what kind of water should i use to mix formula for my newborn?

Question

i'm supplementing b/c i run out of breastmilk sometimes

i usually use boiled water and wait for it to cool down, but that takes waaay too long and i need something quicker

can i use bottled water or infant water and just warm it up?

any other ways??

Answer 1

You should be using NON-fluoridated bottled water BUT it should still be boiled for babies under 6 months of age or until your doctor says you can stop. (see below) Just buy the 1L bottles, boil the water, cool it, put it back in the bottle and in the fridge.

However the real problem is that you aren't producing enough milk. You should correct this problem as soon as possible before it gets worse. You need to make sure that you are feeding the baby from the breast as much as possible, and that you are pumping enough when you are away from baby. You need to have the best latch possible so the baby completely drains the breast. You need to be sure that your baby isn't being overfed breastmilk while you are away, this is common as most caregivers are used to formula fed babies.

Your caregivers also need to be aware that unlike formula breastmilk does NOT need to be thrown out immediately if a baby doesn't finish a bottle. It can be reheated once, and it can even be stored at room temperature for 6-8 hours and offered at room temp.



I'm not pumping enough milk. What can I do?
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/pumping_decrease.html

Reusing heated breastmilk
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/reusing-expressedmilk.html

Breastmilk Storage & Handling
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/milkstorage.html

How much milk will my baby need:
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/milkcalc.html

If your baby is taking substantially more than the average amounts, consider the possibility that baby is being given too much milk while you are away. Things that can contribute to overfeeding include:

Fast flow bottles. Always use the lowest flow bottle nipple that baby will tolerate.
Using bottle feeding as the primary way to comfort baby. Some well-meaning caregivers feed baby the bottle every time he makes a sound. Use the calculator above to estimate the amount of milk that baby needs, and start with that amount. If baby still seems to be hungry, have your caregiver first check to see whether baby will settle with walking, rocking, holding, etc. before offering another ounce or two.
Baby's need to suck. Babies have a very strong need to suck, and the need may be greater while mom is away (sucking is comforting to baby). A baby can control the flow of milk at the breast and will get minimal milk when he mainly needs to suck. When drinking from a bottle, baby gets a larger constant flow of milk as long as he is sucking. If baby is taking large amounts of expressed milk while you are away, you might consider encouraging baby to suck fingers or thumb, or consider using a pacifier for the times when mom is not available, to give baby something besides the bottle to satisfy his sucking needs.
If, after trying these suggestions, you're still having a hard time pumping enough milk, see I'm not pumping enough milk. What can I do?

Answer 2

Watch this video:
Childhood nutrition: Breast milk & formula basics
Question: Is tap water, bottled water, or boiled water best for formula?

Answer: I recommend boiling the water you use for formula (or using ready-to-feed formula) until your baby is at least 6 months old — that is, when his immune system starts to provide more protection against infection and he's crawling around on the floor and getting into all sorts of stuff anyway. The problem with tap water is that while it may be safe today, it can become unsafe at any time. For example, in 1993, the bacteria cryptosporidium got into the municipal water supply in Milwaukee and caused 400,000 people to become ill and several to die before they caught it. Although that's not likely to happen very often, a newborn is particularly vulnerable to infection, so it's better not to risk it. Plus, it's hard to know for sure what's in our tap water (or well water) at any given time and what kinds of effects certain levels of heavy metals and other contaminates may have on a baby.

If you choose to boil the water you use to mix formula, save yourself time by preparing enough for the whole day in the morning — a few quarts should be enough. Follow formula label and American Academy of Pediatrics' recommendations: Bring the water to a rolling boil for one minute, and then turn it off and let it cool either on the stove or in a covered container in the refrigerator. (We don't recommend boiling it for any longer because you may end up concentrating trace amounts of lead in the water as it boils off.)

If you're buying bottled water, look for distilled (not spring) water, since the minerals in spring water could disturb the delicate balance of minerals found in formula. Another option is nursery water. Usually found in the water section of the grocery store, nursery water is a specially marked water that's often distilled and fluoride-free (check the label to make sure). But even if you do use bottled water, you'll need to boil it once the bottle has been opened, unless you use it all right away.

Answer 3

I have a 9 month old who is formula fed...I boil water in a kettle and wait for it to cool....then I pour the cooled, sterlized water in a glass pitcher with a lid and refill it with the boiled water from the kettle until it runs out...when I'm on my last pitcher, I boil some more! I wouldn't use bottled water because bottled water is usually someone else's tap water! I hope this helps!

Answer 4

If you have a municiple water source then its probably fine to use just tap water (ask your pediatrician).

If you boil water, make sure that you only let it boil for 1 minute. Boiling longer causes the water to evaporate, concentrating all the other things in the water into higher concentrations (namely lead).

You can store boiled water in a sealed container in the fridge.

You can also use "nursery water."

Regular bottled water is generally just filtered tap water--you could do that yourself with a brita pitcher (or other water filtration system).

You can also mix up a days worth of formula at a time and store it in the fridge. Then just put what you need in a bottle, microwave it for a few seconds, gently shake it to eliminate hot spots.

Answer 5

We always used Poland Spring bottled water and our pediatrician has had no problems with us doing that. We would either make bottles ahead of time and keep them in the fridge (only up to 24 hours at a time) and warmed them up, or made them on the spot and warmed them up if we could (when we've been traveling, she's had room temperature bottles with no problems).

If you want to continue using boiled water, may I suggest perhaps boiling a big pot and keeping it in a pitcher as you would iced tea? You could heat the bottles when you are ready to use them just as you would if you were using pre-made bottles kept in the fridge.

Good luck!

Answer 6

You should either use boiled water, distilled water or nursery water. Spring water uses the same standards that municipal water does. There are still trace amounts of bacteria in the water, and for a newborn they could get sick on that small amount.

Honestly, it's cheaper to just boil the water. Just boil a big pot of it and then store it for later use.

Answer 7

Continue to use your boiled water, but make it in advance and keep in the fridge. Then when you need to give it to your baby warm it up in the microwave or in a saucepan of hot water. Either way make sure to test the temperature of the content of the bottle so as to not burn your baby's mouth and/or stomach.

Answer 8

Use infant water, or spring water. Either works wonderfully. It's what I used for my 3 babies. So much easier than boiling water and all that. My ped's doctor agreed it was a better choice.

Answer 9

I used special baby water. You can find it anywhere, (target, grocery stores) it comes in the gallon size with a pink top. It is much faster than boiling water and safer than tap. After about 6mo tap water should be ok.

Answer 10

I used plain tap water when I was at home and bottled water when we were out. I never heated it; I just let it stay at room temperature.