@deborahallen This does make more sense to me. I’ll admit I (obviously) have no idea how much the parents were diluting the bottles, so I could definitely be off on my assumption that adding any amount of water to a bottle is fatally dangerous.
@greenie123 I don't know what happened with my formatting above!
This is unfortunately another example of a type of fear mongering from medical professionals and the government. I see it often, where instead of proper guidance and education on reasonable things, parents are told to not do it at all. (Sort of like abstinence only sex-ed).They think we're too stupid to understand the nuance of weighing risks associated with parenting choices. So instead of saying" limit added water intake to 1 ounce per month of age per day" (a very reasonable guideline), we're told no water at all. There are multiple examples of this, including no bedsharing, not sleeping in car seats or swings, no walkers or jumpers, no sunscreen until 6 months, etc. It's something that occurs with guidance for adults, too. As a NICU nurse, I really wish the focus would be on education and risk management.
@deborahallen I understand your frustration, but maybe it helps to remember that guidelines and recommendations are often worded in a way that even someone with almost zero common sense can look at them and understand them and have a safe outcome following that recommendation. No baby should suffer because their caregiver did not, in fact, understand a guideline that allowed for nuance.
@caowen Thanks. I do understand that and also realize that unfortunately many us adults can't read very well. I recall hearing the average reading level is around 8th grade, I think. But it is frustrating for parents and adult patients to be given an absolute like this and perhaps not even knowing there is wiggle room.
