Seeking Help on Getting 6Mo. Old Enough Water

Water while eating like you said is a good idea. I have two children and did daycare with my mother in law for awhile. We put water in a sippy cup without a stopper and gave it to them between bites. They didn't always want to drink, so just a sip and then the food. Sometimes we had to pretend we were giving them the food and slip in the water first. They eventually just got used to drinking the water with their meal.

I would give her water in a sippy cup with ice cubes in it (covered) between feedings. I would not give too much water, maybe 4 ounces or so. The ice seems to keep them interested enough to get the water down.

If she is not taking just water it's fine just ask you peditition she gets enough threw her formula or breast milk.

you could definitely try a sippie cup. my mom actually gave my son one when he was 6 months and he really liked it. she gave him the playtex ones with handles. he was really alert and seemed very happy to have a cup (he still took the bottle well though so it didnt mess him up with the bottle). sorry it sounds like you are having a difficult time with getting enough fluids in her. hope it gets better.

Have you tried a sugar free flavoring for water? Yankton water is nasty and my kids wont drink it either so I use Propel. You dont need the whole serving just enough to change the taste.

Try giving her fruit baby food instead of all veggies. I had the same problem with my son - he loved the veggies, but not so much the fruit. When he started to get used to the fruit and therefore ate it more, his stools were softer.

None of my babies liked water either, so I always diluted their juices, half and half. They didn't need all that sugar anyway. As they grew they requested more juice bottles (in addition to the recommended formula/milk bottles that I knew they needed). Eventually I backed off to 1/3 water in the bottles. By the time they were drinking regularly from a cup they drank the same juice we all did. Consequently we never had to rely on those rehydration drinks, even when they were sick. You can also train your family to drink more water by diluting juice slightly for everyone, adding just a little more water each time until you get to a point you're happy with and they will accept. Just remember never to do this in sight of any family members! If they don't know they won't notice!

Old SAHM of seven very healthy kids, some of which still don't like to drink water.

Get some other colored foods. Try more greens. Carrots can plug ya up. Limit the amount of carrots she eats. She may be getting enough water, but the kind of food she is eating is plugging her up. I used green beans, prunes, plums, and pears to keep my kids regular.

P.S. Rice is a plugger also.

P.S.S. Bananas are pluggers and apples can go either way. They can loosen a plug or plug a loose one.

At 6 months I think she would need more food, not necessarily more formula. She may just not be "jazzed" by the dull formula. My son was eating a lot of different types of baby foods by this time. We were also plying him with prune and pear juice b/c he was constipated at times (an issue since infancy, despite nursing). I suggest increasing the food (nutrients) options to include more greens and also some watered down juices.

You probably have already tried this, but I find that when my daughter seems to lose interest, it helps to change her position (i.e. move her from my left arm to my right arm). I also try to give her bottles in her room away from the TV, other people, etc to help eliminate the distractions. I think the sippy cup is a great idea - it seems a little early, but some babies take to it faster than others. I also agree with one of the other posters to try more variety in her solids - prunes and green beans helped my daughter with constipation. Avoid bananas for now.

Good luck!

If your doctor is saying that she is getting enough fluid from the formula I would simply add some dark Karo syrup to her bottles. I add about 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons to everyother one. The sugars in the Karo syrup are insoluable and consequently soften the stools. I would hold off on adding water or limit it as it can throw off a baby's electrolites. Instead you could try to give bbay pear or apple juice 50% juice and 50% water in a sippy or a bottle after solids.

hi K.!
I have two daughters now 10 and 9, but I started them on water at about 6 mon. and they loved it. they were six mon. in the summer and it started that every time I brought them in from outside I would get a glass of water for myself and they were always interested in what I had, so I would just let them sip from my cup. Yes, they would get water down the front of them, but they loved it! My mother-in-law was always amazed at how well they did just drnking from a cup. My girls are still great water drinkers! So for now, to get an idea of when to give her water, just go by when you are thirsty and see how she does. Drinking from Mommies cup is always more fun than their own.
Good luck.
A. E.

I too had a daughter that lost interest in her bottle at about 6 months. I switched her to a sippy cup, first with formula until she was about a year, then whole milk. She drank plenty of liquids this way - water, juice and milk.
My son was the same way in giving up his bottle, although not until about 10 months.
They both stayed hydrated & healthy!

Hi K.,
Applesauce helps soften stools. It always worked with my kids. I always fed my kids baby cereal and applesauce every morning and never had a problem with hard stools. Then if they got runny I fed them bananas! How about apple juice for the liquid? Maybe she'll like the taste.
Nan

Definitely go to the sippy cup for water! Let her try to do it herself. You might have to try more than one style-its kind of the same thing as bottles or pacifiers- every kid has their favorite kind! The other trick you might try with the sippy- if it has a no spill valve, take that out and help her as she learns (so she doesn't drown herself the first few times). Good Luck! M.

I have an 8 month old son and I noticed this with his stools at time when we started introducing solids. Try fruits with her since their are natural laxatives and your daughter is probably getting enough water if she drinks formula since you have to add water to the mix. If she is not in pain I would not worry, but fruits seemed to help my son, prunes are great!!

Stools get harder once they start solids. As long as you can still squish it, it's fine. If it's harder than that, I would go to your pediatrician. That being said, I give M. twins water in their sippy cups when they are in their high chairs for solids. Sometimes I don't think they are drinking much, but for the most part they do ok. You can also put on a good bib & help her to try a regular cup. Sometimes the thrill of trying something new will make her take it. I've also done the water in a straw & put it in their mouths before. That seems to work with really cold water. The expressions on their faces when it gets in their mouth is priceless! Either way, babies are pretty good at knowing what they need, so if she's thirsty, she'll drink! Good luck!

K.,

Do go ahead and try a sippy cup. If your daughter will take one that is an awesome time to start. My son started drinking water and very dilluted pear juice out of a sippy cup at that age. If she is having a lot of constipation problems try a tiny bit of apple juice in the water, not much but just a little bit! It will give the water some flavor and help with the constipation. Limit the amount of water she has in a day, not in the formula, to a small cup, only 3 or 4 oz. it will make a big difference.

I have a 6 month old as well - my 3rd kid. Try a sippy with water during meal time - or right after. So it's not replacing a bottle, as that really should be a big source of nutrision. Kids are very distracted right now - when doing a bottle go into a quiet room - no tv or reading or talking... Just focus on the meal time. Also, hard stools may mean that she needs more fiber. Cooked pears work great for that. Prunes would be a solution, although my babies have always hated the taste of that. Apricots are good too - all good sources of fiber. Avacodo is a good fun food too and you don't have to cook it. Check out this web site for ideas...
http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/

My doctor advised not to give water for just that reason- you want them to drink the formula since that is still their primary nutrition. If they are getting 23-25 ounces a day, that should be plenty to keep from getting dehydrated. Maybe the hard stools are from something else. Have you asked your doctor about giving her a little prune juice? That may help- but I would check with your doctor first to find out how much to give her...

We love the sippy cup! The best one we've found so far is one by Born Free. It has a great transitional spout....big and soft....that my son can chew on to soothe his gums and doesn't have to suck too hard on to get the water out. He's figured out how to do it himself, so it has also become sort of an activity ( : And the cup is Bisphenol-A free. I also just ordered some by a company called Think....their sippys are free of all the bad stuff...pthlates, Bisphenol, PVC...and the spout is silicone. I'm psyched to get 'em. I got them from a web site called www.tinybirdsorganics.com
Oh...and be prepared for your little drinker to get wet. It's all part of the learning.

It sounds like you have a good plan of trying to add some liquid at her other feedings.
A few other suggestions would be if she is getting infant cereal, mix some formula in with that, then she gets both the nutrients and the liquids.
Also, you could try offering her the sippy cup off and on through the day so that she gets a few sips here and there.
One thing i might consider is, if the constepation started after a food change, ie adding squash, it might be her body's way of adjusting to the new food and it might pass.

Have you introduced fruits to her yet? For her hard stools you might try a little prune juice mixed in her cereal. As far as a sippie cup goes, they make the ones with handles that are "starter kits". You can get them at Walmart and they work great. I think that I would try a little formula in the cup at first and then switch to a juice/water mix. I had two kids out of five that didn't like the bottle and they are now 16 and 21, so there is hope.

Techincally your baby doesnt need water to survive yet. Escpecially with how much she is eating. But to get her to go you could offer her apple or prune juice. If you use the gerber brand you do not have to water down, but if you use regular it needs to be mixed 2oz water with 2 oz juice. at 6 months she can have 4 oz juice a day. you can try bottle or sippy cup.

My duagther stopped taking a bottle at 6 mo and would only nurse. She just refussed to drink from the bottle - would go all day with no drink if a bottle was offered. She couldn't get the hang of a normal sippy cup (kept slamming it into her face), and my mom suggested trying a straw. There are sippy cups with straws and that did the trick. It didn't take long for her to figure out the straw. She didn't have to tip the cup, and could just lean over and drink. She took her breast milk at daycare in that cup no problem. She drank from those until she was better at 'aiming' with a normal sippy cup.

It may be the baby food that is causing the hard stools. Try eliminating the baby food for a couple of days & see if it makes a difference. When you start again try giving her a little bit of prunes with the veggies. Also if she continues to have issues hold off on giving her bananas as these can cause hard stools too.

As long as she is not in pain & having trouble with the stools and is still having the same number of wet diapers a day you should not have to worry. Make sure she drinks all of her formula & if she is still interested you can always let her have some water after.

A sippy cup is a good idea as well. It amy take a while for her to get the hang of it but keep trying.

Also you didn't mention if you are using milk or soy based formula but if you are using soy it can cause constipation.

When my son was that old we gave him a sippy cup at his solid foods and it took him a while to get used to it but he adventually came around and started taking it. And it made it easier to take him off the bottle when it was time. But I really don't think that you have anything to worry about your daughter getting dehidrated or anything. But your doctor is right just water down your bottles a little and that should help too. I am a mother of a tordnado of a 2year old and have 30 neices and nephews that I have helped out with from birth on up. And if you are still concerned keeep bugging your doctor so he or she can keep reasuring you that everything is ok. Hopeing you the best and just to remember to relax. A. R

Maybe just give her a sippy cup of just water. Does she like to stand in an entertainment center and play? Or sit in her high chair and play? Where ever she plays and that she can reach a sippy cup, maybe even on the floor. My 6 month old is usually sitting in her high chair playing while I am washing dishes, and cleaning up the kitchen. I always have a sippy cup of water sitting on her high chair. She takes sips out of it here and there.

It sounds to me as though as of right now she is getting enough water because there is water in the formula. Start a couple fruits too and then when you feed her her solids, do fruit in the morning and veggies later on in the day. Also you could give her some plain yogurt a 6 oz serving(no fruit or anything added to it, and the lowest sugar content you can find) and put a teaspoon of ground flaxseed into it. Flaxseed is a natural stool softener, lots of fiber, and contains omega-3 fatty acid which is something none of us get enough of. If she doesn't like the plain yogurt then try putting it into something else including other low sugar yogurt. I've also added a teaspoon of the flaxseed to the baby cereal that I would give him in the evening, and the next morning my son would poop it out.

My first born got very very constipated off and on between 1yr and 2yrs old and he was not dehydrated. It was horrible dealing with it. Then when I started my youngest on solid foods I found out about the flaxseed and added it into his diet. I never had a constipation problem with him although there was a couple times that he came close because for some reason green beans didn't like him.

I don't know if you have started juice but when I started the juice at this age, I diluted it 1oz of juice per 2oz of water. So starting off they only had 3oz in their cup. Doing that once a day should not interfere with her formula intake very much.

K.,

Check your baby's skin by lightly pulling the skin up on the back of her hand. If it snaps right back, she is not dehydrated. If it lingers a bit, then she is. Babies usually know how much to eat. Maybe cut back on the solid food a little. That will help with the hard stools.

L. :)

It's my first response on this site but I thaught your plight was a good start. I've done daycare for almost 20 years and the amount your baby is eating is just fine and no need for water should be nessesary... listen to the doc. he knows . we moms wory to much . My peds doc told me 19 years ago with my first daughter that if all adults listened to their bodies like children do there would be no obese people in the world! children eat when they need to and don't when they don't. watch your child body language they will let you know when they are done. i.e. pushing bottle out with their tounge shaking head back and forth etc. it's up to us adults to watch for their q's I currently have 2 infant's in my care and both advarge between 6-8 oz bottles 3 times per day here and they are here between 10-11 hours per day they eat prior to arrival around 5:00am then here at 8-8:30 and again at 11-11:30 and the last being at 2-3:00 depending on the lengh of their nap that day. The older one I make a 8 oz bottle and mix it with his cereal for beakfast and lunch along with fruit for breakfast and both for lunch. Then the afternoon nap bottle is 6 oz. typically . some days they will only eat 5 oz or 4 oz but will usually make up for it the next day or two. just keep in contact with the daycare provider and remember not to make food a battle.NEVER water down the formula though it has certain propertys that need to remain level like it's sodium content it is VERY important to a healthy strong baby. I hope I helped a bit but I would not give any water at this point in fact they are saying that too much water for a infant can be harmfull. unless the hard stools are really bothersome to your baby I would just stick to formula it's the most nutricious. Most peds are saying no juices untill a year of age too and then only 4-6oz per day.If the hard stools persist ask the doc about the amount of iron in the formula occasionally that can be a prob for some babies.good luck

I have a 23 month old son and 10 month old daughter. Both love drinking water from a sippy cup, and they rarely get juice or anything sweet to drink. It is really not recommended that children be given juice on a regular basis. My daughter did have some problems with hard stools when she started solids at around 4 months. The Dr. suggested I add prune juice to her food, and that worked wonders. She loved prune juice mixed with rice cereal and bananas. At six months, your daughter should probably be eating at least 3 baby food meals a day. We always made our own baby food. It is cheap, easy, and nutritious. There are several good web-sites out there to help. Good luck! A.

I had the same problem with my daughter when she was approx 7 months old. her stools were very hard. I breastfed and still had that issue. So for me it wasn't a case of dehydration because she was getting plenty to drink. the problem was with her diet. I doing alot of sweet potatoes, veggies, bananas, ect. So I started to include apricots and prunes. they worked great. they softened up her stools within days.