Welcome back to my mini series on Baby Led Weaning (BLW), this post is going to be about introducing drinks (water) and how to do so.
You might notice your baby is showing interest in the things you drink, much like they have with the things you eat. With BLW, once you start letting baby share meals with you (approx. 6 months of age) it is also a great time to introduce a cup at meal time as well. If your baby is under 1, I strongly suggest only sticking to water, as fruit juices are high in sugar and not necessary for baby. Water can come from the tap if you live somewhere with safe drinking water, or filtered if you prefer.
What type of cup should I use?
Much like everything else in BLW, drinks will be messy too. The recommendation is to start baby on an open cup when you are at home, and only use “sippy” cups (the ones with a spout) when you’re on the go. The open cup will be messy at first, but baby will learn quickly. One thing to keep in mind is the width of your cup, you might want to stay away from the exact cups you use for yourself at first as they are quite large for babies mouth to handle (they refer to baby drinking out of a normal sized cup to an adult drinking from a bucket). My recommendation is to grab a cup specifically made for babies/toddlers, although you can use something like a medicine cup if you have those at home. I will link the one I use at the bottom of the post.
Breastfeeding vs Formula Feeding
Another benefit of introducing water to a formula fed baby is to quench thirst. Often babies over 6 months will need a little water if they’re being formula fed as formula is quite rich. Offering little bits of water at meals will help keep baby hydrated. If baby is being breastfed on demand, quenching thirst isn’t much of an issue as breastmilk changes in composition as baby feeds, and they will get everything they need from it. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t introduce a cup, it’s great practice for baby to learn how to drink liquids other than milk and continues to develop motor skills, and can reduce constipation from starting solids.
How Much?
It is not recommended to start a baby on water/any other drinks than breastmilk/formula until around 6 months of age. At the start, you don’t have to offer much. A couple sips during meal time is perfect, and no more than 2 oz per day. If you are doing BLW your baby should still be supplementing with breastmilk/formula as they were before starting solids so the need for water is still relatively low. Once baby is a bit older or entering toddler stage you can offer around 4-6oz per day. Remember baby does not HAVE to drink the water when it’s offered, don’t force it. Have fun!
Baby cup: https://ezpzfun.com/products/tiny-cup?variant=19432577957957
