Tap Water Vs. Bottled Water

Imo, fluoride is not a good thing to take internally. It has positive effects when used on teeth and spit out, though. Do a google on fluorosis. I personally bought a filter to take the fluoride out of my drinking water.

I now live in an area that doesn't put fluoride in the water, and I'm happy that I don't have to worry about it anymore!

I wouldn't recommend bottled water necessarily- it is a big waste of money, and awful for the environment. I'd recommend a water filter that filters out fluoride.

Hi J.,
You'll get mixed reviews on this one, but for the most part, aside from what moms think, the pediatricians will tell you to use tap water. Mine actually said, "please do not spend the extra money on bottled water, it makes no difference whatsoever, and the tap water gives them floride". Also, if you've got a water softener, even better! I'd stay away from water from the faucets in restaraunts, or stores. Just take the bottled water when you're out and about.

I have heard that you should use water with fluoride, but you don't necessarily have to use tap water. I have always bought the baby water or Kroger makes their own brand and i think they call it comforts and it has added fluoride. I hope this helps:)

Most bottled water is just tap water that's been through an extra purification process. I was told by our pediatrician that tap water is just fine. The nursery water is a waste of money. If you want the extra filtration, get a Brita or a Pur. They have the filters that screw onto your faucet. They're somewhat expensive, but MUCH cheaper than buying bottled water. Not to mention, all that plastic that you have when you use bottled water. We always used tap water and we've never had a problem.

Fluoride is very important for the teeth and gums. I have a friend whose daughter had several cavities at a very young age (they did use bottled water) and their dentist did say that since the rise in use of bottled water, cavities were much more common than ever.
Also, usually tap water is as good as or better than bottled water despite what marketers want for you to believe. Tap water IS safe to use and drink. Using tap water instead of bottled water will greatly reduce the number of plastic bottles filling up land fills AND any reduction in the use of plastic is a reduction in the use of petroleum - and we all know where that leads!
That's my advice ;) Hope it helps. and congratulations on your first baby! Good luck and God bless!

I'm with the moms who say do the research. Flouride and Chlorine are both poisonous chemicals. They load it into city water to make it "safe" for us to drink. My kids all drink well water, because we live in the country. They don't take flouride vitamins or any vitamins for that matter. They all have very healthy teeth. Please, please, please do the research, its worth it to keep your kids safe.

You shouldn't use tap water for newborns unless it has been boiled before. Where I work our nutritionist has this in her handout, and also the WIC offices recommend this. Most bottled waters do not have fluoride in it and that is so important for good tooth development.

I was told the same thing from a nurse at the Boone County Health Department. The tap water here does have the flouride in it and it's better to use it than bottled water. Just to be sure though, you might double check with your pediatrician. I used what's called nursery water with my baby until he turned one, then I switched to regular city tap water.

That was my understanding and that is what we did. If you are uncertain, you can discuss with your pediatrician.

My twin's Pediatrician told me that infants, even toddlers, should not have too much fluoride which is in tap water. When I mixed their formula I had to use filtered water. That is also why there is only a trace in infant's and toddler's toothpaste which is why they say to make sure you do not allow them to 'swallow' it as opposed to spitting it out.

Hi J.. That is true. And for breastfed babies, they need their share of tap water also.

I am new to all this so I am trying to figure it out too. Right now I am mixing the formula with bottled or water cooler water. I have been using the nursery water that others have mentioned. I am going to ask my pediatrician what is best at my sons next appointment. I am not using my tap water because I read an article that said that if you live in a home that was built before 1960 the pipes have lead that can be transferred in to the formula. Other than that I don't know if there is much of a difference.

There's alot of variables other than just "tap vs bottled". Some tap water contains floride and some do not -- it depends on the source and the amount of floride added. And do you have a water softener with a reverse osmosis system? If so, the floride would be removed anyways. In general, bottle water is tested much less than city tap water so I prefer city water since I know it's safe. The city mails out a report of the testing every 6 months to it's water customers and it's also available on the website. I also just hate bottled water due to the waste.... over 80% of water bottles do NOT get recycled -- millions end up in the landfill everyday. :-(

As for the debate on whether floride is good for babies or not... I personally do not think it matters for the short amount of time (only 1 year) that a baby gets a bottle/formula. All our kids were breastfed and only got a bottle of formula once or twice a week. It was mixed with tap water. The lack of floride obviously didn't hurt them in anyway because they are happy, healthy and have great teeth now. (well... my toddler only has 2 teeth so we'll have to wait and see for her). :-) My ped dentist and pediatrician both said that since formula is only given for a year it doesn't really matter if the water has floride or not... it's not enough to do alot of good and not enough to do any harm.

J. J,
What my Doc told me was you schould use the gallon infant water. It has a pink cup. I think it is called nusery water.It has floride in it without the other things. I hope the helped.
A little about me:
30 y/o mom of 4. they are 9,9,8,5.

I didn't give my daughter tap water until after her first birthday. I'm sure it wouldn't have hurt her, but I didn't want to chance giving her all the contaminants. We bought the baby water that's distilled and has floride added. Baby's R Us has large (2 1/2 gallon) water containers that you leave on your counter and just use the pull spout for $2-3. It's very convenient and lasts for quite a while. Just do what your gut tells you is best for your child. I know from being a first time mom myself, I probably over protect and worry more than necessary, but that's what we do :) Good luck.

Tap is fine as long as you boil it. Boil it with no lid to remove minerals which baby may have hard time digesting. Bottled is fine, too.

Dear J.,
I have been told that floride is not good for anyone to take internally but is OK topically by a chiropractor. That is why toothpaste with floride in it will be toxic if swallowed. Chlorine is not good either so I would give purified water to your baby.

L. J

A water filtration system such as a good quality carbon block or reverse osmosis can be installed at your home--that is much cheaper and better for the environment than buying bottled water. Any of you live in Ft Wayne and smell/taste the water the last month? It has been absolutely nasty-- I would not even give it to my cat! I called the filtration plant and the woman I spoke with said it was caused becasue of the heavy rains causing fertilizer to run into rivers from farms which caused algae to over grow( hence the river/pond smell) --then the metabolic by products of the algae caused the moldy/musty smell--they were atempting to correct the problem and she assured me that it was harmless--but my fiance and I and a good friend were all feeling sick when we drank the water.. I beleive that there should be warnings that infants and people with allergies or immune compromised systems should be warned to not drink the water when it is like this! Metabolic by products, hmmm aren't our byproducts our pee and poop? I don't want to consume algae by products! Anyway I would never use straight tap water for a baby! And do some research on the flouride issue--there is absolutley NO evidence that it reduces cavities when taken internally --in fact can cause mottling and weakening of bone and teeth. Topical flouride as in toothpaste and treatments at the dentist do help--start them going to the dentist at a very young age and clean their teeth for them until they are old enough to do so themselves. Infants and young children should never be given sugar or simple carbs and of course should be breast fed if possible --if bottle fed don't allow them to fall asleep with the bottle in mouth. Those are the best ways to prevent cavities.

Hi J.,
I had the same dilemma with my baby last year. We inherited a large water cooler with hot and cold water and it was wonderfully convenient for making bottles with formula. My pediatrician was not fond of the idea and started a prescription of flouride drops since we were using bottled water. During a routine comprehensive visit to Childrens (for other medical reasons), a pediatric dentist advised us to stop the flouride drops, that it was not customary to supplement with them anymore and stated that "most" bottled water was bottled in some major city somewhere, therefore still containing some amount of flouride (in addition to water used in food prep etc...). He also recommended using flouride toothpaste when brushing, however in very small amounts (pea size drop) and make sure that the paste foams up on teeth and anything swallowed from brushing would act as supplement as well. New research has shown that the topical application of flouride is more effective than ingesting it. So that is what we have continued with since that visit. Hope that helps.

I have actually heard this same thing before but in all actuality there's not enough flouyride in tap water to help protect his/her teeth anyways and there is no real difference between the two..recently i was actually told by my doctor that tap water is better for babies because it is filtered and cleaned of contaminants where most bottled water isnt so i would just go with purified tap water it's free and always available but to each his own

If you were nursing, your baby would not be getting the fluoride.

I had a very very very pukey baby. I nursed for many months, but then went with formula. It seemed that bottled was better for him. He threw up much less. I got the big jugs of water.

If your child has no issues, I would just go with tap or filtered tap. No need to spend the money. I found however that $2 worth of water per week worth it.

If you are concerned about the fluoride, there is nursery water. That is distilled with fluoride. I wouldn't though, as I figure it was likely the added fluoride that made my little one sick.

Tap water has flouride in it if you get City water and if the treatment plant puts it in there (most Cities in US). They do this specifically for our dental health.

However, if you get Well water or live in an area that does not treat their water with flouride, then it won't be in there.

Bottled water probably has less contaminants than tap water. If you're concerned about that, there is something called Nursery Water that is bottled water with flouride.

I personally use tap water. I have done testing on it and it as clean and lead-free, so I use it to save money. I simply let the water run for about a minute before preparing formula. This helps flush out any sediment and deposits that may have accumulated while sitting in the pipes.

I bought special water for my kids that was bottled but the add the floride so I knew that certain contaminates were takn out but they still got the floride. Its in the bottle water isle and it has a pink lid if your interested.

My sister use to use tap water for my niece when she was a infant. She ended up having trouble pooping for months. To where they cut mussal from her butt twice then wanted to do surgary even tho tthey did not knw what the problem was. She had asked the dr if it could be the tap water he had said no. Well a month before the surgary my sister said she was going to swicth my niece to bottle water and give it a shot to see if it works. It did work but still to this day if she has tap water she gets very sick and cant poop for days to where it is very pain fuly. About the teeth tap water is bad for them.

How old is the infant? Do they all ready have teeth? If you are brushing their teeth they do not need the additional Floride/Florine anyway.

My tap water sucks and I filter it to remove a lot of other junk before I even make coffee with it. My children grew up on tap water, the 10 yr old I am now raising was a bottle water baby. My daughter at 28 has had 3 cavitities in her whole life, my son at 26 has only had 4 and the 10 yr old has never had any.

I would be more concerned about making sure the child gets enough calcium which is needed for strong teeth and strong bones.

It is true that there is fluoride in some tap water, but all city water is different from another. My husbands family owns a water purification company and the stuff you find in city water is just not good in most cities. SOme cities have reverse osmosis tanks for their water supply, but the majority do not. I would NOT give my infant tap water w/o boiling it first. I would use nursery or bottled water. How many times do you hear of boil advisories? I would not risk it with my infant. Not to mention I have seen what is in a lot of city water and won't drink it myself. I am sure there are plenty of people who give their babies tap water and they are just fine, but I am just saying if I were to choose between the two it would most definitely be a reverse osmosis water. My parents live in Beavercreek and won't drink the tap water. They come to my house with milk jugs and fill up evey few days (I have a reverse osmosis unit in my house for drinking water.)I think my husband said it takes 8 gallons of tap water to make 1 gallon of pure water so that can tell you how much junk is in tap water. Just to let you know, Aquafina is not a reverse osmosis water, but Dasani is and so is Kroger brand water. It should say on the bottle/package whether it is a reverse osmosis. I stay away from the spring water too like Aquafina and only buy ro water. Good Luck with your decision making!

Ask you ped. but last I heard you don't want to overdo it with little teeth and flouride. I don't know that tap water is watched more closely by the government that bottled. You didn't say how old you baby is. Is it too late to relactate? You never have to worry about it if you breastfeed.

I have heard of this from a number of sources, including my father-in-law, who is in the medical field. I'm still nursing my son, so the formula-thing isn't an issue for us, but our pediatrician has prescribed a vitamin called "tri-vy-flor" which is a daily vitamin WITH floride so that my son would be getting the floride he needs for incoming teeth.

If you're willing to accept the possibility that fluoride may be harmful, please read "Fluoride Deception" by Christopher Bryson. I've never wanted to believe all those "crazy" people who claim that dumping fluoride in the public water system was a convenient way for the gov't to cheaply get rid of the byproducts of nuclear production, but it seems that this could very well be one piece of the puzzle. Anyone who claims to be absolutely certain that it's good for you (and your teeth) has not researched both sides of this issue. I'd say the same for the reverse opinion.... if you're absolutely certain that nobody should use fluoride--ever--you're probably reading just one opinion. I, for one, am suspicious enough that I avoid it completely in all forms (no tap water, no fl toothpaste, none at the dentist), but we eat a whole-foods diet and avoid sugar and soda, plus insist on good brushing & flossing habits. These things are far bigger factors than fluoride for good teeth. Basically, my conclusion so far is that systemic fluoride from the water is a BAD thing, but topical (from toothpaste) could possibly have some benefit. But I don't know for sure! It's good you're asking these questions, but please don't stop with asking it here... READ!

Hi J.!

Yes...She is correct. Bottled water has no flouride in it. A nurse once told me "don't use regular bottled water. There is a bottled water called "Nursery Water" (I think) that has added flouride for your baby." You can find this at Wal-Mart among other places. Babies need the flouride for their teeth or developing teeth. Hope this helps!

I would go with your gut on this one, i have 5 kids, they were all different. I believe the key is not putting them to bed with a bottle, but brush their teeth 2 times a day. Most drug stores carry toothpaste for infants and toddlers that is safe to swallow. Too much floride can make their stomach upset.

Dear J.,

The only reason I have ever heard not to give them tap water is because their little tummies cannot digest the fluoride. My daughter is 10 and she survived on tap water! Good luck and I wouldn't worry.

City water does contain fluoride. Tap water, if from a well source, probably does not have the recommended level of fluoride. We found out, from our pediatric dentist, that well water can indeed contain fluoride levels so they recommend we get it tested (they provided the bottle, etc). We used bottled fluorinated water which you can buy in most grocery and retail stores. Too much or too little can cause problems to your childs teeth and for the future growth of their permanent teeth. Good Luck!

Yeah - heard of that concern before. We just did what worked best for us.

We have a water filtration system that leaves the flouride in the water, so we'd use that when we were home.

If we were out and about, we'd put a couple 8 oz. bottles of water in her diaper bag in case we needed it.

Our pediatrician said to use tap water and there was absolutely no reason to boil it. We used tap water with no issues whatsoever.

Penn and Teller have a show on Showtime called BS (spelled out, I don't want to curse!) that tested bottled water versus the water from the sink in a New York City Subway restroom. Turns out the subway water is better with less junk in it. They also showed exactly where loads of that bottled water comes from, straight off the tap from whatever city. So don't buy into the bottled water business. Some cities are thinking of banning them because they take so long to decompose, are made of oil (we already use enough in this country), etc.

http://www.neutralexistence.com/blog/bottled-water-ban-in...

My pediatrician's office told me the same thing. I was freaking out because I heard conflicting information, so I called the doctor's office. A nurse told me that we should use tap water because of the flouride. Hope that helps!

Yes, your child does need the floride that is found in water but I wouldn't suggest giving a baby tap water. There is a brand of water called nursery water that is purified and has floride in it so you get the comfort of knowing that your child is drinking safe water and the floride.

I have heard this - as long as you live in an area with city water (versus well water) that it's best to use tap water. This isn't to say that bottled water is unsafe. Like if you want to keep a bottle of water and powder formula in your diaper bag to mix on the run occasionally or whatever, but I have heard that overall it's better to use the straight from the tap sort.

Yes you want to use tap water instead because of the flouride that is in it. Bottled water does not typically contain flouride. The flouride will help to protect your baby's teeth from decay and cavities.

D.

I am 31 and have been married for almost 12 yrs. My husband and I have 3 boys ages 10,7, and 4.

Hi there! My daughter was born with a tooth coming in so we saw a pediatric dentist at a week old. Her recommendation ( as well as our peds) once I stopped nursing and switched to formula was to use the "Nursery Water" brand because it has flouride in it. It comes in mini bottles, gallon and 2 1/2 gallon sizes. You might want to check with your ped or dentist though...it seems like everyone has a different view on it. Good luck!

Dear J.,

As with all toxins the key is the dose. Given the size of a baby and developing nature of the brain, wouldn't you want to minimize what toxins you expose your baby to? The floride in water isn't the same kind that protects teeth but it is a toxin. You can choose to drink it but like all toxins people have different tolerance levels. The suggestion to use pure water (reverse osmosis is best with distilled being close) is a very good suggestion.

Another thing to watch out for is soy based formula. Soy contains high levels of aluminum (a known toxin) as well as high levels of what to your baby looks like the estrogen in birth control pills. Neither is good.

God Bless,

S.

It's great that you're thinking about flouride and if your child needs it or not. I actually refused to have the dentist put flouride on my son's teeth at his last dental exam. From the research that I've done, I've found that there is flouride in our water, in our food, in our toothpaste. Flouride is like alot of things, a little bit is okay, but alot is poisonous to our systems. Our bodies are filled with so many toxins anyway. Many, especially in the dental industry, would say that flouride is needed to protect your child's teeth. I would do your own research to decide for yourself how much flouride you want in your child's body. Hope this helped.

Yes!
But we used tap water after our kids were 6 months old or they started getting teeth. Bottled water just doesn't have the minerals and floride they need. They have Nursery water for formula and to drink but can't be used for too long.
Hope this helps!
R.

You have to be very careful of bottled water too!!! Some of the bottled water contains added salt and other chemicals that your baby doesn't need. (Neither does anyone else!!) My daughter used nursery water for her two kids because their well water was unsafe unless it was boiled first. You can boil your tap water and use it. It's just as safe, if not better than, some of the bottled water. We didn't have bottled water when I was a baby and I survived! LOL

J. -

I have heard the same thing. I would only use bottled water if I was out at to eat or something. You can buy flourinated Nursery water if you prefer to not use tap water. Hope this helps.

Actually if you look at the studies that have been done there is NO evidence that florid makes any difference at all. I was raised on tap water never even knew what a bottle was and my hubby was a well water baby. He has perfect teeth. No supplementing of florid and no cavities (he was also never had sugar). I on the other hand had ever tooth filled and have a thyroid problem. Florid is horrible for thyroids. You need to weigh the good things about florid (good for the teeth) and the bad (that it's not good for the rest of the body) and make your own decisions.

M.

J.,

We live in a small town and our city water doesn't add flouride. I also don't always trust what kind of chemicals are in the water, so we use Brita filters for all the water our family drinks.

Once my daughter was old enough to chew daily vitamin suppliments, I asked our dentist for one that had a flouride additive. It's relatively inexpensive and she says it tastes great.

Hope this helps,
J.

I don't always trust tap water because you just never know. They do sale gallons of water for babies in the baby aisle or with other gallons of water. It isn't expensive, usually like $1-1.50 gallon. We used that with our son and he now has very healthy gums and teeth :) Good Luck!!

The American Dental Association has issued an interesting "interim guidance" on the use of fluoridated water to reconstitute powdered or concentrated formula. In a nutshell, they are, pending further research, recommending that parents and caregivers not use fluoridated water in preparing infant formula. The problem, it seems, is that a higher-than-optimal intake of fluoride, especially in infants whose teeth have not yet erupted, may lead to an increased risk of enamel fluorosis.

That Nursery Water that many mothers are recommending has lots and lots of fluoride in it. Your best bet is to just buy bottled (non-fluoridated) water to mix with the formula.

********************************************
I just found this on the ADA website:
Infants, Formula and Fluoride

The ADA offers these recommendations so parents, caregivers and health care professionals have some simple and effective ways to reduce fluoride intake from reconstituted infant formula:

* For infants who get most of their nutrition from formula during their first 12 months, ready-to-feed formula is preferred to help ensure that they do not exceed the optimal amount of fluoride intake.

* If liquid concentrate or powdered infant formula is the primary source of nutrition, it can be mixed with water that is fluoride free or contains low levels of fluoride to reduce the risk of fluorosis. Examples are water that is labeled purified, demineralized, deionized, distilled or reverse osmosis filtered water. Many grocery stores sell these types of drinking water for less than $1 per gallon.

* Breast milk is widely acknowledged as the most complete form of nutrition for infants. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends human milk for all infants (except for the few for whom breastfeeding is determined to be harmful).

Parents and caregivers should consult with their pediatrician, family physician or dentist on the most appropriate water to use in their area to reconstitute infant formula. Ask your pediatrician or family physician whether water used in infant formula should be sterilized first (sterilization, however, will not remove fluoride).

I stay away from as much fluoride as possible because the fluoride that is used is sodium fluoride, and it is a by-product of aluminim, and is poisonous. The first clue should be the warning to contact the poison control center if too much toothpaste is ingested. From there, people should read BOTH sides of the issue before forming their opinion. The key phrase here is 'form your own opinion!' Do not take the word of the EPA, FDA, AAP, or the Medical industry. The internet is a blessing in the sense that you can do your own research and educate yourself.
.
A good place to start because it will peak your interest is:
http://www.greaterthings.com/Lexicon/F/Fluoride.htm

Hi J.,
My daughter's doctor told me to use tap water due to the floride that is needed for her teeth. She said bottled water doesn't have much floride in it. She did fine with tap water.

I was told the same thing. Besides, I wasn't going to spend all that money on bottled water when it comes free from the tap!!

walmart & other grocerssell "nusery water", it has floride in. it doesn't have all the chlorine & other chemicals that tap water does.

Actually you do not want to give your children flouride in anything... toothpaste, water, dental visit treatments. It does not do a whole lot to actually protect teeth or make them stronger. I have seen studies that can neither prove it strengthens them or that it weakens them. What I do know is that flouride is a waste product. It is hazardous material. How and why would it be good to put that sort of thing into your body. From what I have learned companies sell flouride (a waste product) to the government because they can sell it to the government cheaper than they could properly dispose of it. When my daughter was little we made her formula with reverse-osmosis water until she was older. She now has tap water which is fine since she's almost 2 but while she was so young I stayed away from it. And when we brush her teeth we do not use the toothpaste with flouride in it. You can go to a health food store and get some tooth paste without the flouride in it that is just as good as the other stuff and actually a little better because it has no flouride. Good luck!

I've always been told to use the Nursery Water that you can buy at the grocery store, which does contain the flouride. I'm not sure about the difference between bottled water and nursey water though.

it is true that you should use water with flouride instead of plain bottled water. you can by "Baby Water" in gallon jugs in places such as the baby section of Walmart that satisfies your needs perfectly. if you have well water, you should definitely NOT use that tap water because it could potentially contain contaminates that your baby's system cannot handle. If you have "city water", it is well regulated and is actually better for the baby than plain bottled water.

Unless you get flouride enhanced water, bottled water does not contain flouride. You can check the quality of your tap water with the local health department. Tap water is tested VERY often for contaminants and is usually better chemically than most bottled waters. Well water does not contain flouride (usually) and should be tested for contaminants. That is a very cheap test to be done by your health department. They will also test for lead in the water lines of older houses if that is a concern.

The only issue that you may have with tap water is the chlorine. You can eliminate that concern by allowing the tap water to set out for 12 hours or so. The chlorine will evaporate.

It is MUCH more economical and environmentally responsible to use the tap water than buy the bottled water.

You are supposed to boil your water first! The formula can will tell you that right on the back of it. I believe doctors don't recommend fluoride for infants until after they are two. That's why the infant tooth paste doesn't have it in there! Plus it's better to boil the water you use to eliminate any toxins. They have special bottled water for babies that is ok but always boil your tap water.

I think it's not going to matter which way you go. Just about every water source has a certain amount of Flouride in it. Even Nursery water has a high amount. Everyone needs flouride, but we just have to watch how much we ingest. I think it is going to come down to a matter of choice.

J., we live in the country and have well water and my 13 month old son has always been on bottled water in his formula because I would NEVER let him drink that water straight from the ground (pesticides, bacteria, parasites who knows what could be in there!). Yuck! Because there is no floride in bottled water our pediatrician put him on a daily multi-vitamin with floride. It is very inexpensive and he gets the vitamins as just an "extra" that wont hurt. If you dont trust your community tap water and want to use bottled, then just ask your pediatrician for a script for multi-vits with floride. And YES, they do need the floride starting at around 9 months.