When should a newborn drink water?.. Problems drinking water before the allowed time

Newborn drinking water:

The issue of the appropriate time to provide water to a newborn can be confusing for many mothers, especially when it is their first-born, as well as when the weather is hot, but giving him water at the right time will avoid you and him from many problems, and the age of 4 or 6 months is the age that doctors consider appropriate for this. The matter is, since before this he will be satisfied with breastfeeding or artificial milk that is provided to him, and when he enters the stage of providing solid foods, he will need to drink water in small quantities with food, that is, about a quarter of a cup or four tablespoons after each meal, and the amount can be increased gradually The older the child.

Problems drinking water before the allowed time:

It is certain that no mother deliberately does things that could harm her children, but rather she is very keen to avoid problems for them, and she must know the problems that may be caused by giving the newborn water before the appropriate time, including:

• The imbalance in the infant’s weight gain, as it reduces its weight; This is because when he drinks water his stomach will fill up and he will not breastfeed well.
• It reduces the benefits of milk.
• The mother's milk will decrease due to the child's lack of breastfeeding when his stomach is filled with water, as the more times he is breastfed, the more milk will be produced and the process of producing it.
• Increasing the possibility of water poisoning, as this condition occurs when the infant drinks large amounts of water quickly and the kidney expels sodium and salts from the body, and this will reduce the infant’s blood, and thus the occurrence of convulsions and coma for him.
• It may increase the risk of jaundice.

And the mother should know that her milk contains 80% of water, and that he will not be dehydrated if he does not drink water even in hot weather, and the doctor may recommend giving water to the child in very necessary cases such as severe constipation, and in this case the water must be boiled well and let it cool. before serving it, provided that it is served in small batches with a spoon, not a bottle.