Tap Water for making bottles?

[MissTanya]

My boy is 6 months old, so he is now allowed to drink water straight from the tap if having a non-milk drink. But...

When I make my bottles, I put boiled water into a steralised bottle and leave it to completely cool. Then when I make the bottle fresh, I just add the powder to the room temp water. (Please NO debates about this method).

My question is....when could I start using tap water to make his milk feeds up??? I understand that using HOT boiled water is meant to kill any bateria in the powder when making them up, but as I am already using room temp water, I just wondered if there was still a need to boil it in the first place? And if he can now drink water from the tap, surely making milk from the tap wouldn't upset his tummy?

Many thanks

 

[tiggerlix]

iv always used boiled water hun while on formula..but id say 12 months was about right
xx

 

[Kte]

I would of thought 12 months too, after then they don't need formula anyway but you still need to sterilise a bottle up until 12 months but not a normal drinking cup. So to me it kind of makes sence to still boil the water as well until then too.

 

[MissTanya]

oh ok. I will keep using boiled water than. thanks!

Also, my hv told me we could stop steralising bottles at 6months, as they are putting lots of non-steralised things in there mouth by that age.

 

[Kte]

Hmm interesting. Typical HV's with mixed advice! I was told normal drinks not to sterilize the drinking cups but keep sterilizing bottles for milk.

 

[tiggerlix]

im not sure about sterilising things at 6 months..iv always sterilised everything up till 12 months lol..just out of habbit i think.i think i even did it at 18 months lol when using the toddler milk with my older daughter.i just think sterilising the weaning equipment once a day cant hurt and it gives it a good clean at least..im not sure if the weaning equipment is dish washer safe
xx

 

[Lara310809]

I think they advise you to stop sterilising only after 12 months, but I stopped sterilising when my LO turned 4 months. We dont' sterilise her dummies, or her toys and she shoves everything in her mouth. IMO she gets germs everywhere, so I'm not cutting many out by not sterilising her bottles. Just my opinion though, obviously.

 

[MissTanya]

Thanks Lara. We are travelling overseas for a month...so we are going to stop steralising now he is 6 months old. We are going to Australia...so it will be safe enough for us to do so. Had we not have been travelling, I probably would have kept it up out of habit for a few more months.

Is it true that they don't steralise at all in America???

 

[Second Chance]

I have actually talked to my pediatrition about this very issue and he said that there is really nothing wrong with tap water except that it contains a lot of flouride, as far as upsetting his tummy it wont. It is best however that if you do use tap water not to use hot water straight from the tap because when the heat tends to pull more contaminants off of the pipes and can get into the bottle... Otherwise you are fine

 

[Gwizz]

Yes in America there's not the pressure to steralise like over here, but some do anyway

I stopped steralising at about 10 months as my HV also said it was not needed - also my Avent steraliser broke at that time!

As regards to cold tap water I started using that also at about 10 months, before that I used filtered water out of the filter jug. I only bottle fed his bedtime bottle (b/f other times) and I used to make the water the correct temp using boiled and filtered water/cold tap water then add the powder - I had no issues at all (no debates please!)


x

 

[angel2010]

Yea there is not alot of pressure to sterilize here, most of us use tap water. I don't because we have well water, so I use nursery water.