Water and Babies Don’t Mix

Watered-down formula can be harmful or even fatal.

By Sally Thompson

If you haven’t thought how dangerous water can be for a newborn, think again. In Tampa, Fla., a 5-month-old almost died recently from drinking watered down formula, a money-saving strategy his young mother did not realize could be harmful or even fatal. Hospital doctors who treated the baby after he had a seizure diagnosed him with water intoxication and malnourishment. These types of incidents are a jarring reminder that parents must be thoroughly educated in infant health care. Armed with knowledge, parents can avoid infant health risks such as water intoxication.

Don’t Dilute Formula

Infant water intoxication occurs when an infant consumes excessive amounts of water, especially over a short period of time. The most common cause of infant water intoxication is diluted infant formula. According to Rosemarie Rocchio, RNC, MS, and SCN Educator at Phelps Memorial Hospital in Sleepy Hollow, NY, “Diluting the formula weakens the caloric composition and adds fluid that has no nutritional value for the infant. Diluting formula or giving water ultimately affects serum values of electrolytes, and shifting of fluid between the vascular system and the tissues, as well as not meeting protein and caloric requirements for normal weight gain and growth.” Furthermore, the low sodium levels that ensue during water intoxication can rapidly trigger failures in the central nervous system.

A Delicate System

Babies and water simply don’t mix.

An infant’s systems are extraordinarily delicate because they are still developing through the first year of life. Rick Stafford, M.D., FAAP, and Director of Neonatology at Northern Westchester (NY) Hospital, explains, “It is so easy for infants to overdose on water because they need a very specific concentration of electrolytes.Even a seemingly small amount of water can be fatal because an infant’s homeostatic mechanisms are not matured.” A disruption of this fragile system can have catastrophic effects on an infant’s health. Infants suffering from water intoxication may display a number of symptoms, including lethargy, malnourishment, puffiness in the face, low body temperature, fluttering eyelids, irritability and irregular heartbeat. The baby’s internal mechanisms begin to fail immediately.