Summer heat will soon be taking the place of warm spring weather - unless of course you live in the South, then you're already dealing with heat I bet. In any case, in hot weather it's more likely that your little one will get dehydrated quickly, so it's smart to know how to keep your little one hydrated.
Make it a rule to always carry around a water bottle for your baby. I'd go with reusable and BPA free because these bottles are more eco-friendly for your baby. Good water bottles for babies shown above (with links below).
1. G2 Kid-Size Stainless Steel Drink Bottle 2. Kid Kanteen classic sippy 3. G2 Stainless Bottle System 4. SIGG Kids Bottles
Breastfeed as normal. Breast milk does hydrate. If your baby seems less hungry due to heat, try to stay on as normal a feeding schedule as possible and supplement water if your baby isn't drinking as much milk. In nursing college we learned that if you're thirsty, you're already on the way to
dehydration. You shouldn't be thirsty and neither should your baby - that means the two of you aren't drinking enough. You need 8+ glasses of water daily. The American Academy of Pediatrics actually notes that active kids need water every 20 minutes so if your tot is walking and crawling pump up the water intake. Signs of
baby thirst include: Tiredness,
less crying or babbling than usual, less frequent wet diaper changes. Keep your baby in the shade to ward off heat and dehydration. If your baby has spent time in the heat or is not drinking enough and seems sick, way overly tired, or she
looses consciousness, don't mess around.
Babies can become dehydrated and super sick faster than you might think. Call the doctor asap or head to the ER. Your baby might need fluids via an IV.
