How much water can cause water intoxication in babies. Letting your baby drink large amounts of water can lead to water intoxication a potentially dangerous condition where electrolytes like sodium in a babys bloodstream become diluted.
This imbalance can lead to altered brain activity and may even result in the baby experiencing a seizure.
Water intoxication in infants. Why Drinking Too Much Water Is Bad. As a general rule babies should not be given water until they reach the 6 months mark. Babies can have immature kidneys therefore giving them too much water during their first year particularly in the first nine months can dilute a babys normal sodium levels which can lead to seizures coma brain damage and death.
Water intoxication may be caused by adding too much water to your babys formula by force feeding water to your baby or by substituting water for either breast milk or infant formula. Here are some signs meanwhile if the baby is dehydrated. Providing water to your newborn could result in water intoxication which can dilute the other nutrient levels in the babys body.
Since your baby was born with a strong urge to suck it can be very easy for your baby to take in too much water in a short amount of time. Water Intoxication in Infants. For healthy adults nothing seems to quench a thirst better than plain pure water.
When your baby eats and drinks it is on an as-needed basis only. And while overexertion is not a factor when it comes to water intoxication in babies the results are similar. The dangers of water intoxication in babies are very real however and one mum has shared her terrifying experience on Facebook after her 11-month-old daughters Emily close call.
When to Give Your Baby Water. This can impact a babys normal body functions resulting in symptoms like low body temperature or seizures. In rare cases a baby who drinks too much water can develop a condition known as water intoxication which can cause seizures and even a coma.
And in infants it doesnt take that much water to cause a problem. Water intoxication can also affect babies especially those under 9 months old and in children as well. It typically occurs in formula-fed infants who are given formula that has been over.
According to the Pediatrics journal as little as 8 oz 240 mL of plain water in a day in addition to breastfeeding or formulacan cause a drop of blood sodium levels dilutional hyponatremia in an infant younger than 6 months. Thirty-one were infants living in poverty who ingested excessive amounts of water offered at home by their caretakers. Thats because their kidneys arent yet mature so giving.
In serious cases water intoxication in infants may even lead to a coma. Too much water causes their kidneys to flush out electrolytes. While it is for adults this is not true for babies.
What Is Water Intoxication. Lesser than 6 wet diapers in one day. Were encouraged to drink several glasses a day to keep our systems in balance.
In terms of drinking water it is always best to ask your pediatrician about the amount allowed for your baby. Water intoxication happens when too much water dilutes the concentration of sodium in the body upsetting the electrolyte balance and causing tissues to swell. So giving a baby younger than 6 months even a moderate amount of water in a short period of time can lead to hyponatremia which at its most dangerous can cause brain swelling and even death.
The nutrients inside his body are in perfect balance. In simple words water intoxication or water toxemia in infants is a condition that occurs when the body becomes overhydrated by drinking too much water or other fluids. Water intoxication occurs when an infant is fed fluids without proper amounts of sodium and other solutes.
Excess amounts of water can disrupt a babys sodium and electrolyte levels and can prove to be fatal for the babys health. Most people think of water as a harmless drink essential for life. But for children under 1 year old and especially during the first nine months of life drinking too much water can be dangerous.
In 1993 two infants were treated at a pediatric referral hospital in Wisconsin for hyponatremic seizures caused by water intoxication associated with bottled drinking water. Breastfed or formula-fed infants. This is known as water intoxication or poisoning 11.
As much as we all need water to stay alive intoxication to infants is dangerous which is why everyone must know this. The symptoms in babies include crying irregular breathing changes in behaviour brain damage vomiting and shaking. This report summarizes information about these cases and a review of hospitalizations for hyponatremic seizures in this hospital during 1984-1993.
While it may seem harmless practices like diluting formula or breast milk with water can lead to death from water intoxication in infants. While a sudden and dramatic drop in the bodys fluid levels almost always causes electrolyte imbalances the same results can be produced when excessive amounts of water are consumed. Between 1975 and 1990 a total of 34 patients with water intoxication were treated at St Louis Mo Childrens Hospital 24 of these in the last 3 years indicating a marked increase in incidence of this previously rare condition.
