when can i give my 3 month old her 1st BOTTLE of WATER?

[jessyboy007]

need help ladies, when can my baby girl get her first bottle of water?

also she has a cold, what meds can i give her ? she doesnt cough , but she has a runny nose??

[ArmyPrincess819]

Check with your dr but if water doesn't settle right pedia lyte helps to hydrate. If your baby doesn't like the water put alittle bit of sugar in it and warm it up alittle bit. I your lil one feels better soon....

AP

[KellyA74]

I work in PEDS and for infants under 1 month old we always give 0.3ml and for 2-3 months 0.4ml.......But certainly call your MD to confirm.....Hope the baby is feeling better.  

[tiredbuthappy]

in regards to tylenol dosing for an infant...
PLEASE don't go by what someone says is an appropriate dose for a certain age. Medications are dosed by weight, not by age. And since baby's weights vary so greatly, it is very important that a doctor or pharmacist calculate and tell you the dosage.

[mj_mommy_manda]

yeah. when your baby is in the 10th percentile they are bigger than 10 percent of babies their age and smaller than 90 percent and so on.  Jadyn has been small even when i was pregnant with him. he was actually always in the 10th percentile on ultrasounds too.

[alaysha]

10 percentile means they are bigger then 10% of all babies so they would be considered smaller. 95 percentile means they are bigger then 95% of all babies so they would be considered bigger. Every time you go for a doctors visit they should tell you what the height and weight percentile of your child is.

[jessyboy007]

thank you ladies, i will be doing that for her in the next few days.

as for "10th percentile" what does that mean??? big baby , small baby..i dont understand?

thanks for clarifying??

[Linzola1]

I have still yet to give Julian his first bottle of water, but I think that is because he is not gining weight! I think they told me when he was 3 months 2 oz was ok but they reccomended nothing until at least 6 months... As for the cold I have no idea but KellyA74 is correct with the tylonel! I hope your little one feels better soon.

[KellyA74]

P.S....If you do decide to use the Tylenol...make sure that the baby doesn't have a fever before you give it, as you wouldn't want to mask any symptoms.

[KellyA74]

My little guy is suffering from a nasty cold right now as well....I'm doing the humidifier and putting him in the bathroom when we shower, etc....I did give him Infants Tylenol...He had it when he got his 1st shots and also while he was in NICU after he was born......I feel that it takes the edge off his discomfort during this cold.  The dose for a 2-3 month old is 0.4ml every 4 hours as needed.....

[mj_mommy_manda]

Joy- Jadyn is actually only in the 10th percentile.  So this seems really strange! I'll make sure to ask his ped. about this next time we take Jadyn to see him.  I think the reason he brought up giving Jadyn water at bedtime was because he thought it would make him not wake up as much if he wasn't getting formula, but Jadyn will wake up and eat 8 ounces at night.. and if drinking 8 ounces of water could cause an inbalance then that worries me! Im glad that the information was posted now I can check into it.

[JoyRenee]

mj-mommy-manda... my pediatrician told me I could give my daughter 2 ounces of water for really bad constipation and that was only because she was in the 95th percentile (she was a bigger baby). Was your child bigger? Maybe that is why your doctor didn't mind.

So each case is unique and I think a pediatrician needs to be spoken with anytime you're unsure about something. tiredbuthappy made EXCELLENT points and it is true that too much water can cause electrolyte imbalance.

Giving water just because you want to really isn't necessary and can cause more harm than good.

[mj_mommy_manda]

pinkbelle summed up what I wanted to say about her cold

Its funny that so many doctors reccommend no water for infants! My sons ped tells me I can give him water all the time.. He even reccommended to start giving him water at night when he wakes up!!

[pinkbelle]

If shes constipated 2 ounces of water mixed with a little juice works wonders!! also when shes stuffy take her in the bathroom with you when you get a shower and that'll help.. they also make baby vicks and my ped told me to put that on aubrees chest when she was congested! the label says 3 months and older! Just make sure to get the baby kind..  a warm washcloth on her chest will also help with congestion.. if its more nasal use a suctioner ( forget what its called) to suck mucous out so she can breathe. . run a vaporizer at night...  and baby tyelnol if she is running a fever!

[honey1982]

i wouldn't give her any medications. and i was told that ionfants don't need water that early either. i actually gave my four week old cousin some water in her bottle of course sterile. so i told the NP and she said not to do that again. i gave her the water because i just thought that since she was humna she needed water. but see i learned something new everyday. but i know the pharmacist at the walgreens can't recommend cold or cough medicines for children under age 2 or 3 years old. steamy showers, humidifers by the bed, warm cloths on the chest should be okay. to break up congestion.

[tiredbuthappy]

they do not recommend water for babies that young. they get plenty of fluids through formula or breast milk. if you mix your own formula you can picture exactly how much water the baby actually gets in each bottle.  Since a baby's blood volume is so small compared to ours, it is easy to accidentally cause a serious and possibly lethal electrolyte inbalance. My ped said water wasn't necessary before a year while she was on formula, but we were told around 8 months that a couple of ounces a day would be ok. FOr now, unless the pediatrician specifically instructs you to for medical reasons, avoid water.

as for the cold, if she gets a fever you can give tylenol. Contact your ped or ask you pharmacist for the appropriate dose. Otherwise, there aren't any meds that you can safely give without a prescription, and most Dr's don't prescribe anything for colds. The FDA pulled all cough and cold meds for young children because there is no evidence that they work, and parents can very easily overdose the child. I know it's so hard to see your little struggle so much. Saline is very helpful, along with the boogie sucker from the hospital. When DD was very congested and had trouble eating, we would feed her in the steamy bathroom with the shower running. That helped. You can elevate her a bit while she sleeps, and put a cool mist humidifier in her room. If symptoms persist or get worse, get her checked by the ped to make sure her chest and ears are clear.

[K1990]

The medication thing is a personal opinion.  I am one who takes medicine for everything and it works out perfectly for me.  If she starts to run a fever or anything then I would give her baby tylonel but if you want you could call your dr and ask.

[JoyRenee]

I know that 2 ounces of water is probably all she could have at this point, and that's usually if she's constipated. For meds- there's nothing you can give her. Doctors are wanting to pull cough/cold medicines for children because they can be dangerous.

I'd definitely call the ped's office and ask them about the cold if she becomes really uncomfortable. Otherwise you can just use saline nose drops and suck the boogies out.