Cooled boiled water or tap water to make up formula for 6.5 month old?

[PutThatInYourPipeandSmokeIt]

I would dearly love to go for tap water - does it really need to be boiled first at this age??

aye. 'fraid so.

yep lil tums need fresh boiled water

Yes. But you can boil it and then store it in some kind of clean container until you need it (I used to use a huge Tupperware juice container - it will stand boiling water being poured in, and kind of self-sterilises )

Until when? I was told it was fine to give her unboiled water to drink from 6 months and have done that although she hasn't really mastered a beaker yet, so I'm not sure how much goes in! Oh dear.

current guidelines - boiled until 1 year, even plain water.

Current guidleines also say that you should always use hot water to make up the bottles. There is more info about how long you can store it if you have to but can't find the link right now.

Sorry that should say guidelines!

I can't think that water as a drink out the tap would harm a healthy baby of this age, but mixing with formula is a different matter - it needs to be a certain temperature to kill any bugs in the formula and also to be an effective (non-lumpy) mix....that's my underatanding, anyway.

I used to put the boiling water into the Tupperware thing, let it stand until it had cooled sufficiently (I used to use Playtex disposable bottles and they couldn't take really hot water) then make up a day's worth of bottles and store them in the fridge.

HTH

I know people make up bottles using evian or cooled boiled water - neither of those are going to kill any bugs! How confusing!

WW - doesn't a bottle have to be used within an hour of being made up? I am currently fully bfing but from tomorrow am sending DD of to childminder with formula as am sick to the back teeth of expressing. I'm a complete novice!

The guidance instructions posted by RBH says they do but if you did that you'd never have a bottle ready and waiting

My kids would happily drink a bottle straight from the fridge although I think the ones given a blast in the microwave first went down more easily

I know stringent hygiene has to be promoted, but as long as you're reasonably sensible I think you can stretch a few points. My kids have cast-iron constitutions and had very few upset tummies as babies.

more comprehensive info from a link posted by Mears a while ago. There is a section about bottles at nurseries and childminders etc.

PutThatInYourPipe - you can use readymade cartons of formula - that's what I send ds to the childminder with (bf rest of the time). Then she can just snip it open, pour it in the bottle and off you go. It's more expensive to do it this way but as it's only a few bottles in my case I think worth it.

I think the boiled water thing is nonsense at that age tbh. Assume he/she is starting on solids? Veg, pureed fruit? Live, organic material with bacteria in it? Plus he/she is starting to gum everything so taking in heaven knows what in bacteria...

Seems pointless to insist on boiled water at this point.

And you are not using the water temp to kill any bugs in the formula. You are supposed to add cooled boiled water to formula not boiling water to formula and then cool it.

If you really need sterile water you need to reboil it as bacteria can reform so there's no point boiling it and keeping it.

Blimey - I pour boiling water into bottles at night, then the next day just add the formula. Been doing this for ds2 for 2 months (he'd 9 months now). Never been ill once. Aren't these guidelines a tad OTT?

I use evian without boiling it and seems fine. Although I do tend to use the readymade cartons because they are so muc easier!