Using mineral water or French boiled water for making up formula - what's best??

[beachyhead]

I'm trying to remember, on behalf of a friend, whether or not you can use mineral water to make up formula? and if so, do you boil it? I think you are not supposed to but you should just use normal tap water and boil it? She's only going to France and ds is 3 months old. Could any more recent mothers advise me????

I think you can use Evian. Just out the bottle, no boiling.

You need to be careful which mineral water you use. Evian is usually recommended.

I have a sneaky feeling that french mineral water has a logo on it to show if it's baby friendly. Must be true - I saw it on Mumsnet.

Definitely do not use mineral water, whether boiled or not. It is too salty and could be quite harmful.
You should just use boiled normal tap water (French tap water is fine - probably better than ours).If she's really concerned she could buy some of those cartons of ready made formula but I honestly don't think it's necessary. We made up formula with tap water for dd in all kinds of odd countries - boiling it gets rid of any germs.

Evian is low in sodium though.

Evian and volvic I heard - some HV's have a lsit of acceptable mineral waters....we did this in Portugal last summer when ds was 3 months

you need to look at the sodium content to find out how much salt there is - don't know what is the maximum amount though.

I'm sure there are some which are OK but you'd need to be sure. What's wrong with good old water though?

Thanks everyone - nothing wrong with good old water, but it is my friends first baby and first trip away and I think she is just trying to work out what to take. Will pass on all messages and as usual, thanks for all the advice mums are font of all knowledge and all that!!!!!

Also Beachyhead, you can buy ready-made formula

Sponge, the problem with Good Old Water is that a change can affect some children. My brother used to be ill everytime we went on holiday to Cornwall because of the change in water and we're only from London! Different bacteria etc in the water can do odd things to someone not acclimitised to the water. There's nothing wrong with local water per se, it's just whether you'll be sensitive to something in it.

Whenever I go on holiday the water affects me....I get constipated! I must be the only person on the plant who has gone on holiday to Turkey and Egypt and ended up constipated

what about ready made formula in cartons? we used these when travelling very handy as already sterile, just add to bottle and go, think you can buy litre ones which you can decant into a number of bottles

True.
I just tend to accept that a bit of tummy upset (one way or the other) is likely for the first few days of any foreign (or maybe even Cornwall) holidays and put up with it. Probably becasue dh always has a dodgy tummy so I'm used to it.
I can see whay you might prefer to avoid it though .
My dd always used to develop violent diarrhea before we even got on the plane so I never put it down to water - just change of circumstance - so figured there wasn't much I could do. Just pack lots of spare clothes and nappies. Ho hum.

the French have a special logo and writing that the water is safe "pour les biberons" (bottles). so it is easy to find the right ones that are low in sodium.

we used it for our 9 month old, and it made life very easy. I am not sure about a 3 month old though, maybe someone else can say if it is suitable from birth.