“Is bottled water safe for baby formula?”

Yes.

In general, it is recommended to use nursery water to mix formula in young infants. Nursery water is bottled water with the fluoride left in. Fluoride, in appropriate quantities, is important for babies because of their rapidly growing bones and teeth. In a pinch, bottled water is generally safe to use.

Yes, you can use bottled water to reconstitute (mix) powdered or liquid concentrate infant formulas, but be aware that the fluoride content in bottled water varies. If your child is exclusively consuming infant formula reconstituted with water that contains fluoride, there may be an increased chance for mild dental fluorosis (a change in the appearance of tooth enamel creating barely visible lacy white markings). To lessen this chance, parents may choose to use low-fluoride bottled water some of the time to mix infant formula. These bottled waters are labeled as de-ionized, purified, demineralized, or distilled and are without any fluoride added after purification treatment (FDA requires the label to indicate when fluoride is added). Some water companies make available bottled waters marketed for infants and for the purpose of mixing with formula. When water is labeled as intended for infants, the water must meet tap water standards established by the EPA and indicate that the water is not sterile.

If no other water is available, you may give it to the baby. However, as pediatricians, we strongly recommend infant water.

Hi,

The short answer to your question "Is bottled water safe for baby formula," is yes, although it probably isn't necessary if you have properly treated metropolitan city water. See
https://www.healthychildren.org/English/tips-tools/symptom-checker/Pages/symptomviewer.aspx?symptom=Bottle Feeding%20(Formula)%20Questions&_ga=2.49494246.113575225.1625247341-222233170.1619280832&_gl=1*tpy20d*_ga*MjIyMjMzMTcwLjE2MTkyODA4MzI.*_ga_FD9D3XZVQQ*MTYyNTI0NzM0MC4xLjAuMTYyNTI0NzM0MC4w
"#6. *Water to Mix With the Formula: *

Most city water supplies are safe for making 1 bottle at a time. Run the cold tap water for 1 minute. Don't use warm tap water. (Reason: To avoid potential lead exposure). Heat cold water to desired temperature. Add this to powder or formula concentrate. Exceptions:

- Untested well water or
- City water with recent contamination or
- Developing countries with unsafe water supply or
- Your child has decreased immunity.
- For these conditions, use distilled water, *bottled water*, or filtered tap water.
- Another option is to use city water or well water that has been boiled. Boil for 10 minutes. Add 1 extra minute per each 1,000 feet (305 meters) of elevation.
- *Bottled* water costs more than distilled water.
- If making a batch of formula, distilled, *bottled *or boiled water is needed."

Regards,

Dr. T