There was a frightening story in the news earlier this week about a 5 month baby boy who almost died when his Mum watered down his formula to make it go further.
23 year old Jeri Moss, who apparently couldn’t breast feed, received 8-10 cans of formula per month through the federal Women, Infants and Children program. However, Jeri told reporters that she needs around 15 cans per month, but cannot afford to buy them. Instead, she did what she had done when her older daughter was a baby and diluted the formula to make it last longer.
The result of this was alarming.
In November, baby La’Damian began screaming, then curled into a ball and stopped breathing. He was rushed to hospital, diagnosed with water intoxication and found to be malnourished, weighing almost 4 pounds less than he should.
La’Damian spent 2 days on a ventilator and has since been allowed to go home.
Apparently, there have been other cases like this during the summer, so this isn’t an isolated incident. Yet – from many e-mails we’ve received about giving babies supplemental water – it’s clear that the potential dangers of too much water are not properly explained to parents. It really is very worrying when you consider the seriousness of the potential results.
By diluting formula, you are replacing some of the nutrients that formula provides – which explains why La’Damian was found to be malnourished. Too much water also dilutes baby’s sodium levels, which can cause seizures, brain damage or coma… and can be fatal.
And the danger isn’t JUST with diluting formula – offering extra water IN ADDITION to baby’s formula (or breast milk) – particularly during the first 6 months of life – can lead to similar problems. Both breast milk and formula provide all the nutrition AND water that your baby needs for at least the first 6 months.
You can read more on our page – Giving Water to Baby – and, of course, should discuss your concerns about giving supplemental fluids with your child’s doctor.