Switching to formula - what is artificially softened water?

[sasscass]

I tried to Google some examples but I’m lost.

It’s when they use sodium to cleanse the water of calcium or magnesium (as these contribute to making water “hard”)

It’s something like this www.harveywatersofteners.co.uk

You will know if you have a water softener because you buy salt for it. They are not suitable for babies or people needing a low salt diet.

@Cuddlywuddlies @ReadyForPumpkins ah ok, thank you both!

we have bottled water from the shop, it has low mineral content. Does this class as artificially softened water?

Is there a reason that you can't use boiled tap water?

The normal cutoff for sodium levels to be safe for people on a very low sodium diet is 20 mg per litre - does it give a breakdown on the bottle?

I’ve got bottled water with lower mineral content, so it would be leaving less residue in the kettle if I used that
the tap water around here leaves deposits and limescale in the kettle after several boils.
I have to keep cleaning it out with white vinegar, it’s just an inconvenience and it takes a lot to wash out

@RoseslnTheHospital i was meant to tag you in that ^

@sasscass its ok as a one off but to be honest not long term. I think it would be safer for baby if you boiled tap water, let it cook and kept it in a jug and then reheat it in a microwave or boil on the hob again?

Let it cool (not cook)

Boil tap water on the hob instead of a kettle as a pan is much easier and quicker to clean. You shouldn’t use bottled water unless it’s safe for babies and they’re clearly marked with a baby bottle on them.

Please stop buying bottled water because you don’t like cleaning limescale. It’s horrendous for the environment.

@VanillaSpiceCandle it’s not me who buys it. It’s my dad. It’s his house and I don’t have any say in what he does

Boiled water is recommended because it kills bacteria. If you’re not able to use the kettle, I’d definitely say use the pot on the hob as a pp has said. It doesn’t take long to boil on the hob at all

It may be a dumb question, but do you have to throughly clean the pan before boiling the water in it?

@sasscass @Cuddlywuddlies

I didn't think you could use bottled water in the UK for making formula boiled or not.

We live in a hard limescale area and had to oust the kettle twice a week.

Also you're not mean to reuse previously boiled water. It has to be fresh boiled water each time.

@PinkButtercups

i just went to prepare her first formula bottle.. it says to leave kettle to cool for 30 minutes and no longer. What does this mean? I have to wait 30 minutes after boiling it to use the water?

I’m panicking because I need to have this figured out before she wakes up in the morning. I tried preparing her bottle and it fizzed everywhere when I shook it, all the milk came out.

Yeah so if you leave it for more than 30 mins the water gets too cold

Here, I don't know if you've seen this

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/baby/breastfeeding-and-bottle-feeding/bottle-feeding/making-up-baby-formula/

So most bottles state you have to leave the freshly boiled kettle water to cool in the kettle for 30 minutes. Just because it's usually too hot and will still be efficient enough at the 30 minute mark to kill off the bacteria. The kettle water will still be hot. It helps if you swirl the formula rather than shake it. Make sure when you're swirling all the formula has dissolved x

How old is she OP? You could try the ready made formula while you get the hang of sterilising bottles etc if you are making a switch to formula.

What the instructions say is to heat the water and let it cool for 30 minutes then add to the powder. It is important that the hot water touches the formula to kill bacteria. Then let the milk cool in the bottle or run it under the cold tap to cool it faster. If you can’t heat tap water in the kettle then use a saucepan.

@tealandteal she’s 4 months old. I’ve been using formula since the beginning, the ready made stuff. It has got too expensive so I’ve switched to the powder tubs

she’s due a feed now and I think I understand it. Thank you