Can You Use Bottled Water For Formula

Deciding how to feed a babe, whether breastfeeding or formula feeding, can be challenging for parents. One question: What kind of h2o should you use for making formula?

TODAY Parents asked pediatricians for the answers.

All-time water for baby formula

When making formula for babies, parents accept the option of using tap, fluoridated, well or bottled water. There are different factors to consider when deciding which one to use.

Tap water

Dr. Tye Winters, pediatric residency director and medical director of Overlook Medical Center Pediatric HealthStart Clinic, tells TODAY Parents that "the recommendation is to boil the water for at least 1 minute in a pan with a cover, then allow it to absurd with the chapeau on the pan. This should exist followed peculiarly within the starting time 3 months of age or if the infant was born prematurely, prior to 36 weeks of gestation."

H2o from a public source in the United States is usually very high quality and can safely exist used for mixing formulas, merely Dr. Hillary O'Boyle, a pediatrician in Richmond, Virginia says it's always proficient to check: "I would suggest parents to make sure their tap water comes from a safe water source, as defined by your county wellness department or state environmental agency. "

Fluoridated water

Fluoridated h2o can be used to make formula; yet, doctors say it should not be used during every feed, to forbid babies from getting as well much fluoride in their trunk. Excessive fluoride tin can lead to skeletal changes in the babe over time.

Infant formula contains all the fluoride your baby needs, so using tap water for mixing, which typically contains additional fluoride, may put your babe at a slightly increased risk for something called dental fluorosis, says O'Boyle. This causes the appearance of faint white lines on adult teeth, which is not harmful, but may exist a corrective concern. O'Boyle tells TODAY Parents that parents who alive in areas with fluoridated tap water "may want to periodically use set-to-feed (pre-mixed) formula and/or mix formula with bottled water, both of which practise not contain fluoride."

If you are using fluoridated water, the American Dental Association suggests checking with your local h2o company to make sure that the fluoride level is less than 0.vii parts fluoride per million parts water.

Well water

Winters says well h2o should non be used for formula, as it may contain harmful bacteria that tin can lead to life-threatening infections, especially in younger infants or babies with underlying health conditions. Distilled or purified water should be used in identify of well water.

If well water is the only water source, do caution. Some wells have a loftier concentration of nitrates, which can seep in from fertilizer in the basis, putting babies at risk for something called methemoglobinemia. O'Boyle said, "Boiling the water does not solve this problem. If interested in using well water for formula mixing, the water should be tested periodically for nitrates to ensure condom levels."

If the nitrate levels are prophylactic, O'Brien said, "Additionally, all well water should be boiled prior to use."

Bottled water

Virtually any type of bottled h2o tin can be safely used for mixing formula. This includes purified, distilled, deionized or demineralized water. Using bottled water is the all-time way to ensure the h2o is safe, and besides has the reward of not containing additional fluoride.

When choosing bottled water, information technology is important to know if the water has been fortified with additives such as fluoride or electrolytes, as this tin can lead to an excessive amount of electrolytes or fluoride within the infant'south body.

Regular bottled drinking water should withal be boiled before using in formula, similar to tap water. Distilled or purified h2o tin be used without having to boil the water.

Speak with your pediatrician

Every bit with annihilation else, getting advice from your child'south pediatrician is always the best bet. 1 thing to remember is that babies nether 6 months don't demand h2o on its own; it can actually lead to electrolyte imbalances and potentially encephalon damage. Infants are receiving plenty of water from their formula or breast milk.

Parents tin premix formula or bring their own water with them when leaving the firm. Prepared formula can be kept out of the fridge for upward to about 2 hours after preparation.

Parents have multiple condom options when choosing water for formula mixing. The two safest options are boiled tap h2o that has been cooled to room temperature, or any type of bottled h2o. If tap water is going to exist the primary water source for formula, use bottled water occasionally to reduce fluoride exposure.

Parents should be most cautious about the water source for infants younger than 3 months, premature infants or babies with impaired immune systems, as they are at college risk for serious bacterial infection from unclean water.