 Drink
up!
We all know we should drink at least eight glasses of water a day
but what about our babies? For young children and babies drinking enough
fluid is essential to health and well-being. A high proportion of their
body weight is water - so it's vital to keep youngsters properly hydrated.
Read on to find out what your child should be drinking and when.
Newborns
Regardless of whether your baby is breast or bottle fed, his milk contains
all the nutrients and fluids that he needs so further drinks are not usually
necessary.
Breastmilk includes foremilk and hindmilk at every feed. The foremilk
is a thirst-quenching drink, high in lactose (milk sugar) but low in fat,
while the hindmilk that follows on is higher in fat.
When to introduce other fluids
Currently, the Department of Health recommends that babies should be
fed nothing but milk, either breast or bottle, up until six months of
age, after which solids can be introduced into the diet.
In line with these guidelines, parents are advised that other fluids
should be introduced at the same time although your baby's main drink
will still be his milk; around a pint a day, whether formula or breast.
This is also a good time to start thinking about using a cup for your
baby. The School of Dentistry at the University of Birmingham say, "Encourage
your baby to drink from a cup a soon as they can hold one and try to discourage
bottle feeding by the age of one year."
The reason for this is that most drinks other than water contain some
form of sugar. Using a teat means there is prolonged contact with newly
growing teeth increasing the risk of tooth decay. The use of teats can
also inhibit speech development.
What to introduce
The ideal drink for your baby is milk or water. No other fluid is actually
needed and introducing water as an alternative drink will help instill
good habits for your child as well as help to prevent a sweet tooth in
the future.
However, if you do want to introduce fruit juices it's worth remembering
some simple points:
1. Fresh fruit juice contains natural sugar, so dilute one part pure
fruit juice to ten parts of cooled boiled water.
2. Drinks with artificial sweeteners such as saccharin should not be
given to children under 3 years old.
3. Fruit squashes aimed at an older market should be avoided as they
often contain artificial additives such as sweeteners and colourings
which are not permitted in baby foods.
Ready-made baby drinks can also contain sugar so parents are advised
to follow the instructions carefully.
Carbonated drinks are best avoided due to their high sugar and acid content
which can erode tooth enamel and lead to tooth decay. In fact recent figures
from the Office of National Statistics show that tooth decay has risen
amongst pre-school children.
As well as other fluids, you may be thinking about introducing an alternative
milk, such as follow-on milk (cows' milk should not be introduced to your
toddler's diet before he is 1 year old). However, health visitor Debbie
Honer says, "All baby milks are fortified with vitamins and iron. There
is no real need to change milks if your baby is happy to stay on his usual
formula milk and he is taking a good varied diet. Although milk is still
a staple part of their diet, you need to concentrate more on the nutritional
balance of solid foods."
Follow-on milks are also available in soya infant formulas which are
nutritionally similar to cows' milk-based formulas but are suitable for
babies with a cows' milk allergy.
 Water
babies - tap or bottled?
Dentists, health visitors and doctors all recommend that the best 'between
meal' dink for children is water and the early introduction will encourage
this good habit. But when it comes to water, is bottled your best option
or should you opt for tap?
There are three different types of bottled water, Natural Mineral Water
(NMW), Spring Water and Table Water.
Natural Mineral Water - This comes from a ground water source which is
protected from all pollution and by law cannot be treated in any way.
It undergoes two years of stringent analysis before it can be classed
as an NMW. It is the purest form of water. However, NMWs contain high
levels of minerals, some of which can be dangerous for your toddler. For
example, the calcium levels in some mineral waters can be too high for
a baby's kidneys to cope with. Similarly, the sodium levels in many NMWs
are much higher than the recommended 350mg a day for year old babies.
Since December 2003, NMWs suitable for making up formula will be labelled
as such.
Spring Water - Comes from a single non-polluted ground water source but
unlike NMWs it can undergo some permitted treatments, although it must
comply with the Drinking Water Regulations. Unlike NMWs, there is no legislation
requiring the mineral content to be printed on the bottle and because
of this it's probably best avoided for your baby as there is no way of
determining the sodium or mineral content.
Table Water - Is the trade name applied to other bottled drinking waters.
It applies to water which may come from more than one source and may include
the public water supply. You should treat this water in the same way that
you would treat normal tap water if using it to prepare feeds for your
baby.
Dr John Briffa, a doctor specialising in the nutritional management of
health and disease, prefers bottled water over tap saying, "Mineral water
is naturally free of the chemical contaminants used in the processing
of tap water, and so I believe it really is better."
Some of the chemicals used in tap water include chlorine and aluminium
which have been linked to some forms of cancer. Dr Briffa suggests, "At
the very least, I recommend filtering tap water through a jug or plumbed-in
unit prior to drinking."
However, the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) insists that our tap water
is safe, fresh and cheaper than bottled water. Ultimately, the choice
is yours.
*All water, whether bottled or tap should be boiled and cooled prior
to making up infant formulas or giving as a drink to babies under 6 months.
Drinks…too much?
According to a report by the American Academy of Paediatrics (AAP), supported
by the British Nutrition Foundation, even fruit juice in too large quantities
can be bad for your baby.
The AAP say, "A number of scientific studies have shown that infants
who drink too much juice may become malnourished as a result of fruit
juice replacing human milk or formula."
Another main problem with drinking too much juice, is that it is filling
and will decrease your child's appetite for other more nutritious foods.
The British Nutrition Foundation recommends keeping juices for mealtimes
and only serving them in a cup.
…Or too little?
If your baby is drinking enough, he will have a wet nappy at nearly every
change and he will be putting on weight. However, what should you look
for if you think your baby is dehydrated?
- Nappies - fewer than 6 wet nappies in 24 hours or no wet nappy for
6 hours
- Urine - is consistently dark yellow
- Fontanelle - the 'soft spot' on your baby's head may be sunken
- Mouth - and lips are dry and sticky.
- Skin - may be less elastic
Some of the more usual causes for dehydration include tummy upsets, fever
or sore mouth, gums or throat making drinking painful.
If you are worried your baby is becoming dehydrated, speak to your Health
Visitor, GP or NHS Direct.
Where to next? 
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