We were told absoutley not to give our son any water when we left the hospital. He is now 7 months old and our daycare lady across the street was giving him water!!! So I asked our doctor and they told me yes he can have water. He gets 4-8 oz now. So I got my Super Baby Food book. I looked it up and found nothing for a 12 month old. But for a 11 month old it says "...offer 4 oz bottle of water per day and offer 2-4 oz of undiluted fruit juice .... do not exceed 6 -8 oz total of juice, nutmilk, or water." It is possible to give a person too much water. But most babys know when to stop. Hope this helps. I found this book at a grage sale for two bucks I highly recomend it. I notice you are young..just to let you know my mom and dad married at 18 and 19 mom had her first at 19 and they have been married 30 plus years. Hang in there, lots of prayers, and happy marriage to you both. God bless.

You mix formula with water. Water is not bad at all! Its is better to give them water so that they will be in a habit of drinking it. It helps keep them hydrated. I have given my little girl water since I brought her home from the hospital. She loves drinking water and it is so good for her rather then a bunch of sugary drinks.