by Naomi Pardue

It's hot. It’s 95° out, you can wring humidity out of the air, and you’re guzzling water like a fish. Surely, you think, my baby needs extra water too. Formula or breast milk can’t possibly be enough for him. Right? Well, maybe.

• A formula fed baby may need extra liquids in hot weather. Because baby probably doesn’t need the calories he would get from extra bottles of formula or juice, you can offer water in a cup or bottle between feedings.

• If the baby is breastfed, you can simply offer the breast more often. While formula never varies during feedings, the foremilk the breasts produce at the beginning of a feed is thin and watery. It is ideally suited for satisfying a baby’s thirst. By nursing often you will provide baby with plenty of this thirst-quenching foremilk. Try offering the breast about every hour. Your baby probably won’t nurse for more than a few minutes at a time, but the brief, frequent feedings are exactly what he needs.

• If you are breastfeeding, don’t forget to watch your own water intake. You need to take in more fluids in order to provide the additional milk for your baby. Don’t force fluids, but drink enough so you don’t feel thirsty, and check your urine—it should be produced in ample amounts, and should be clear or pale yellow.

• Whether you are breast or formula feeding, watch for signs of dehydration. Your baby should have 6-8 really wet diapers every day, and the urine should be pale, not dark yellow. Symptoms of more severe dehydration include a sunken fontanel (soft spots on baby’s skull), dry mouth, and lethargy.

• If your baby seems mildly dehydrated, push more fluid—breast milk for breastfed babies, water for formula fed babies. If your baby won’t take the extra fluids, or the dehydration worsens, call the doctor’s office or take baby to the emergency room.

Dehydration can be very serious in young babies but, with attention given to offering adequate fluids, your baby should sail through the hottest days of summer.

Naomi Pardue has been writing about breastfeeding and infant care for over a decade and trained as a Certified Lactation Education with CAPPA (Childbirth and Postpartum Professional Association).