what age can babies have water
Babies can usually start having small sips of water at around 6 months old, alongside breast milk or formula, unless your baby’s doctor advises otherwise.
What Age Can Babies Have Water?
The Simple Answer
- Most health organizations advise waiting until about 6 months before offering water.
- Before 6 months, babies should have only breast milk or infant formula, even in hot weather, because those already provide all the hydration they need.
- From 6–12 months, water is just a small “extra”; breast milk or formula should still be the main drink.
Think of water in the first year as a practice drink in a tiny cup, not a replacement for feeds.
Why You Should Wait Until 6 Months
- Nutrients matter more than water: If a young baby fills up on water, they may drink less milk and miss important calories and nutrients they need to grow.
- Hydration is already covered: Breast milk and formula are mostly water, so a baby under 6 months does not need extra plain water, even in hot weather or with a mild fever; extra milk feeds are usually enough.
- Safety concerns: Giving too much water to young babies can dilute the salts in their blood (water intoxication), which in serious cases can cause sleepiness, confusion, or even seizures.
A useful mental picture: under 6 months, your baby’s stomach is like a small thimble—there’s no space to waste on anything that doesn’t nourish them.
How Much Water After 6 Months?
Once your baby hits roughly 6 months and starts solids (purees, mashed foods), you can begin introducing small amounts of water:
- Offer a few sips of water with meals in an open cup, straw cup, or sippy cup.
- From 6–12 months, many guidelines suggest around 4–8 ounces (about 120–240 ml) per day , spread out through the day, is usually enough on top of their regular milk feeds.
- Breast milk or formula should remain the main source of both calories and fluid until 1 year.
You can treat it like “cup practice”: your baby is learning the skill of drinking water, not trying to hit a big daily water goal.
Practical Tips for Parents
How to introduce water
- Start around 6 months, when you begin solids, if your pediatrician agrees.
- Use a tiny open cup or a small sippy/straw cup so your baby can learn to sip.
- Offer water with meals—just a few sips is fine.
- Keep an eye on diapers, mood, and feeding; if water seems to make them drink less milk, cut back.
What kind of water?
- In many places, tap water is fine for babies over 6 months, but families sometimes prefer to boil and cool it if they are worried about quality.
- If you’re unsure about your local tap water (for example, fluoride or contamination concerns), your pediatrician or local health department can advise.
What About Hot Weather or Illness?
- For babies under 6 months, even in hot weather, the usual recommendation is to offer more frequent breast or formula feeds rather than plain water.
- Once over 6 months, you can offer extra sips of water along with their feeds, especially on very hot days or if they are mildly unwell, but still do not replace milk with large amounts of water.
If your baby has vomiting, diarrhea, fewer wet diapers than usual, or seems unusually sleepy, those can be signs to call your doctor urgently.
What Parents Are Asking in Forums Lately
Recently, parents on parenting forums and social media have been talking about:
- Very early water introduction: Some older relatives suggest water for colic or constipation in very young babies, but current medical guidance still says to avoid water before about 6 months unless a doctor specifically recommends it.
- Big water bottles for babies: Trendy “mini water bottles” for babies are circulating online; they look cute, but experts note that under 1 year, water is just a small extra, not something to chug.
- Filtered vs. tap water: With more talk about filters and microplastics, many parents ask if babies “must” have filtered or bottled water; the general message is that safe tap water is okay for babies over 6 months in most developed areas, but families can choose filtered if they prefer and can afford it.
These conversations come up often because recommendations have shifted over time; what grandparents were told may not match today’s pediatric advice.
Quick Reference Table
| Baby age | Water recommendation | Main drink |
|---|---|---|
| 0–6 months | No plain water; breast milk or formula only, even in hot weather. | [9][3]Breast milk or infant formula. | [5][3]
| 6–12 months | Small amounts of water (about 4–8 oz per day) in a cup, usually with meals. | [5][3]Mainly breast milk or formula; water is just a supplement. | [9][5][3]
| 12+ months | Water can be a main drink alongside milk; offer regularly throughout the day. | [7]Water and milk are the go-to drinks for toddlers. | [7]
Mini Story: A Common Scenario
A new parent, Emma, noticed her 3‑month‑old seemed fussy on a hot afternoon. Her mother suggested, “Just give her a little water.” Emma had heard mixed advice and felt torn. After checking modern guidance, she chose to offer an extra breastfeed instead of water and saw her baby settle and keep having good wet diapers.
Three months later, when her daughter started purees at 6 months, Emma introduced a tiny open cup with a few sips of water at lunch. At first, most of it dribbled down her chin, but over a couple of weeks her baby proudly learned to sip—getting practice with cups while still getting most of her nutrition and hydration from milk.
TL;DR
- Wait until about 6 months to offer water.
- Before 6 months: breast milk or formula only, even in hot weather, unless your doctor says otherwise.
- From 6–12 months: just small sips of water (about 4–8 oz per day total), with milk still as the main drink.
- If you are ever unsure—especially if your baby seems unwell—check with your pediatrician for advice tailored to your baby.
Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.