Why babies under 6 months should not drink water

You might think that you are doing the right thing by giving your baby water to drink, but it’s actually a wrong practice. There is a time in every body’s life where drinking water could be very dangerous no matter how little the water is and even as little as a few ounces of water could cause serious harm.

According to expert, it is very dangerous to give babies, especially the ones under 6 months water to drink. This is because at that stage they have small tummies and the capacity of their stomach might not be able to handle water. Doing this might lead to water intoxication, brain seizures and in very severe cases, death.

An healthy adult has about fifty five to sixty percent of water in their body. On the other hand, the average baby has about seventy five percent water in their body and giving them more water could make the water in their body too much and too much water could cause serious damage. This is why babies shouldn’t drink water, at least before they become 6 months old.

Also, babies have small kidneys. Their kidneys cannot handle the water pressure as much as that of an adult, so no matter how little, water could cause harm in babies. This is why it is strongly advised that babies, especially those under 6 months should be fed with only breast milk or formula till their of their organs become strong enough to accommodate water and other foods.

Now the question is, when is the best time to introduce water to your baby? How can you tell if your baby’s organs are developed enough to handle the water pressure? Well, after about 6 or 7 months, it is okay to start introducing your baby slowly to water. It is advised to start with little drops of water before advancing to bottles. You can also feed your baby fruits like bananas and introduce them to baby food at this stage.