How much water and is yoghurt necessary?

[wysiwyg]

My DD is 8.5 months old, and is going pretty well with food but doesn't seem to want to drink much water she is having 4 or 5 breastfeeds in 24 hours, but I find it hard to get her to drink much water (have tried a few different cups) she will suck on icecubes though when is really hot. Her nappies seem ok (I would prefer to see them a bit wetter) and doesn't seem constipated - what amount of water is usual for babies this age? Is there any harm in her having water in a bottle (this seems the only way she will drink any amount) as opposed to a cup? Is odd because she chews on the teat and gets water, which is the same action as she should use on one of the cups I have but just doesn't seem to want to put that one near her mouth.

Also she doesn't like yoghurt, she won't feed from a spoon and have tried giving her stuff to dip in it but that just makes her reject the fruit etc. Do babies need yoghurt for calcium?, she has some cows milk on Weetbix and has cheese is there something else I should increase her eating if won't eat yoghurt or has anyone any ideas on how to get her to eat it (if it was solid she would eat it I am sure - she just is not keen on liquidy or mushy things).

[RhiChiChi]

For my DD (she was ff) we just put the sippy cup (or bottle) in front of her at meals times & now she drinks water flat out. At first she wasn't keen and was an ice sucker, then it just took off. I suppose the only issue is to go from bottles to sippy cup/cup. With your DD feeding well on the breast, I wouldn't worry too much about water. Eventually when she weans BF, water will take over.

In relation to the diary, cheese & cows milk should be ample. Calcium is also found in some vegetables. I think broccoli has calcium.

[Jennifer13]

At your DD's age, there really isn't any need for yoghurt if she doesn't like it. Most of her nutritional needs are being supplied by your bm (and that will be the case until about 12 mths). Food at this age is just an experiment in introducing new tastes and sensations. I know of some babies who aren't even eating solids at her age!

Water isn't really necessary, she knows where to get a drink if she wants it. In fact, I'd be wary of giving her too much water in case it interferes with bfing, which is much more important.

When my DD was her age, I just offered a sippy cup of water with meals. I never paid much attention to how much was drunk (it was never much). Bfs throughout the day will more than satisfy her thirst, she'll let you know when she wants one!

[briggsy's girl]

i agree with Jen - just have teh sippy cup there - if she wants it, great, if not, who cares? she is getting plenty of fluids from your BM and that's what is important.

some days, E has no water at all - others, she'll have more. it really depends on the day and her mood - and how much she is showing off that she is clever and can drink from the sippy cup!!

yogurt wise - E doesn't have cereal - doesn't like it, won't have a bar of it. so we offer her yogurt instead. i don't much enjoy cereal, so maybe she inherited that one from me. i'd prefer fruit and yogurt for brekki. i don't push it - she gets to feed herself. some days she'll refuse it altogether, others she will eat it all plus half a sandwich.

i guess we need to remind ourselves that, at this age, they are experimenting more than anything - developing their own tastes. it seems CJ doesn't like yogurt, so no big drama there (E only eats vanilla - buy any with flavours already and she clamps her mouth down!). just try her every now and then and see how she goes. i know that i eat yogurt now, but as a kid i used to flat out refuse cos i didn't like that taste (mum is still like this now!)

CJ is a happy healthy bubba. she is just feeling her way and finding her own taste in food. keep experimenting and see how she goes. good luck hun!

[rufalina]

I agree with the girls, and wanted to add, with my DS1 I would offer foods for a few days, and see how he went, and if they were rejected, I would give up on them, and try again in a few weeks. Sometimes, he would just lap them up the next time I offered, in the same way they will reject foods that they have eaten happily for months. Kids and food It will drive you crazy if you let it.

[RhiChiChi]

I agree with the girls, and wanted to add, with my DS1 I would offer foods for a few days, and see how he went, and if they were rejected, I would give up on them, and try again in a few weeks. Sometimes, he would just lap them up the next time I offered, in the same way they will reject foods that they have eaten happily for months. Kids and food It will drive you crazy if you let it.

I agree with rufalina too, just keep offering. My DD didn't like pumpkin from the day we introduced it to her as a baby and it was only last week she ate it! (She is 2.5 y.o.) I read somewhere that it can take up to 10 times of offering a particular food to a child before they will even try it. Sometimes it is a textural thing too - DD doesn't really like mushrooms, but chopped finely will eat it.

[SareBear]

My little guy wasn't drinking water either, I don't think he quite got the idea of tipping the sippy cup up. I bought him a cup with a straw (with a valve so it doesn't come out too fast) and now he drinks all day long. Maybe something like that might help (if you haven't already tried it that is).

[wysiwyg]

Thanks for all the replies - think just needed the reassurance - as all bubs in my MG are doing puree and yoghurt seems to be a main stay of their diet, and is always like oh dear when I say she won't eat it (although she does eat at least 10x more foods than them - including prawns and flesh from moreton bay bugs on the weekend ). I actually feel kind of left out because always talking about the types of baby food they like etc and I have nothing to add because CJ hasn't tried any of that stuff only normal food and they just don't seem interested in BLS.

Oh and she drank a fair bit of water today - is pretty hot so maybe the other days just wasn't thirsty. I haven't tried a cup with a straw yet SareBear - I might get one at some point but she likes water out my sports bottle better than anything else (Maybe if I carry round a sippy cup and drink out of that all day she will want to copy me and start using that )