There are some bottled waters that are labelled ‘natural mineral water” and others ‘natural mineral water”. “Whether it’s bottled water or tap, what water you use is a personal preference,” Altmann says. “Be sure to ask your pediatrician or pediatric dentist if your child needs extra fluoride, depending on what type of water you use and whether or not it contains fluoride.” To make sure baby is getting a dose of fluoride, you can mix the formula with bottled water that has added fluoride, or simply give baby sips of bottled water with fluoride. If you use only tap water, note that you may notice slight white spots on your child’s teeth, a harmless condition called
“Drinking plain water is one of the healthiest habits you can start with baby,” Altmann says. And it makes sense: Infants who drink plain water become toddlers who drink plain water and later kids who drink plain water. “How many adults do you know who don’t like the taste of plain water?” Altmann says. “It’s because they didn’t get used to drinking it as kids.
The information below gives advice on what drinks are suitable for your babies after they have started to eat solid food.
For babies under six months, use tap water from the kitchen tap and boil it (water from a bathroom tap may have been sitting in a storage tank and isn’t good for drinking). Remember to allow the water to cool before giving it to your baby.
Bottled water isn’t a healthier choice than tap water and usually isn’t sterile. In fact, some natural mineral waters aren’t suitable for babies because of the amount of minerals they contain.
If you need to use bottled water, remember that any bottled water that is labelled ‘natural mineral water’ might contain too much sodium or sulphate for babies. Check the label to make sure the figure for sodium (sometimes labelled as Na) isn’t higher than 200 milligrams (mg) a litre. Sulphate shouldn’t be higher than 250mg/l, you might need to look for ‘SO’ or ‘SO4’ on the label as these also mean sulphate.
You might need to try a few types before you find a cup that suits you and your baby. A plastic cup without a lid is best – although it can be messy. Or you could choose a cup with a lid and spout that the baby needs to suck on (sometimes called a sippy cup.)
Whichever one you choose, try to make sure it’s a ‘free flow’ cup, which means some drink will come out if you turn it upside down. This means the cup won’t have a special non-spill valve (or sometimes the valve will be removable).
