Beware of water poisoning! There is a huge misunderstanding about how much water babies should drink that goes viral on the Internet!

Some time ago, many parents in the circle of friends were posting pictures of \”baby\’s water intake\”, and they got angry after reading the first line! A 4-year-old child is actually asked to drink 1.6 liters of water every day – about the amount of 3 standard bottles of mineral water! I really want to say: \”Feed your baby water like this. Not only the baby can\’t drink it, but also the mother can\’t do it! Please let me go!\” But some people will say: There is no harm in drinking water, and it\’s okay to drink more. . Are you really okay? ● Beware of water poisoning Water is a good thing, but don’t overdose! The baby\’s kidney function is not yet fully developed. Drinking too much water will cause the sodium in the body to be over-diluted, making it difficult to discharge excess water from the body. In mild cases, it may lead to edema, weakness, convulsions, etc., and in severe cases, it may cause renal failure. ● Even if the consequences are not that serious, drinking too much water is not good. ① The baby\’s stomach capacity is very small, and water will occupy the limited stomach capacity, causing the baby to drink less milk and suffer from malnutrition. ② Drinking too much water will increase the burden on the child\’s kidneys, causing the child to urinate frequently during sleep, affecting sleep. In disease states such as diarrhea, fever, herpetic pharyngitis or hand, foot and mouth disease, \”drink more water\” is the scientific advice. How much to drink? When will it be replenished? ● The average daily water intake of babies cannot be absolute at present. Infants and young children receive more liquid food. The younger they are, the more liquid food they eat. Therefore, the amount of water to drink every day cannot be completely absolute at present! Because drinking less water ≠ lack of water! Replenishing water = drinking water directly! The younger you are, the more you need to \”control the amount of water.\” ● The reference value for the total water intake of children aged 0-3 years old must be clear. The water intake we are talking about ≠ the amount of boiled water consumed, but includes all sources of water, such as porridge, fruits, etc. ① 0-6 months, no need to replenish water under normal circumstances, breast milk/formula milk powder can provide sufficient moisture. ② 6-12 months, the total daily water requirement is 900mL. More than half of it comes from breast milk/formula, and the rest comes from water in complementary foods, such as porridge, noodles, etc. You can add a small amount of drinking water to your baby. ③ For 1-3 years old, the recommended total daily water intake is 1300mL. The daily milk volume is about 500mL, and the three meals contain about 500mL of water. The rest must be supplemented by drinking water, which means about 300ml of drinking water is needed. ● Whether you need to replenish water or not will be known as soon as you urinate. ① Look at the urine volume. If your baby can wet 6-8 diapers a day, or even more, it means that he is adequately hydrated. Older children may pee six or seven times a day. When the child is awake, if the child does not urinate for four or five hours, or the urine is extremely small and yellow, you should worry about lack of water. If your child urinates frequently, only a few drops each time, it may be due to poor urinating habits or a urinary tract infection. If the child urinates frequently and suddenly, he should seek medical attention. ②Look at the color. If the urine is transparent and colorless, it means that the body is very full; if the urine is yellow, it means that you need to replenish water. However, in some cases, if the urine volume is not large but the color is yellow, it may be related to B vitamin supplementation or excessive intake. In addition, the child has no tears, has anterior fontanelle, sunken eye sockets, and dry and lack of elasticity of the skin, indicating severe dehydration. What kind of water should you drink? ● You can safely drink boiled water, boiling water, and purified water. Many parents accidentally give their children boiling water (boiled water is allowed to cool before being boiled again)., worried about elevated nitrite levels. In fact, even if it is heated repeatedly 20 times, the nitrite content is only 0.038mg/L, which is within the drinkable range, so there is no need to worry too much. Purified water has no minerals and lacks trace elements, will it affect the development of the baby? Drinking water is not the main way for babies to supplement trace elements and minerals, so drinking pure water is completely OK. ● Be careful when drinking yin and yang water, freshly squeezed juices, and beverages: mix water that is too hot with tap water. Although the water temperature is moderate, it must not be given to babies. Some places believe that yin and yang water refers to boiled water mixed with cool water, and there is no problem with such water. Freshly squeezed juice: 100% pure juice made by squeezing fresh fruits yourself. When giving it to your baby, it should be diluted 3-5 times to avoid taking in too much fructose, and it cannot be drunk every day. Beverages: Drinking a little occasionally will not be harmful to the body, but excessive intake is not recommended for babies of any age. What is the water temperature? We are often reminded to \”drink more hot water\”, but how hot water is suitable for babies to drink? ● The water temperature for brewing milk powder. Generally speaking, the temperature for brewing formula milk powder should be between 40℃-60℃. This is just the brewing temperature. After brewing, it still needs to be warmed before it can be given to the baby. Since different brands of milk powder have different mixing ratio instructions, for formula milk powder with added probiotics, if the brewing temperature is too high, the probiotics will be eliminated. Therefore, read the preparation instructions provided by the manufacturer carefully before brewing milk powder. ● Drinking water temperature: In summer, it is best to drink boiled water that is the same as room temperature. In winter, you can drink water around 40°C. Because no matter what season it is, if your baby drinks too cold or too hot water, it will damage the delicate gastric mucosa and affect digestion. In addition, boiled water cooled to 20-25°C is very close to the characteristics of the cell fluid in the baby\’s body, making it easier to enter the cells, promote metabolism, and enhance immunity. What should I do if I don’t drink water? ● The power of role models ① Find a character or cartoon you like. For example, tell your baby that the secret to Princess Elsa\’s beauty is to drink more water, so she wants to live in a snow-capped mountain. If your baby wants to be like his idol, he will drink water obediently. ② Take advantage of the baby’s characteristic of “following the trend”. Parents take their babies with them when they go out to play. Once they see other babies drinking water, they quickly set an example and guide their own babies to follow suit! ● Choose what they like: Prepare cups with different animal designs, such as little monkeys, little tigers, and kittens. When drinking water, you can guide your baby to taste the water from the kitten first, then the water from the little monkey, and finally Take another sip of the water from the little tiger, and the baby will find it interesting and drink more water. Tip: The cup you choose should be convenient for your baby to use, and the material does not contain BPA. ● Endless fun with the water drinking contest game. This is a relatively easy game. The parents and the baby agree on a competition. Whoever drinks the water in the cup first will win. Children love winning the most. Although this method is simple, it is very effective.