Infant Water Drinking Tips

Facts about your infant’s drinking water.

Survival is dependent on water. But even though water is the safest and healthiest liquid to drink for adults, it can be extremely harmful to babies in large amounts. Here are a few infant water drinking tips.

Experts say newborns should be limited to the water they receive in breast milk or that of which is mixed with formula. This water successfully allows the baby to grow and replace any water that is lost. Any additional water poses the threat of water intoxication. According to doctors, the sodium levels in their blood can plummet due to excess water and cause irritability, brain swelling, encephalitis and seizures.

Occasional, small amounts of quality drinking water will likely not harm a healthy baby. But it is possible to offset your infant’s electrolyte and sodium balances if you offer too much water. Over-diluted formula can also cause this to happen. If you must give your infant additional water, keep it limited to times where it is absolutely necessary. For example – extremely hot days.

If the time comes where you must give your baby water, you’ll want to be certain they are given safe, high-quality water. Non-bottled water can be toxic and must be carefully inspected before given to an infant. To ensure that your water is safe enough to drink out of the faucet, hire a professional to test your water for pre-disposed contaminants. You can also ask your water supplier for copies of their annual reports.

According to studies done by a national drinking water program, over 25% of bottled water is actually tap water. The study also found that ~20% of water bottle brands tested positive for chemical contaminants. Bottled water should not be presumed safe for babies. If there is an emergency, bottled water should only be used for infants if it is boiled and cooled before served.

If you prefer to serve your baby water from the tap, you may want to look into a home drinking water system. There are a variety of different systems that can be used to provide safe drinking water. Before purchasing a filtration systems, have a free water test performed by a certified professional. Water tests can be the difference you wish to see in the overall quality of your water. If you are interested in a water filtration system for the safety of your baby, hire a trusted water professional.