My 3 month old's soft spot seems to "sink" in a little bit once in a while... I looked it up and it says that most of the time this is caused by dehydration... We live in texas, and even though I run the AC sometimes it still gets pretty hot... so I can see this being the issue.what can I do to prevent this? I feed her whenever she is hungry, but should I be giving her a little water too?
EDIT~ I should add...It's only once in a while, and I only notice it if I "pet" the top of her head. you can't see it at all... she is also teething (turns out babies in my family usually start around this age)... so she is drooling A LOT...I thought maybe that was contributing a bit... she still has at least 2 dirty diapers a day, usually more (she is breastfed)... and she usually has a wet one at least every time I feed her...
ok. I won't actually give her water until I have a chance to talk to her pedi... She does get a little (tiny) bit when I give her a frozen washcloth to chew for teething, but not enough to do anything bad to her... I will keep a closer eye on her diapers (and other liquidy areas). If it's still going on I will call her pedi. Thanks for the help ladies!
If you get hot and drink something offer her something and see if she will take it. this weather is hot and can cause her to be thirsty also.
Does she have tears when she cries? At least one wet diaper every two hours? Does her mouth feel dry or sticky? You can answer "yes, yes, no" then it's probably not dehydration. Babies really shouldn't have water at this age. They need to be nursing on demand, which it sounds like you're doing. Just keep on nursing. If you think she's getting dehydrated, offer her the breast. If she stops having tears when she cries or isn't having wet diapers for long periods of time, take her to the ER.
If you are nursing her on demand, then there is no need to add water. As another poster said, if you feel as though she is a little "dry" then offer the breast. Regardless of whether or not you give her enough for it to be dangerous, it just isn't necessary and at this age you shouldn't be giving anything that isn't "useful" to her little body. Breastmilk is like >80% water...how much more refreshing can you get.
As for the soft spot, if you've ever seen a truly dehydrated baby...you'd know. Its not something you feel a little bit...it is pretty dang obvious. Remember there is actually a gap in her skull there...I'd be willing to bet that you are just feeling the skin stretched over. My daughter had a soft spot that was naturally a little indented...I always obsessed over it when she was sick. My pediatrician told me I'd KNOW if it was sunken.
Hold on to her hand and press your thumb gently into the center. If the color comes back within a second or two, she isn't dehydrated, but if it takes a while to come back, then you need to get her into the ER for IV fluids. Good luck!
About 1oz of water is good! When I had my 21 mo twins, my mom would tell me it's ok to give them water when the weather was so hot. At first I hesitated because Doctors say otherwise. But my mom would tell me not to listen to them, she gave us water when we were infants and we are all fine. I went ahead a gave my twins (boy/girl) water all the time and they were and are very healthy and fine. And my twins were born at 7 mos.! Especially in very hot weather, babies too really need water, they can especially dehydrate easy. I think I gave mine like 2oz per day, little at a time. I know no more than 4oz.
I would call and ask your doc and ask him - you can even call the local ER and sometimes they will help you if your doc is closed for the day.
I also know that some insurance companies have a 24 hour nurse number you can call - ALSO - just thought about it you can call the maternity floor and talk to the nurse and or the lactation consultant - they can tell you about the water and number of wet diapers to watch for - it is hot here in OK also
Drink plenty of water yourself (if you're nursing) and do call your pediatrician's office for signs of dehydration. If you have cloth diapers, use those to make sure she's still wetting...no wet diaper in several hours is a definite sign. I'm not sure how many hours for your baby's age, so that's another thing to ask the advice nurse.
Do not add water, you can have a lot of issues from this. Talk to a professional about this. A doc can do tests that will tell if the baby is dehydrated. If she is dehydrated she may need iv fluids. If not it may be something else. Please don't trust us strangers with your babies life. If she is that dehydrated she may need medical care and the doc is the best place to go.
Water is not safe for a 3 month old as it can mix up their electrolyte balance and it dilutes their system which can cause serious problems or even death. I have heard stories of people who try to save money by diluting their baby's bottle by putting in more water than formula to make it stretch further and it leading to some serious problems.
TALK TO YOUR PEDIATRICIAN...to make sure what you are seeing is indeed cause for concern and they will tell you what to do.
first off, make sure that's the problem.
Other signs of dehydration:
less frequent diapers (should have 8-10 wet diapers and 3-5 dirty diapers per day)
eyes/mouth/other mucous membranes looking and/or feeling dry
skin getting dry
lips cracking
voice hoarse/raspy when crying (other than because of length or volume of crying)
Plus, A/C can be dehydrating in and of itself, so you need to keep them well hydrated in the summer no matter what.
I would def ask your ped, but I've heard that a little bit of water at this age is okay in hotter climates during the hotter times of year. Not too much though or you can actually make them very ill by diluting their blood. They're not typically ready to handle too much water at this point.
My kids pedi says it's fine to give them up to 2 oz of water per day. You may want to call your pedi's office and speak w/ the nurse, they may want to see her.
my daughters soft spot was really in... it was just how she was made.. are you feeding the baby like every 4 or 4 /12 hours..then it should be fine.. you can give them boiled then cool it water.... in between espeically if it is hot.
If she is drooling and urinating she is not dehydrated. If her mouth becomes dry, she is acting lethargic and urine is scant and smelly these are signs of serious dehydration. Just continue nursing her about every 3 hours during waking hours. She should be fine. A lot of water at this age can mess up her electrolytes or cause her to drink less of the milk that has nutrients she needs.
