Water is the key to good adult health and therefore, parents tend to feed their babies water. Though it appears as a 'harmless' act, experts warned that it could be dangerous.
Feeding too much of water can be deadly for babies, and even small amounts are not really beneficial for your little one. When babies drink too much water, their sodium levels drop too low to allow them to process nutrients, which could result in seizures, coma and even death.
Katie Zeratsky, a dietitian at the Mayo Clinic told Buzzfeed, babies can live without water up until the age of one. She explained that it is because "they get all of their fluid needs through human milk or infant formula. Even on a hot day, they can get all of their hydration needs through human milk or formula."
"Water intoxication is where you consume too much water in a short period of time and your blood level of sodium drops...making a tragic situation. In the adult world, you would have to push yourself past thirst and regulation to a point where you almost have to force intake," Katie explains.
KidNurse.com's pediatric nurse Danielle Stringer also told Daily Mail Online that most pediatricians and nurses will warn parents against the practice.
The American Academy of Pediatrics also advises parents to feed their infants exclusively breast milk - if possible - for the first six months. And, continuing with supplemented soft foods and drinks through their first year.
Though the academy's guidance does not explicitly mention that babies should not be given water, Stringer of Phoenix, Arizona, told Daily Mail Online that most pediatricians and nurses will warn parents against giving water to babies.
Breast milk is about 88 percent water, so new mothers need not worry that their infants could get dehydrated.
Moreover, breastmilk or baby formula contains the nutrients they need, such as protein, vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates and fat. By filling up on water, they miss out the vital nutrients they need while they are growing up.
"What some people don't understand is that when you give babies too much water, they're missing out on the calories that they actually need," Stringer says.
