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Postnatal health

As with all health-related issues, please seek advice from a RL health professional if you're worried about anything.

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Original poster

Using bottled water in feed

14 replies

Worriedmums · 09/12/2020 21:36

Hello,

Just concerned about a situation, I have a 2 week old baby and I had been giving them formula for their feed, but I was using the mineral still water for their feed, I would put in 60 ml of the water from the bottle and then put the baby formula and using a bottle warmer to heat it up.

I did this for roughly 10 days, I have stopped this, but I would like to know that, what symptoms should I watch out for, it was a terrible mistake on my part to be careless as I thought the bottled water would already be filtered and bacteria free, but the midwife told me not to do that and that it contains sodium which isn't good for newborns.

I want to know what should I watch out for and how much will this affect my baby.

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

InTheLongGrass · 09/12/2020 21:43

If you read the label, how much sodium (Na) is present? If less than 200mg per litre, it's fine.

Baby hasnt had an issue because of the heating system - it's the formula that needs sterilising. Since you are now using boiling water, that's not a problem. You would have known that by now.

Congrats on your new baby

Original poster

Worriedmums · 09/12/2020 23:12

I was using the Highland spring still water which reads sodium 5.6 mg/l. I hope this is fine?

Again, as I thought the bottled water was already filtered and sterilised , I didn't boil the bottled mineral water and just poured into a sterilised feed bottle and added the baby formula and just used a bottle warmer to warm it.

Thanks in advance

OP posts:

Original poster

Worriedmums · 09/12/2020 23:14

@InTheLongGrass

If you read the label, how much sodium (Na) is present? If less than 200mg per litre, it's fine.

Baby hasnt had an issue because of the heating system - it's the formula that needs sterilising. Since you are now using boiling water, that's not a problem. You would have known that by now.

Congrats on your new baby

Please see my reply above thank you .

OP posts:

Bringonspring · 09/12/2020 23:16

Oh my goodness you are fine, that level is significantly below and if a bacterial infection (particularly if heating to the right temp) it would have shown by now.

Lazypuppy · 09/12/2020 23:17

Its not the water that needs to be sterile, the boiled water sterilises the powder formula, so you want to make sure the powder is hitting hot water to kill anything nasty that may be in the formula as it isn't sterile.

When baby gets to 6 months and you introduce water with weaning, stick to tsp water.

Pretty sure baby would have reacted pretty instantly if anything was wrong

dementedpixie · 09/12/2020 23:20

Its not the water that needs sterilised, its the powder. Even if using bottled water (e.g. if abroad and not using tap water) then it still needs to be boiled to kill bacteria in the powder.

If your baby is ok then that's good but you can start making them the proper way now.

midnightstar66 · 09/12/2020 23:23

The issue with mineral water is that it contains too many minerals - but isn't highland spring spring actually spring water? (so essentially tap water) dc were brought up on a country where you could not drink the tap water so quite familiar. Evian and Volvic ok occasionally but not for long term use due to salts, table or spring water fine!

WoolyMammoth55 · 09/12/2020 23:31

Hi OP, just to say that we never made the bottles the 'right' way for our DS, with adding the boiling water to sterilise the formula.

Reason for this was because we were told by baby's paediatrician in the US (where we lived then) that the expensive organic probiotic formula we were shelling out for was better mixed with room-temp cooled boiled water - not to sterilise it because the boiling water would kill the good, probiotic bacterias that the company had expensively added for gut health!

So we fed him for 2.5 years with Hipp formula mixed with cooled boiled tap water. Never had any issues, he's super-healthy with great immunity, hardly ever ill - also bizarrely tall :)

Anyway, this just to say that I don't think making imperfect formula is the end of the world. As long as the water is clean and you're sterilising the bottles I'm sure your baby will be fine - they are tough!

Best of luck X

Original poster

Worriedmums · 09/12/2020 23:35

Thank you all , I have just been freaking out so much and I honestly can't forgive myself for this mistake.

OP posts:

Original poster

Worriedmums · 09/12/2020 23:38

@midnightstar66

Highland still springs it's called I'm Scotland, it does read sodium 5.6 mg/l , from a search it seems pretty low from the 200 mg/l quoted above.

OP posts:

Lilice · 11/12/2020 07:17

It's common practice in France to use mineral water instead of tap water

Dontforgetyourbrolly · 11/12/2020 07:23

OP dont worry about it . For the first week I didnt realise that I had to wash the bottles before putting them in the steriliser. Can you imagine! I wondered why they were still coming out dirty . ( for the first few days I was using the throw away pre filled bottles so didnt know ) what a twat !
Ds survived.
Just make sure you are using boiling water now and no harm done.
Congratulations x

OverTheRainbow88 · 11/12/2020 07:27

@Dontforgetyourbrolly

Sorry that made me LOL.

OP I wouldn’t worry, but I would swap to the ‘right’ way now you know.

You can make up 24 hours worth in advance and then keep them in the fridge.

So boil kettle, let it cool for 30 min, make bottle, cool under a tap and place in the back of a fridge for up to 24 hours, heat up when needed

HallFloor · 11/12/2020 07:34

I always used boiled water but I carried bottles of water around with me and added the formula powder as I needed the milk, so no need to refrigerate. This was the done thing then, they produced little plastic tubs especially for containing the measured powder.

I understand why the advice is different now but risk must be tiny.

The babies are adults who've barely had a day's illness now.

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