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.

frak
absolutely agree
not disputing at all that you are right, it is better to make the bottles hot

just pointing out that in france, it is not common practice or commonly recommended

i gues my point was that if thousands of French babies (millions) are fed formula plus cold evian and do fine, then the OP could do the same on her holiday

but, i have no idea if, as RitaMorgan, suggest gastro infections are higher for French babies

off to google

RitaMorgan - got any links?

nickelbaalamb
by the way, the French recos which say DO use bottled water also say DO NOT filter it

ooh.

Wow - I really didn't mean to start such a debate! But I suppose as with all things to do with our darling offspring opinions are always strong!

I don't really want to get involved in any of the toing and froing about most of the issues but I must thank anyone who pointed out that I wasn't asking to be advised to breastfeed. I must admit I was reluctant to post in the first place knowing I would get loads of people telling me 'breast is best' etc etc when that really wasn't my query. But anyway...

Thank you one and all for all the advice. It seems Evian is the way to go. I'm still a little confused as to whether it's necessary to boil it / heat it to 70 degrees but I will do some more research. My confusion comes from the fact that historically I have always made up the bottles for a 24 hour period with freshly boiled water (tap at home in England) and added the powder as and when required. Which would not do the job of sterilising the actual formula. Which means that I've never sterilised the formula properly in the lives of my 2 DC. Hmmm...

I don't have a link, but remember reading about an outbreak of Enterobacter in France in 2004 - I think several babies died, and incorrect preparation and storage of formula in a hospital was blamed. There were some baby deaths in Belgium too but don't remember the year.

I think it is better to use 70 degree water. I used to keep a load of cool previously boiled water and then use some freshly boiled to get it to the right amount without having to wait for it to cool down. PITA but you could be unlucky with the batch of formula, especially if it is being kept in warm, damp conditions (thinks of previous experience camping in France).

Also, will you use the water from the well to sterilise the bottles? Assume it will be fine with the steriliser tablet in, but just an issue that I'm sure you will be thinking through...

Here's a link from Baby Milk Action that may be interesting - in the notes at the end it says:

"In October 2004 infection by Enterobacter Saazakii in premature babies in France led to the death of 2 babies and disease and infection in 13 others. On May 3, 2005 the French authorities announced an epidemic of Salmonellosis in 123 babies fed on the Picot, Gallia/Blédina and Blédilait/Blédina brands (note 4) . In this outbreak the incriminated product was exported to 11 countries and territories. French Institut de Veille Sanitaire, Point InVS 3 mai 2005 www.invs.sante.fr/presse/2005/le_point_sur/salmonella_agona_040505/"

Thanks again for info and advice. We are fortunate that my in laws are going to our glamping spot by car before we fly down to take over from them. So I am planning to send down boxes of Aptamil with them. Ditto an Avent steriliser (we built the kitchen, bathroom etc ourselves so have some english plugs) which means I will be able to sterilise the bottles whilst the generator is on pumping our water.

It's great down there - although it is camping of sorts and very peaceful we do have mod cons, ie kitchen and shower room, powered by bottled gas. We sleep in a yurt (admittedly on a 6ft wide bed - I did say it was 'glamping' after all!) and the DC sleep in their own individual tents. DS1 on a blow up double mattress and DD and new bubba in travel cots.

the babycentre website says you should boil bottled water to make formula and to choose water with a low sodium content:

How do I manage bottle feeding while on holiday?

Many thanks for that link Seona - really helpful

FWIW I made up formula when in Corfu with DD1 at 6 months. I used cold low sodium bottled water and she had no adverse reaction. I sterilised the bottles in a large bowl of tap water with sterilising tablets.

HI, I am French and indeed in France we use mineral water to make a formula feed. Safe minerals waters are Evian, Volvic, Hepar...All the minerals water bottles will have a picture of a bottle or will say "safe to use for baby feeds"
You use the mineral water straight from the bottle to baby's bottle, add your formula powder, check the bottle and warm up the formula into a bottle warmer (normally about 4 minutes - read instructions of the bottle warmer manufacturer).
It is safe, and extra quick - 5 min to make a feed, and trust me that is great when you have an hungry baby crying in the middle of the night!!!!

Maman, in the UK the advice is absolutely not to add formula powder to cold water - any kind of cold water. The advice here is to add water over 70 degrees to kill any bacteria in the powder. Formula powder is not sterile. If using bottles water, it would still need to be boiled first.

In NZ the official guidelines are to use cooled, boiled water and my sister was horrified when she saw me using hot! So don't assume that the NHS guidelines are the be all and end all.

There really needs to be Global guidelines on this. I assume the contents of formula are almost identical worldwide, so why on earth arent the instructions for prep?

Sterilising the powder is much more important if you are formula feeding from birth as newborns are much more prone to suffering something nasty if there's an unsterilised bug in there. You've clearly been lucky so far though!

I used to add a quarter of the required water to the bottle as freshly-boiling-hot-over-70C water and add the powder to that to kill any bugs that might be there (formula powder is not sterile and it is impossible to guarantee it doesn't have some bacteria in it - some of which can be very nasty even if rare) - this could be done at a coffee shop when out-and-about. Then after a minute add cold water (my cooled-boiled-water-made earlier if I was good) of the other 3-quarters of what was needed, to make a bottle that was nice and warm for drinking.

Yes you a re right about the well, too many nitrates and it is made worse by boiling. As other have said plenty of safe bottled water but still need to sterilise the formula. As the French government don't endorse the WHO guidelines the formula companies don't either on their boxes, makes it seem formula is less hassle, if not as safe

" cooled, boiled water" is the same in Australia cooled to 70degrees rather then cold is the recommendation

It has to be over 70degrees, I think companies don't recommend just boiled in case you scald yourself. I personally didn't wait for it to cool too much.

You can buy bottled water I France specifically for babies that is de-mineralised.

I'd take ready made. Far easier especially if driving and you have no weight restrictions.