Do I still need to boil water to make up formula?

[Yeni]

DS is 10 months old. I am filling the bottles with boiled water and then adding formula powder to the cooled water just before the feed. Can I just use water straight from the tap or do I need to keep boiling it? I can't remember what I did last time.

Yes, you need to boil the water. The reason for boiling is because formula isn't sterile, so boiled and (slightly) cooled water kills any germs that might be hanging around in the milk.

However, you sound as if you have been making up the formula with cool water anyway, so using tap water wouldn't make any difference. The current guidelines might help you make a decision, it can be confusing!

here

There must be a difference between cooled boiler water and tap water though? as when you feed babies a drink of water it has to be cooled boiled water...

The cooled boiled water for drinks is to kill the bugs that might be in the water (from the inside of the tap, for instance). The boiled water (no cooler than 70 deg C) is to kill the bugs in the formula powder.

Cooled boiled water to drink is to kill any germs in the water - water for bottles has to be at a certain temperature to kill bugs in formula though.

Sorry to side track but when can you give just tap water as a drink then?

Oops, sorry, Xpost tiktok.

Yeni whatever makes you feel ok is ok for your and your dc.

There are guidelines but in the end it is a parental decision.

Government guidelines on weaning say to boil water before 6 months.

I haven't been following the new guidelines because I didn't know about them until I read about them on here!