Generally speaking, water is routinely advisable to your child once he/she completes the age of 6 months i.e. when he/she starts to eat, he/she should drink. You are generally advised to offer water between feeds, as much as your child want. Some children do not like water and breast feeding is the alternative for them (breast milk contains 87.5% water). The sipping cup is preferable to the bottle.

The water offered to your child should be previously boiled even if you are giving your child bottled water. One concern here that I hear sometimes from parents is that mineral water boiling might concentrate minerals to the child; the answer is that most bottled water available in Egypt is natural water and not truely mineral water as we commonly call it.

If you are using bottled water make sure to review the fluoride content of the bottle. The minimum required for children 6months to 3 years of age is 0.3mg/liter (ppm). Fluoride mineral is important to prevent dental caries and is a component of bone. If your child is drinking water with a fluoride content less than this, then you need to give fluoride supplementation. Ask your doctor or call 2356 for further advice.