Possible dumb question about babies and water

silverfanatic · January 2013

I don't really understand all the "baby" water on the market today. Can someone please explain to me what each one is and why I need it (or if I don't need it)?

We have well water and I plan to breastfeed if that makes a difference in your replies.

I don't understand "nursery" water, "gripe" water, "distilled" water, etc. I'm assuming I need to use special water if I mix formula but I have no idea what I'd use and why. What's the difference in all these baby waters? Aren't they all just some form of purified water? Am I not supposed to give them well water?

lovelyday39 · January 2013

"Nursery" water is marketing BS IMO.

Distilled water is actually sterilized water (good for making bottles w/formula) vs. Spring Water that has no FDA regulation on the level of purity it has to maintain.

If you find yourself in a bind (you have a fever/taking medication) and have to supplement w/formula-- you can either boil your well water (you would ALWAYS want to boil well water for formula) or use distilled water.

skoogirl · January 2013

Yes, it's for mixing with formula and is a total waste of money in my opinion. I breastfed, but when I could no longer keep up with him around 9-10, we just used filtered tap water to mix with formula.

jackie9480 · January 2013

I know gripe water is a homeopathic type treatment of colic & other intestinal issues for babies. Its a mix of water w/ different things like ginger, cammomile, etc. Supposed to calm the tummy & intestines. We used that w/ our daughter when she had upset tummy. Worked good.

As far as nursery water/ distilled... I am not sure. I think the nursery water has minerals that are good in the water but "filtered" for anything bad. Distilled is distilled.... I am not a 100% on the differences of all those. Seems like a $$ grabber to me.

skoogirl · January 2013

Oh right, the gripe stuff is homepathic or something, meant to settle gas/colic, etc. I read that there is no scientific evidence it works at all though, so even though I bought some I never opened it. DS never had colic though. Had he, I likely would have tried anything.

mypalbabs · January 2013

We got a bottle of gripe water for our first aid kit. It's an herbal remedy for gas and colic. You can get it at health food stores or regular drug stores. It's handy to have on hand.

It's not like a jug of water - it's a small bottle of liquid herbal medication.

bumpuser2669861 · January 2013

I am in the water industry and I can tell you it is probably marketing BS. In all likelihood, it is reverse-osmosis treated water. Usually companies will take their local city water and treat it with RO for taste/odor/metals removal, bottle it and charge you a fortune - think Dasani/Aquafina. Spring water must adhere to more strict regulations in order to call itself "natural spring water". This means they cannot remove anything from the water unless it is deemed a harmful contaminant. Distilled water goes through a boiling process and is generally safe, however removing all minerals is not necessarily a good thing. Distillation not only removes harmful contaminants, but all minerals such as calcium and iron. If you have any question about the quality of your well water, have it tested. In most cases, it will be fine to use. I would recommend you have the nitrate level tested - especially if you are in a rural/farming area. You may also want to test for arsenic and uranium.

nyki06 · January 2013

Make sure that your well water is up to date with testing and you'll be good to go. Most people with wells don't follow the recommended testing schedule though so it's something to be aware of.

Gripe water is for belly aches, like a homeopathic med.

OhSewCrafty · January 2013

Baby water is just a gimmick if you ask me. Just use clean water to mix formula and you're fine. Some water can have too much fluoride or iron, etc. and you might need to use bottled, but any bottled is fine.

Gripe water, however, is not water at all. Its for gas and upset stomachs.

courtneyt13 · January 2013

I used filtered tap water for DD's formula bottles during the day. At night I used bottled nursery water only because I kept them at room temperature (in the nursery) DD didn't need to have warm milk so it was much easier than going downstairs to the kitchen.

08summerbride · January 2013

My MIL who is a dental hygienist said tap water is good to use because of the flouride in it. So I used tap water at home and bottled water if I was out somewhere.

WorkinWeezel · January 2013

Ditto the first poster, and I know we needed some with fluoride early on.

danuli8 · January 2013

hugz415:
I am in the water industry and I can tell you it is probably marketing BS. In all likelihood, it is reverse-osmosis treated water. Usually companies will take their local city water and treat it with RO for taste/odor/metals removal, bottle it and charge you a fortune - think Dasani/Aquafina. Spring water must adhere to more strict regulations in order to call itself "natural spring water". This means they cannot remove anything from the water unless it is deemed a harmful contaminant. Distilled water goes through a boiling process and is generally safe, however removing all minerals is not necessarily a good thing. Distillation not only removes harmful contaminants, but all minerals such as calcium and iron. If you have any question about the quality of your well water, have it tested. In most cases, it will be fine to use. I would recommend you have the nitrate level tested - especially if you are in a rural/farming area. You may also want to test for arsenic and uranium.

THIS is why I love this board. This is fantastic information--thanks for posting it.

tmrchi · January 2013

08summerbride:
My MIL who is a dental hygienist said tap water is good to use because of the flouride in it. So I used tap water at home and bottled water if I was out somewhere.

I had always heard the opposite, that you were supposed to use "nursery water" or whatever because babies weren't supposed to have the flouride until they were a bit older. That might be outdated advice though ?

I buy distilled water to use in my iron and floor steamer so there is no mineral buildup (we have really hard water), but that's all I've ever used it for.

tmrchi · January 2013

tmrchi:
08summerbride:
My MIL who is a dental hygienist said tap water is good to use because of the flouride in it. So I used tap water at home and bottled water if I was out somewhere.
I had always heard the opposite, that you were supposed to use "nursery water" or whatever because babies weren't supposed to have the flouride until they were a bit older. That might be outdated advice though ?
I buy distilled water to use in my iron and floor steamer so there is no mineral buildup (we have really hard water), but that's all I've ever used it for.

Apparently it won't really hurt them, but they might get too much causing those little white dots on their teeth when they get older

https://www.ewg.org/news/fluoride-water-may-harm-babys-teeth

MechanicMama1 · January 2013

We rent and have well water that we don't trust. We drink bottled water so does ds in his bottle. Baby water has added fluoride in it. Water is water to me... Unless it come from the well outside lol then I don't want to drink it.

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