“Drink more water!” We have often been chided by our elders to keep ourselves constantly hydrated for how crucially important it is for our health.

It’s not the same with babies, however. So, what happens when it’s a sunny day and your whole family is feeling the blazing heat and guzzling water? Does your newborn not require hydration? Well, sure they do, but that hydration does not come from water. No matter how hot it is, your newborn can only feed on breastmilk or formula for hydration and nutrition up to a certain period of time.

This raises the question: When can babies drink water?

At What Age Can Babies Drink Water?

First of all, up until your baby is aged AT LEAST 6 months, water is a huge ‘NO!”. At around six months of age, you can introduce the baby too small amounts of water (‘small’ being the keyword). Also, by small, we mean tablespoon or teaspoon small, and not a mini water bottle small.

For most babies, water will be a sort of novelty, and it is important to understand that a significant amount of their thirst (and nutritive requirements) should be quenched by breast milk or formula. If you are feeding your 6-month-old baby little amounts of water, make sure it is cooled-down boiled tap water since this will kill off any germs and bad bacteria in the water.

By the time the baby is about one year old — yes, your little toddler — they can drink water in slightly larger quantities, in addition to cow milk and incorporating a nutritious diet. When your little one is ready to hit ‘1’ on the age tab, they can start on solids and a few sips of water from a small cup while they are eating.

The idea is to introduce your baby to a moderate amount of water for drinking since this will be their main source of hydration from 12 months on. Introducing a cup of water to your 12 months old toddler is ideal not only for hydration but also to prevent constipation.

How much water can your baby drink?

When the baby is about half a year old, they can start with little portions of water that is about 4 ounces to 6 ounces a day. If you are still paranoid about how much water you should be feeding your baby, consult your pediatrician.

Why can’t babies drink water until they are 6 months old?

Most often, word-of-mouth goes as babies should not be fed water up until they are at least 6 months old. Have you ever wondered why?

Nutritional Interference: Baby tummies are quite small and can hold 5-10 ml of nutrition at any point in time (it empties just as fast too). This translates to the necessity to provide the baby with nutrient-rich breast milk/formula.

If you fill their teeny-tiny tummies with water (that holds no nutritional value), you will have to cut down on the actual nutrition of the baby – breast milk. Would you want to do that? Of course not!

Water Intoxication: Hold on! Water and toxic? Yes, water can be toxic if drank in large amounts (and large is relative to age, here). If the kidney is given to filter more water than it can handle, the water enters the bloodstream and causes serious health issues, more so for infants.

Brain Swelling: Intricately linked with water intoxication, if water enters the bloodstream of infants, it can cause dilution of important electrolytes such as sodium. This, in turn, can cause brain swelling (maybe even dea th) since the infant’s brain is still developing up until six months.

Now that you know when babies can drink water and why they can’t drink water until they are 6 months old, hold onto your little one and feed them the much-coveted and irresistible breastmilk.