It is common for little ones to wake up at night through the first year of their lives. Babies wake up at night to feed and they can also wake for comfort. As babies get older, they generally wake less often to feed at night. Babies need milk to fulfill their nutritional needs.
Breast milk or formula is the ideal source of nutrition for a little one and must be the sole source of nutrition for a baby for the first 6 months of life. From 6 to 12 months of age, formula or breast milk should continue to be your little one’s primary beverage.
Can I give the baby water instead of milk at night? It is recommended that you breastfeed your baby until he begins eating solid foods generally around 6 months. Once you introduce solid food, it is best to keep breastfeeding your baby until he is at least 12 months old.
Continue reading to learn more about this topic.
Table of Contents
Can I give the baby water instead of milk at night?
It depends on the age of the baby. When your baby is less than 12 months or 1 year, they are waking up at night because they need to be fed. After this age, it becomes a habit and you can give them water instead of milk to break this habit. You should understand your baby’s growth and nutritional needs before replacing milk with water. Under the age of weaning, it is essential to give milk to your baby at night. If your little one is under 1 year, they need breast milk or formula. However, if they are over 1 year you need to identify if they are actually hungry and not waking up for other reasons.
When should I give water to the baby at night?
Babies under 1 year need breast milk or infant formula for proper growth but if your baby is over 1 year, you will have to determine if they are actually hungry or waking up at night due to the habit of feeding. When over 1 year, they should be sleeping through the night.
Sometimes, we assume that they are hungry and we feed them milk. If they are really hungry and give them only water, they will either not go back to sleep or wake up again.
If you want to break the habit of babies waking at night even when they are not actually hungry, you can give them water. The water is not what they are looking for and learn that they are not getting what they want and may just sleep as well.
However, younger infants need to be fed milk or formula. Babies have small tummies and can hold only a small amount of fluid and it only fills them for a little while so it can be hard for you to judge if a baby is hungry or only needs comfort.
Here, there is one guiding principle. Don’t go cold turkey. Not giving milk to your little one at night when they are hungry is equivalent to asking your baby to skip a meal every day. They could do it, but they would be miserable.
Instead, you should go for slow incremental changes over time to break the habit of waking at night for older babies. These changes are relatively easy to make and your kid will tolerate them well.
Conclusion
Can I give the baby water instead of milk at night? If your baby is under 1 year, they should be given milk, breast milk, or infant formula based on their mom’s choices. Young babies require nourishment to grow. They need regular milk feeds even at night for proper growth and development.
On the other hand, older babies who are also getting solids, generally sleep through the night and can have water in addition to, not instead of milk feeds.
Many parents give water to their baby after the bedtime feed to sort of rinse the mouth as milk or formula pooling on teeth overnight can lead to dental problems.