Can you use bottled mineral water to make up formula?

[monkey32]

I am currently pregnant with DC3, due at the end of May. When bubba is 3 months old we are going to France on holiday. We have a plot of land where we 'glamp' (glamorous camp) - we generate our own electricity and pump water from our well. It's all wonderfully low-key and eco friendly.

I plan to be bottle feeding by then and wonder if it is possible to use bottled mineral water straight from the bottle to make up formula feeds? Or if I need to boil the water first? I wouldn't trust the water from the well - even after boiling.

Any advice gratefully received! Many thanks.

[ivykaty44]

no

[savoycabbage]

No, it's too 'minerally'.

[Bideyin]

Don't think so? too many minerals in it?

[ivykaty44]

you can buy ready made formula - check out which types of formula you can buy ready made in france and then use that formula when you have the baby, then when you go to france you can buy formula ready made for the duration of your stay.

[albusmycat]

It would be MUCH easier to be still breastfeeding!

[ItsAllGoingToBeFine]

you need to use v hot water to sterilise the formula powder don't you?

[FessaEst]

As others have said, bottled water has too many other "things" in too be safe for babies, particularly over a sustained period. It has a higher salt content too. Ready mixed cartons are probably the answer - we had to take a bag full when we went to Spain with friends and their DD!

OTOH - just a suggestion and feel free to ignore, but if you are planning to start off bfing and move onto formula - could you wait til after the hol? (I mostly bfed through laziness you see.....

[RitaMorgan]

No, can't use mineral water, and in any case the water has to be at least 70c when you mix it with the powder so that it kills any bacteria in the powder (powder isn't sterile).

[frakyouveryverymuch]

Atually you can use mineral water - in France the ones suitable for babies have a mark on them to show it's safe. This is cos we still have crappy lead pipes in some places so minerals in mineral water are the lesser of 2 evils and some people still use groundwater wells, which you're quite right aren't recommended, although running spring water in most regions is fine. Evian is safe and what I would/will use. I've also alternated it with Volvic and Hepar (although the latter is renowned for easing constipation so you may get explosive nappies).

1st stage ready made isn't widely available here - what you'll find in ready made form is fortified 'Lait de croissance' which is for older babies with added vitamins and iron etc.

You still need to boil the mineral water to sterilise the powder though.

[frakyouveryverymuch]

The phrase you need to look for on the bottle is: 'l'eau (Evian) est recommandé pour l'alimentation du bébé'

[nickelbaalamb]

You're advised to Bf exclusively till 6 months, if you're BFing at all, so I would think it a lot easier to carry on until at least you get back from your holiday.

You won't have to carry all the crap aroundwith you, or worry about sterlizing or anything! Just feed and go.

[heidipi]

Jeez nickelbaalamb and albusmycat, the OP wasn't asking whether random strangers had an opinion about how she feeds her new baby!!

Not that it's any of your business, but BFing definitely isn't always the easy option.

I was interested in the thread because I'll have stopped BF by the time we go on hol in May (after never mind how many months) and was wondering about boiling mineral water instead of tap for bottles. Guess I'll stick to tap tho. It definitely WON'T be "so much easier" to carry on BFing because frankly I can't wait for my boobs to stop hurting and for feeds to take less than an hour.

[candleshoe]

No you can't! Unless it says on the bottle - some do!

[nickelbaalamb]

It wasn't a judgement on how she should feed, merely a comment that if she's been breastfeeding successfully fora few months, then it would make sense to carry on for the holiday.

Not everyone has a painful experience for the whole time.

and why are your boobs hurting, anyway? have you been to see a breastfeeding counsellor?
(no, i'm not being facetious or patronizing, I'm just trying to help)

[Tomatefarcie]

Evian is perfectly safe.

[Tomatefarcie]

(don't boil it though).

[heidipi]

Yes i've been to a BF counsellor, regularly go to a BF group, have spoken to lots of other mums, read a lot and finally realised that it just isn't a comfortable or easy experience for some of us!! The 'if it hurts you're doing it wrong' line that gets trotted out is bollocks by the way!

Off you pop now to other threads asking about FF to tell everyone they should be breastfeeding.

[frakyouveryverymuch]

It needs heating to 70C to kill the bugs in the powder.

[RitaMorgan]

Why don't boil it?

[nickelbaalamb]

I didn't say you were doing it wrongly, so please don't assume I'm judging you or anyone else that is having problems.

And just because you had problems doesn't mean the OP will - she has indicated she'll have stopped by choice, so we're just helping her to think about trying to carry on. if it's not a problem for her.

And please don't be bitchy to me.

[SolarPanel]

heidipi, couldn't agree more.

[frakyouveryverymuch]

Except that the OP may be buying formula in France which has a bit of a history of issues with powdered formula....

I would definitely boil.

[Greythorne]

In France, the recommendations are for unhooked Evian. I have never heard if anyone in France using cooled boiled tap OR bottled water. It's Evian straight from the bottle.

One more strange thing about France.

[frakyouveryverymuch]

Not from my MW it isn't! The ateliers at the hospital have all said use hot water and bottled if you're unsure about your water source.

Many people ignore said advice but that's not the point. It's because they don't explain why it needs to be hot - to sterilise the powder not the tap water. People probably just selectively hear the concerns about tap water and think that water straight from the bottle is fine.

It's partly why France has fairly horrendous neonatal infection rates.