One of the most frequently asked questions that comes up on our weekly Weaning Wednesday Q&A on Instagram Stories is to do with introducing water to your weaning baby, and especially whether tap water is a safe source. The short answer is yes, so long as it is from a safe source your baby can have tap water from six months so that they get used to the taste and move onto drinking mainly water from 1 year. Find advice like this and more in my Baby & Family recipe book!

• In the first year the only liquid your baby needs is breastmilk or formula, unless you live in a very hot country and you are keeping your baby hydrated.
• Around the 6 month mark, your baby will be on solid foods. Continue giving them their breastmilk or formula, but you can also start giving small amounts of water with their meals. Offering a lidded beaker of tap water can help your baby get used to the taste. 
• There is no need to offer your baby water outside of mealtimes, as this may result in them replacing breastmilk or formula with water. Up to 1 year, babies have very high nutritional needs so it is important to keep giving them their breastmilk or formula as a main source of nutrition. 
• You do not need to boil tap water before offering it to your baby. When we boil water it increases the sodium level. The only time you need to boil water is for making up milk bottles. 
• If you are abroad and the tap water is not safe to drink try to source low sodium water such as Evian water. 

So YES your baby can drink tap water
And NO you do not have to boil tap water for baby. 

I hope that answers all your questions on introducing water to your baby. Remember my Baby & Family book is packed full of weaning advice like this, order your copy today!