Sterilizing water for formula feeding - until what age?

[ceejie]

How long did you sterilize water for your LO's bottles? My friend was watching me boil water the other day and looked at me like I was crazy, she said she never sterilized the water.

I am hoping at some point I can switch to filtered water, but I want to do whatever is best for my DD!

 

[honey08]

ive always used cooled boiled water for milk bottles , till theyve stopped drinking milk ... thought u had to

 

[alaskagrown]

I don't formula feed, but I was formula fed. I'm pretty sure my mom never sterilized the water. Ever. I've never known anyone to sterilize in my town either.

 

[Hopipolla]

My understanding of it is you steralize the water untill they're one, when they stop needing the milk.

 

[ceejie]

ive always used cooled boiled water for milk bottles , till theyve stopped drinking milk ... thought u had to

I guess it varies by country. I live in Canada but on the border of the US. Most Canadian formula says right on the package to boil the water, but I have bought American formula and it says tap water is fine right on the package.

I figure that it probably has to do with the fact that Canada has more rural areas that don't always have the best water supply, so they recommend it even though most people live in metropolitan areas where the water is fine. But of course I err on the side of caution!

 

[.rollinn.]

I've never sterilized lo's water and i don't know anyone in real life around me that does. I've always sterilized new bottles one time.

 

[Quackquack99]

We sterilised til we stopped using formula and that was a couple of weeks ago. From my understanding the WHO advise people to sterilise the water so I go off that information. Formula is not made in sterile conditions so the water needs to be at a certain temperature for the formula.

 

[swood9]

I use gerber nursery water, it's sterilized and purified but it doesn't have additives like other nursery water. It feels kind of wasteful, but tap water can be so harsh.

 

[LuckyYem]

We sterilised til we stopped using formula and that was a couple of weeks ago. From my understanding the WHO advise people to sterilise the water so I go off that information. Formula is not made in sterile conditions so the water needs to be at a certain temperature for the formula.

^^WSS (except the couple of weeks ago bit lol). I think it veries a lot in different countries though.

 

[smiler123]

ive always used cooled boiled water for milk bottles , till theyve stopped drinking milk ... thought u had to

Me 2!

 

[MumToEva]

I started using tap water after 6 months. I figured she's getting tap water in her sippy cup, so what's the point in using boiled water for bottles if you aren't doing it for the sippy cup too?

 

[erikab922]

Here in the UK it's the other way around, if you didn't sterilise the water you'd be looked at as 'bad mommy'. I'll probably always use boiled water.

 

[erikab922]

I started using tap water after 6 months. I figured she's getting tap water in her sippy cup, so what's the point in using boiled water for bottles if you aren't doing it for the sippy cup too?

It's because two poor little mites died (I think in France?) from powdered formula because technically it's not sterile which is why you're meant to use boiled (70C) water with powdered formula, to kill any nasties in the powder from the manufacturing process. Even with a one in a bajillion chance of that happening to us, I'm too chicken to take a chance.

https://www.mothering.com/community/t/227208/2-french-babies-die-from-contaminated-formula

The short answer is, it's not the water that's the problem, it's the formula, so you use boiled water (not sterilised, not cooled because they won't be 70C) to make the powdered formula safe.

 

[nugget80]

I always boiled the water for bottles... Long after i stopped sterilising the bottles...! I used bottled water on holiday a couple of times and felt so bad about it...!

 

[shmoo75]

I have always used cooled bolied water in bottles for formua and for LO to drink until the age of 1. From age 1 I use tap water for her to drink and cooled boiled water for her formula as, that is what is advised on the Cow&Gate formula packets.

 

[erikab922]

I wonder if it's easier for you to do in the UK because everyone has an electric kettle so boiling water is really quick, whereas where in the States if we wanted a cup of tea we used the stove-top kettle which took a lot longer. Dunno, just always struck me as strange that the States, which is soooo litigious (I'm American so I can say that ) doesn't have all the warnings out about how powdered formula isn't sterile, but where I live you get it rammed down your throat that you MUST use boiling water or you're playing Russian roulette with your kid. Maybe it's just where I live!

 

[MumToEva]

I started using tap water after 6 months. I figured she's getting tap water in her sippy cup, so what's the point in using boiled water for bottles if you aren't doing it for the sippy cup too?

It's because two poor little mites died (I think in France?) from powdered formula because technically it's not sterile which is why you're meant to use boiled (70C) water with powdered formula, to kill any nasties in the powder from the manufacturing process. Even with a one in a bajillion chance of that happening to us, I'm too chicken to take a chance.

https://www.mothering.com/community/t/227208/2-french-babies-die-from-contaminated-formula

The short answer is, it's not the water that's the problem, it's the formula.

I suppose i'm coming from the point of view of someone who used cooled boiled water from a jug in the fridge to speed up the bottle process, which I know isn't how you are meant to do it, but to follow the instructions on the formula box to the letter meant anticipating LO being hungry at least half an hour before hand, as you have to boil the jettle, let it cool down to 70 degrees, then add formula and flash cool. I know my child isn't predictable like that, so it ended in her screaming hysterically waiting for her bottle, and there's a lots of research to say that a baby crying hysterically for half an hour does them harm, Never mind the effect it had on me, so i made a decision that seemed best for me and my LO.

And then when you see the American women on here who never sterilise water I think why are different countries giving such different advice?

 

[erikab922]

I suppose i'm coming from the point of view of someone who used cooled boiled water from a jug in the fridge to speed up the bottle process, which I know isn't how you are meant to do it, but to follow the instructions on the formula box to the letter meant anticipating LO being hungry at least half an hour before hand, as you have to boil the jettle, let it cool down to 70 degrees, then add formula and flash cool. I know my child isn't predictable like that, so it ended in her screaming hysterically waiting for her bottle, and there's a lots of research to say that a baby crying hysterically for half an hour does them harm, Never mind the effect it had on me, so i made a decision that seemed best for me and my LO.

And then when you see the American women on here who never sterilise water I think why are different countries giving such different advice?

I got really good advice from a lady in the FF forum here about how to do it safely but quickly, and it's super easy.

Let's say your LO eats 6oz. You boil water, put 3oz (so half the amount of the feed) in a bottle, put the lid/teat on, stick it in the fridge so it gets cold.

When your LO is ready to eat, boil the kettle, let it sit for a sec when its done, put 3oz into a different bottle, put all of the powder in (so in my case six scoops into 3oz of boiled water, so it's double concentration). Put the lid on and shake it. This kills the nasties.

Then grab your other bottle from the fridge with the cold 3oz of previously boiled water, dump it in the other bottle, shake, and it's the perfect temp with no nasties.

Then while you have an empty bottle sat there, fill it with 3oz of water again and stick it back in the fridge for the next time.

I only do 1-2 bottles of formula a day and I find this really easy to do, may be different if you're exclusively FF but may be worth a try.

I know there is sooooooo little chance of anything happening but I was happy with the procedure above.

 

[.rollinn.]

I wonder if it's easier for you to do in the UK because everyone has an electric kettle so boiling water is really quick, whereas where in the States if we wanted a cup of tea we used the stove-top kettle which took a lot longer. Dunno, just always struck me as strange that the States, which is soooo litigious (I'm American so I can say that ) doesn't have all the warnings out about how powdered formula isn't sterile, but where I live you get it rammed down your throat that you MUST use boiling water or you're playing Russian roulette with your kid. Maybe it's just where I live!

I asked the hospital what to do before leaving,and they told me to use warm tap water. So that's what i've been doing and my baby is alive. Oh and to add if my babies forumla isn't warm he throws a fit.

 

[erikab922]

I asked the hospital what to do before leaving,and they told me to use warm tap water. So that's what i've been doing and my baby is alive. Oh and to add if my babies forumla isn't warm he throws a fit.

Of course using tap water isn't going harm all babies, I wasn't saying that, just saying that everyone does their own thing and I am too chicken to use tap/cooled water so this is how I do it. I'm sure it would make life much easier to use tap water but I would be a nervous wreck if anything happened, so to the original poster, if you're not comfortable using non-sterilised water then don't pay any mind to what your friend says, just do what you are comfortable with - it's your kid.