Should I Give My Newborn Water Or Sugar Water?
Pediatricians generally do not recommend giving either water or sugar water to newborn babies. International organizations- WHO and UNICEF- also recommend exclusive breastfeeding for newborns for the first six months of life.
The arguments for exclusive breastfeeding are as follows:
- Breast milk is the best source of hydration for newborns, as it contains 88.1 percent water.
- Being rich in nutrients, breast milk robustly protects newborns against infections and reduces the risk of cancer, allergic disorders and diabetes among them. Intake of water dilutes the breast milk, hampering a newborn’s ability to absorb the nutrients.
- Water consumption diminishes a baby’s appetite for the breast milk, reducing the intake of the nutrient-rich milk by as much as 11 percent.
- Consumption of too much water may alter the electrolyte balance in a baby’s body, resulting in intoxication.
- Sugar water contributes to weight loss among babies.
However, giving newborns sugar water is considered as a remedy to calm them after they undergo painful procedures such as blood tests. As reported by Pediatrics (March 2009), a team of Canadian doctors found, after an experiment involving 240 such babies, that compared to water, sucrose had a calmer effect on the babies. Further, in case a baby is suffering from diarrhea, he or she can be fed Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS), which is recommended by the WHO.
There is a divergent viewpoint regarding exclusive breastfeeding. It is argued that water is crucial for a newborn’s health as it aids in ridding the body of toxins such as sodium and potassium and thereby keeps the kidneys healthy. The counterargument is that the breast milk is low in solutes. Therefore, kidneys of newborns are able to release solutes through urines easily, obviating the need for giving water to newborns.
In order that a baby receives adequate fluid, a mother should follow good breastfeeding practices; she should breastfeed the baby immediately if he or she is found thirsty. Furthermore, more frequent breastfeeding will produce more milk, that is, more fluid for the baby.
