drinks other than milk

[nina]

When do you give your baby other drinks---water, juice, etc.???
Someone told me that once I start solids, I should give water as well? ?

[mspacman]

It's a good idea to start giving baby a sippy cup around the same time you start solids, just so he or she can start "practicing". I breast feed and started solids on my daughter at 6 months, but I gave her a sippy (with the handles) containing about a half inch of water at each feeding, and just let her mess around with it. Now at 10 months, as we're phasing in more table foods and phasing out the baby foods, she demands water with every meal. I guess as her foods become less watery and more solid, they make her more thirsty. I breast feed her after each meal as well, plus morning and bedtime. I haven't given her any juice yet; I'm putting that off as long as possible, since it's little more than tooth decay in a bottle.