Is Bottled Water for Formula Feeding Safe?

Tap, boiled, or bottled water for formula feeding - which one to go for?

Just when you thought getting the best brand of formula milk along with some really nice bottles would be enough for formula feeding your baby, you find yourself asking these questions: Should I go for bottled water for formula feeding? Is boiled water better? Can't I just use the tap water instead (provided it's been declared safe to drink) - after all, the rest of your family drinks from it.

In short, what is the best water for baby formula?

Bottled Water for Formula Feeding

Bottled water is pretty safe and can be used to make your baby's formula milk. What's even better is to boil that water and let it cool. The thing is, you do not know how long the bottled water has been lying on the shelves. I could also get contaminated by heat or other external factors while stocked up in the factory, store, or even your car or garage.

Furthermore, there are so many brands of bottled water in the market these days that you are not sure which one to trust. There is a solution though. No matter what brand of bottled water you are using for preparing the formula feed, make sure you boil it and let it come down to the room temperature (or relatively warmer if you want to instantly make the bottle). This way you are sure that the water does not have any impurities or germs.

Tap Water vs Bottled Water

No matter how safe your tap water is for drinking, it still has some (safe) amount of additional Fluoride (to protect us against cavities) in most of the developed countries. If you live in a developing or under-developed country, then you definitely need to boil the tap water before preparing the formula feed.

In both cases, there is no harm in boiling the water. Bottled water is convenient, for sure. And let's face it - as a new parent you will have to prepare the formula milk in the middle of the night with one eye closed and the other one counting the scoops of milk powder. It is a good idea to boil your water (tap or bottled) a day before so you do not have to worry about water shortage in the middle of the night.

Best Water for Baby Formula

Boiled water is the best water for Baby Formula. To boil the tap or bottled water bottle:

Take a clean pot or kettle and fill it with water.
Bring the water to boil. Make sure it is bubbling to reach the maximum boiling level.
Let the water boil for 1-2 minutes (not less than a minute). Do not decrease the heat while you are waiting for your 1-2 minute timer.
Remove the water from the stove/ heat.
Let the water to cool down and reach room temperature.

If you want to prepare a bottle for later use (for instance you are going out and want the milk to stay warm for some time), you can use the water when it is still warmer than the room temperature. Do not prepare your bottle using boiling water as high temperature is bad for the quality of the bottle and your baby may end up drinking and burning the tongue/ mouth.

You can also use an electric kettle to boil the water for formula feeding. It is prudent to boil the water and store it in a clean bottle/ pot. In short, you can use tap as well as bottled water for formula feeding. But it is always better to be extra careful and boil the water.

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