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Water for making babys bottles

  • 10-02-2010 4:46pm
    #1
    Chesty LaRue
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 112 ✭✭


    Not sure if I should post this query here but here goes.....
    Baby due in about 7wks and I am going to bottle feed. However the water in our area is very very hard with lots of limescale buildup. Does anyone know if it is safe to make babys bottles with this water or should we get a water softner installed in our home? This requires salt to soften the water and so I am concerned about the salt content? Anyone actually know about this? Cheers


Comments

  • #2
    Oryx
    Subscribers Posts: 19,425 ✭✭✭✭Oryx


    I dont know if its harmful, but based on the fact that the majority of mains water around my area is hard, a lot of babies must be drinking it.

    Some bottled water can be hard too, in case you were going to buy. We have the opposite problem, soft water, full of iron. We filtered it with a brita filter, I know they also remove a lot of lime from hard water, but dont last long doing that.


  • #3
    littlebug
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,832 ✭✭✭littlebug


    we had a water softener but also a little side tap for drinking water which wasn't softened and this is what was used for bottles. my memory on it is a bit hazy but I think I was told that the unsoftened water was better for baby bottles because it had a higher calcium content (but don't quote me on that- it).

    so the answer is.... no the hard water is no harm for the baby but if you decide to get a water softener anyway ask for a little side tap for drinking/ bottle water.


  • #4
    cbyrd
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,214 ✭✭✭cbyrd


    as far as i'rm aware you shouldn't use softened water for baby bottles, if you don't want to use the ordinary tap water you could buy the sterile water in the chemists.. and somewhere on one of the threads its been said that it helps with windy babies.. or you could buy the premade formula..;)


  • #5
    Chesty LaRue
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 112 ✭✭Chesty LaRue


    Thanks. I have a third tap fitted already with a filter system in the press underneath for drinking water but have since been told that these filters strip the water of the goodness along with the badness and so not to use for babys bottles. The water is so hard in my area that when its boiled it is actually milky looking. Kettle needs to be descaled every week. Based on the hard water that is all over the country and been used for baby bottles I can only assume it is ok. I will check with doc on my next visit.


  • #6
    Chesty LaRue
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 112 ✭✭Chesty LaRue


    Thanks Cbyrd, but unfortunately finances wont allow to buy sterile water or too much pre-made formula....hopefully based on the fact that most of the country has hard water I am hoping it is ok to use. I will check with doc on my next visit....


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  • #7
    Moonbeam
    Moderators, Education Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 18,986 Mod ✭✭✭✭Moonbeam


    We lived in Balbriggan which has some of the hardest water in the country.
    Everytime I made formula with water it made her sick.
    I just used the ready made stuff at home and the powder when I could.Evian bottles water is suitable for babies so used to give her drinks of that too.
    At the time it was no more expensive using the ready made formula(from the north) then it was to buy powder here but the prices here all dropped then so powder is far cheaper now.
    I reckon the hard water will be fine once it is not salted by the water softener and is boiled and cooled correctly.


  • #8
    llester
    Closed Accounts Posts: 68 ✭✭llester


    Chesty LaRue wrote: »
    Not sure if I should post this query here but here goes.....
    Baby due in about 7wks and I am going to bottle feed. However the water in our area is very very hard with lots of limescale buildup. Does anyone know if it is safe to make babys bottles with this water or should we get a water softner installed in our home? This requires salt to soften the water and so I am concerned about the salt content? Anyone actually know about this? Cheers

    oooh interesting question...I know when our little fella was a couple of months old we went away for a weekend and bought bottled water to be on the safe side...but we had to use Ballygowan because it had a low sodium count. I would therefore imagine if you need to add salt to soften the water that wouldn't be suitable?

    You could ring your local health clinic and ask to speak to the public health nurse. Or else you can now buy ready made formula, that is already prepared. It's more expensive, but it's an alternative?


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