Did you know that water represents up to 75% of an infant's body? You can see how important this element is to life for your little ones, and therefore that you need to hydrate your baby well. Children and adults, on the other hand, are "only" made up of 60% water.
The blood and all the cells in the human body are made up of water. Its role is to cleanse the body of waste products and prevent dehydration. Dehydration can have serious consequences in young people. Signs of dehydration are dark urine and a decrease in the amount of urine, sunken and dark eyes, dry mucous membranes (lips, mouth and throat), fatigue, headaches, loss of skin elasticity, etc.
When to introduce baby water?
Hydration also compensates for losses through breathing, sweating, urine and faeces. Before 4/6 months of age, breastfeeding on demand or infant milk exclusively (without any other food) covers water needs. It is therefore not necessary to give additional water to an infant, although this is possible. On the other hand, water or milk (breast or infant) may be offered beyond the usual recommendations in cases of high heat, fever or increased physical exertion.
Once the child is diversified and throughout the day, water should be offered regularly or left nearby so that the child thinks to drink spontaneously in case you are "busy with something else". It is important to teach him to drink regularly.
How much waterforbaby?
In theory, the water needs of children during the day are :
- 150 ml/kg/day at 1 month
- 120 ml/kg/day from 6 to 12 months
- 100 ml/kg/day from 1 to 2 years
- 80 ml/kg/day from 2 to 5 years
- 55 ml/kg/day over 5 years
These quantities obviously take into account the daily intake of breast or infant milk, which is essential for the youngest children. For information and in comparison, an adult should consume 50 ml/kg/day of water (taking into account the water content of food). The most water-rich foods are fruit (melon, watermelon, pomelo, strawberry, peach, etc.), vegetables (vegetable soup, cucumber, radish, salad, chard, courgette, tomato, pepper, etc.) and milk.
What is water found in?
To give you a practical guide to hydrating your baby properly, from the age of 2, you can give your child 7 to 10 small glasses a day, spread throughout the day (during and outside meals): milk (breast milk, infant milk or cow's milk for older children), tap water, spring water or water with a low mineral content (those recommended for infants' bottles) or even water with a higher mineral content if the child is allergic to cow's milk proteins (calcium intake) or constipation (magnesium intake).
We should limit fruit juices, even home-pressed ones (because of the lack of fibre), sodas, energy drinks, sweetened drinks, syrup, granities, etc. To vary the pleasures, children can takewater with fruit cut into it (red fruit, citrus fruit, melon, watermelon, etc.) andsparkling water for older children. The consumption of fruit juices by infants (even those in the children's section) is of no nutritional interest as they do not provide vitamins and do not replace the whole fruit.
In order to make the youngest drink more, some utensils will be very useful such as a coloured glass, a bottle, a 360 cup, a babycup, a glass with a straw (reusable of course!), a flask...
If your child has a small appetite, have them drink more outside of mealtime and vice versa if they are eating at the table! A few small glasses of water during the meal could fill them up more... We should also limit hydration at night to preserve their precious sleep! A temperate room will prevent them from asking for water or milk in the middle of the night.
Finally, with the summer season just around the corner, always remember to take water with you when you go out this summer to keep baby well hydrated...
Dietician - Nutritionist specialising in paediatrics
Sources :
- TOUNIAN P. Alimentation de l'enfant de 0 à 3 ans. Elservier Masson,3rd edition, 207 pages.
- DUHAMEL J.F. Water and hydration: a necessity for life. Journal of Paediatrics and Childcare, Volume 23, Number 1, pages 9-12 (March 2010)
- CIQUAL. https://ciqual.anses.fr/ (June 2020)
