Staying hydrated in Summer
☀️ Let's talk about staying hydrated during hot Summer days ☀️
Most of us do a very poor job of drinking enough water on a normal day, let alone on a hot day. Being dehydrated can especially impact pregnant and breastfeeding Mamas.
Why?
🚫 Exclusively breastfed babies do not need to be given water, as long as you feed them on demand
🚫 Formula fed babies also do not need any supplemental water, as long as you are feeding them on demand
Babies under 6 months of age, do not need any supplemental water because their main source of food is either breast milk or formula. Both breast milk and formula will keep them well hydrated. If you give them water, their tummies will fill up with water and not nutrients. We want their tummies to be filled with food, not water.
This means that if your baby is wanting to eat more frequently, then you should feed them more often. This will help keep them satiated and well hydrated.
To help keep them from being dehydrated you also want to keep them out of direct sunlight and make sure they aren't over dressed. On hot Summer days, babies are fine to just be in their diapers.
For babies that are older and are eating solids, you can give them a few sips of water, but again this is just to get them to practice using a sippy cup. It isn't to fill them up. We want them to fill up with breast milk/formula and solids.
Good luck, Mamas!
- Agnes (MamaBear)
