After 6 months, babies will start learning to drink from a cup in preparation for weaning off the bottle!
Some parents may ask, "Is this too early?"
It really isn't. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends.
After 6 months, babies should start learning to use a cup and stop using a bottle at 1 year of age, no later than 18 months.
The dangers of long-term bottle use in babies are not small!
It tends to affect the development of baby's facial muscles, teeth and jawbone, and affects the baby's appearance.
Parents and moms, when it's time for your baby to learn to use a water cup and gradually wean from the bottle, don't delay!
But the question arises, there are so many children's water cups, what is the difference between a duckbill cup, a straw cup and an open cup? How should we choose?
(1) Duckbill cups
Our common duckbill cups have a soft mouth and hard mouth.
Its soft touch is similar to a pacifier bottle, and its appearance is very similar, making it easier for babies to accept. It is very suitable for babies who are just learning to use water cups.
Does it feel good? But I must tell you.
It exists mainly to help babies make a smooth transition to sippy cups.
(2) Sippy cups
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children start trying sippy cups after 6 months of age.
(3) Open cups
Generally speaking, after a baby is a year and a half old, it's time to try an open cup!
Of course, this is just our recommendation and it depends on your baby. There are some babies who start using open cups much earlier and use them well.
When your baby learns to use an open cup, remember to fill it with less water.
Material safety is the most important thing when choosing a child's mug. A mug made of food-grade silicone is safe for infants to use. Not only is it a safe material, but it is also resistant to drops and cracks.
How much water does an infant drink per day?
"Generally speaking, babies under 6 months of age do not need extra water."
Babies who are exclusively breastfed can meet their needs if they drink enough milk.
In the case of breastfeeding, breast milk already contains more than 80% water, which is enough for babies under 6 months; for formula feeding, as long as parents follow the standard ratio of brewing, then most formulas can reach 85-90% water content.
However, the phrase "no need for extra water" is not absolute.
It is also necessary to drink small amounts of water if the child is dehydrated or if the following conditions occur
For example, when your child has a fever, sweating, wheezing, vomiting, diarrhea, runny nose, cough, tears, loss of appetite, etc.
Most babies start adding complementary foods when they are 4-6 months old, so about half of a baby's daily water intake of 900 ml is provided by breast milk and formula, and the other half by complementary foods such as pasta and purees.
So although you can start feeding your baby water at this time, it should not be too much, no more than 240 ml per day at most, and it is better to slowly increase the amount of water you drink after one year of age.
This largely depends on whether the baby is willing to drink water.
Plain water is definitely the best drink for babies
If you think the tap water has an odor after boiling, you can also use a water purifier to filter it and then boil it for drinking; it is best to boil the straight drinking water in the community before giving it to your baby; if you drink bottled water, remember to clean the water dispenser regularly.
In short, after the child added supplementary food, do not need to worry too much about what the child should drink water. Pure water, mineral water, distilled water in the supermarket can be given to the baby to drink, but it is not recommended to be limited to drinking only one of them for a long time.
In addition, how much water a child should drink cannot be generalized. It needs to be determined based on the amount of exercise, sweating, weather factors, disease effects, and diet of the child.
