Can babies drink bottled water?

[Jodee]

A quick Q - I'm going to France in a couple of weeks with my 14mo. Can babies drink bottled water? I have read in one guide that it is OK to do so, and in another guide that it is unsuitable.
I would personally only drink bottled water overseas although I think tap water in Europe is generally safe for adults, but I would always boil it for babies; but when out and about, it would be more convenient to have a bottle of water handy. What do people think?

Probably not all are suitable for babies as they can have a high sodium content. My child has always had Evian (only rarely tap water)for 4 years and is in the best of health. It is recommended for French babies.

I have relatives who have babies in France and Belgium and ONLY give bottled water as it is what is recommended by pediatricians over there. Not all bottle waters are good. Evian and Vittel are definitely what is recommended. I think Volvic is also good but I know that Contrex is not good.
It will usually says it on the bottle if it is suitable for babies.
Bottle = biberon in French - so you might read. Pour utilisation dans biberon ....
Hope this helps.

P.S. When I go to those countries I always give my son (now 18 months) Evian in his cup or in his bottle. Otherwise boil water as tap is not a problem in France.

Thanks everyone - it sounds as though Evian is OK then as French/Belgian babies drink it, but I think I will err on the side of caution and take Batters' advice to ring NHS Direct just to be on the safe side.

I would be interested to hear what NHS direct says-please post their advice if you have a minute.
I am however 100% sure that Evian is fine as I know that's what they all use over there - they actually do not recommend boiled tap water - every country is different.

Hi Pupuce - I rang NHS Direct and their advice was to boil the water to ensure it was sterilised; I mentioned that I don't sterilise bottles etc. now and therefore I would be washing these in tap water anyway, but they still recommended boiling the water.
As you and Cam have both given Evian to your babies with no ill effect I think for convenience I would use it as well, but if Evian is not available for any reason then I think I will not risk other brands and use boiled water instead.

Jodee, I had no idea that brands of bottled water varied and that some were not safe. Anyway, last year our son consumed vast quantities of bottled water in countries as varied as Russia, Estonia and Italy with no aparent ill effects. Not that I would obviously recommend this an an approach!. Not sure what else we could have done as in St Petersburg for example, the drinking water is not safe and the official recommendation is that it is boiled for at least 10 minutes - that would have been tricky on hols.

I had this conversation with my hubby last night... and he was pointing out that bottled water is much more regulated in France than it is in the UK (it is true that in the UK some bottled water contains nitrate - which is NOT the case in France). The law is much stricter over there.
If you buy mineral water (eau minerale) it means it comes from below ground and has not been contaminated.
Vittel, Evian and Volvic are all OK and readily available. I would stay clear from very cheap water and I am sure that if you ask a pharmacist he would tell you if a particular water is suitable. Also I think that on some bottle it is stated that it is suitable for bottles (biberon).
Have fun

Another Q - to you French speakers - obviously du lait is milk, but when I'm in France in a couple of weeks how can I tell the difference between full fat and semi skimmed; my pigeon guide doesn't help! I'm presuming they don't have blue top/green top as we do here?!?

Lait entier is full fat,
lait demi-ecreme is semi skimmed,
lait ecreme is skimmed milk.
I can't remember if they colour code them or not. You will also notice that the French are "big" on baby food and baby milk. You can even buy liquid baby milk (like a follow-on powder).
Generally France is a very safe country for food so unless your child has any kind of allergy... everything should be fine.

Jodee, you will have to look quite hard for fresh, pasteurised milk in some parts of France - they are still big fans of long-life.
If you are looking for organic produce, look out for phrases like "produit de l'agriculture biologique".
The baby food is excellent - good choice, and nice flavours too - not as bland as British and Italian brands. We look out for Carrefour when we are over there whose own brands are inexpensive and very tasty. Have fun!

I agree with Marina but you will easily find fresh milk in any medium to large supermarket.
Also the logo for organic is AB (like we have the Soil Association logo).

Thanks Pupuce/Marina, that's a great help, one less thing for me to worry about. Glad they do cheap, tasty babyfood as well; trying VERY hard to get ds off jars but proving difficult so glad the food is readily available there.

Thanks again!