Do you boil water for formula?

[tabitha561]

Here in the Us you can see what minerals are in the water... I was told that tap water was fine as long as its not well water.

 

[yourstruly10]

My bottled water has 0% sodium and 0% fluoride. It does have mineral salt but I took it to my pediatrician and she said that it actually has less then tap water in my area and mineral salt doesn't boil out.

 

[Lysal]

I'm shocked at the different advice between the us and uk! In the uk we are told we should always boil water to make up formula and we have perfectly safe drinking water and we are also told never to give babies bottled water as the mineral (and in particular) sodium content is too high for them.

How very strange!

What I noticed when I went to the US was that the majority of bottled water wasn't mineral water like we would get here it was simply filtered tap water so probably doesn't have the mineral content that British bottled water would.

 

[supertabby]

I boil kettle, wait for 30 mins then make formula, then cool in the fridge down to drinking temperature. All as per guidelines.

The UK follow World Health Organisation guidelines on formula and sterilising, I am not sure why USA doesn't as until I read otherwise on here I assumed somewhere like the states would be bang on who guidelines.

People often post on here that boiling water isn't needed if water quality is good - but water quality has nothing to do with it. You're sterilising the formula powder not the water.

Boiling then waiting 30 mins means the formula is made at approx 70 degrees. Much hotter and you destroy the nutrients (hence why pre-making and rapid cooling isn't ideal but not too bad as I understand). Much cooler and you don't kill the bacteria.

I get around the "waiting" period by always having a bottle on the go, and getting the kettle on in good time. If I misjudge it then I have a store of ready made cartons as back up to avoid screaming.

 

[aliss]

Tecchhhhhnically here in Canada we are supposed to boil our water. But most don't and most doctors advise not to bother.

 

[darkangel1981]

yes always boil, and make sure the powder goes in while it is as hot as poss as to kill any bacteria in the formula.

Our water is safe here but i don't trust the formula to be sterile.

 

[summer rain]

I boil kettle, wait for 30 mins then make formula, then cool in the fridge down to drinking temperature. All as per guidelines.

The UK follow World Health Organisation guidelines on formula and sterilising, I am not sure why USA doesn't as until I read otherwise on here I assumed somewhere like the states would be bang on who guidelines.

People often post on here that boiling water isn't needed if water quality is good - but water quality has nothing to do with it. You're sterilising the formula powder not the water.

Boiling then waiting 30 mins means the formula is made at approx 70 degrees. Much hotter and you destroy the nutrients (hence why pre-making and rapid cooling isn't ideal but not too bad as I understand). Much cooler and you don't kill the bacteria.

I get around the "waiting" period by always having a bottle on the go, and getting the kettle on in good time. If I misjudge it then I have a store of ready made cartons as back up to avoid screaming.

Exactly, the WHO guidelines are for everyone and its nothing to do with the quality of the water-the water in the UK is of extremely high quality, the guidance is because 70 degree water kills bugs in the formula; bugs such as salmonella and enterobacter sarkazaii which have been found in many formula batches in the US and Canada. I have posted the WHO leaflet and guidelines several times on this and they are usually ignored by those from the North American continent, ho hum xx

 

[aliss]

I always boiled mine cause BnB told me too It wasn't until LO was like 8 or 9 months that I found out it wasn't standard here

How does this advice translate to ready-made concentrate (liquid) and not powder?

 

[darkangel1981]

i think the ready made cartons are sterile?? bit like UHT but im not sure

it def has a long date on it anyway

 

[supertabby]

Yes ready made cartons are sterile.

 

[Hellymay83]

I always boil the water but I let it cool and mix with the formula at room temp. I e been doing this since she was 3 weeks old and she's never had any problems

 

[iHeartbaby#1]

BnB recently got me boiling water. If you need some convincing read this https://www.foodborneillness.com/enterobacter_sakazakii_food_poisoning/

It's actually quite scary and i think i read somewhere that the bacteria can lay dormant for a long time before you start noticing symptoms of infection. There needs to be more awareness in North America!!

 

[bubbles123]

I boiled it. As others have said, it's because the UK follows the WHO guidelines and North America doesn't. Nothing what so ever to do with the quality of the tap water, it's to kill potential bugs in the formula powder.

 

[sequeena]

I use boiling water as formula isn't sterile and boiling water sterilises it.

 

[Lashes85]

Im shocked that the US doesn't boil water!! I was also made aware the other day that the US dont sterilise there bottles either. Which shocked me too.

I always thought it was dangerous to not boil water, or sterilise your bottles??

I do both anyway xx

 

[sequeena]

Im shocked that the US doesn't boil water!! I was also made aware the other day that the US dont sterilise there bottles either. Which shocked me too.

I always thought it was dangerous to not boil water, or sterilise your bottles??

I do both anyway xx

EEK sounds very dangerous to me but I suppose if that's how things are over there... I must admit I couldn't imagine not sterilising it's part of my daily routine now

 

[aliss]

Im shocked that the US doesn't boil water!! I was also made aware the other day that the US dont sterilise there bottles either. Which shocked me too.

I always thought it was dangerous to not boil water, or sterilise your bottles??

I do both anyway xx

Most people here have dishwashers and tend to put it in there on the hot cycle

 

[flubdub]

Im shocked that the US doesn't boil water!! I was also made aware the other day that the US dont sterilise there bottles either. Which shocked me too.

I always thought it was dangerous to not boil water, or sterilise your bottles??

I do both anyway xx

Most people here have dishwashers and tend to put it in there on the hot cycle

That's true. Most people in the uk DON'T have dishwashers.

 

[sequeena]

That makes sense It's how they sterilised Thomas' bottles when he was in hospital.

I wish I had a dishwasher would make my life so much easier

 

[aliss]

We are so spoiled I watch some UK house shows (ie. The Unsellables UK) and my kitchen is bigger, even though it is a "tiny" kitchen by Canada standards.