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Infant feeding

Cannot get my BF to drink water at 9 months

9 replies

Tapster · 12/08/2007 08:06

She was happy drinking out of a tommy tippee cup or doidy cup from 6 months. The last two weeks she has refused all water, she has reintroduced a mid morning and mid afternoon feed as a result. Not sure how to get her to drink water. Think she may have gagged a bit using the doidy cup the last couple of times and that may have put her off. She definitely drank more from the doidy cup than anything else.

Does it matter that she won't drink water, she is BF? I haven't tried juice as she eats so much fruit I really don't think she needs any more vit C.

She has never drunk from a bottle so I don't want to give water in that. Hoped to go straight to a cup.

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PrettyCandles · 12/08/2007 08:15

This is something that I wonder about, too (and my 10mo is my 3rd child!). I think that if they are showing any signs of dehydration eg drier poos than normal, dry lips etc, even before any of the signs of more severe dehyrdation eg sunken fontanelle, no tears, then you need to get liquids into them somehow.

Ds2 was struggling wtih water in spouty cups etc. I think he found the flow just too fast. He would choke and gag, and often vomit it up again. So I switched to bottles and he's doing much better with them. I don't sterilise, and he isn't rejecting the boob for bottle.

Jelly is quite a good way of getting water into a reluctant drinker, as it is almost 100% water. But you must either make home-made jelly or use the sugar versions - avoid the sugar-free versions!

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Rumpel · 12/08/2007 08:35

Prettycandles - you are here! Sorry to hijack but wondered if you were still around.

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Rumpel · 12/08/2007 08:36

Try mixing the water with a teeny bit of apple juice - my DD loves that.

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PrettyCandles · 12/08/2007 09:20

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mears · 12/08/2007 11:10

None of my children liked water so they had dilute juice. Teeth are fine and they are all teenagers who drink water now.

The juice can be so dilute that the vit C content will be minimal.

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terramum · 12/08/2007 11:38

As long as her fluids levels are fine (happy & alert, doing plenty of wet nappies & isn't constipated) then I don't see a problem. BM is c.88% water anyway so it's not as if she is not getting any fluids! Just keep offering BM on demand & a cup of water with solid meals & she will eventually start drinking more water in her own time.

BTW my DS didn't start drinking water at all until he was around 9 months.

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Tapster · 12/08/2007 12:10

She is constipated at the moment which is unusual for her which is my concern. Plenty of wet nappies though - will keep offering water and hope. Will try some juice if I don't suceed within a couple of days.

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Rumpel · 12/08/2007 20:58

Prettycandles - just had not seen you around for a while and you stopped posting on the post natal. Hope you and LO are well.