We often get asked if tap water or more specifically is\u00a0filtered tap water safe for babies?<\/strong><\/p>\n As parents we are all super concerned about the well-being of our little babies. Two of the co-founders at Tapp Water recently became parents and therefore spent a lot of time researching this topic before making a decision. In this article we will share our research and conclusion.<\/span><\/p>\n Note that babies less than 6 months should not be drinking tap water so this article refers to water used for baby formula and drinking water for babies<\/a> older than 6 months.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n Babies have immature immune systems and therefore we want to make sure that the infant doesn\u2019t get exposed to bacteria unnecessarily the first 6 months.<\/span><\/p>\n Therefore there are two reasons to boil water:<\/strong><\/p>\n a) Neither tap water or bottled water is sterile straight from the source.<\/span><\/p>\n b) Powdered infant formula milk is not sterile. Even though tins and packets of milk powder are sealed, they can still contain bacteria.<\/span><\/p>\n By boiling the water for 1-3 minutes you can be sure that bacteria are gone<\/strong>. Adding the boiled water to the formula, according to some sources, also means that the formula milk will be safer to consume.<\/span><\/p>\n Boiling water does not remove other contaminants such as lead, nitrates, micro plastics or substances often added to the water including chlorine, chloramine or fluoride.<\/span><\/p>\n Drinking water quality is location dependent. In most of Europe and many other countries around the world public tap water is safe to drink after boiling but you never know for sure.<\/span><\/p>\n Recent incidents with lead in Flint, Michigan and PFOAs in the Venento region of Italy show that water could be contaminated even when locals governments report it to be safe.<\/span><\/p>\n Another problems is newly identified contaminants such as microplastics found in over 80% of all tap water<\/a>. We simply don\u2019t know yet what the health impact is for humans but we know that it\u2019s harmful for micro-organisms.<\/span><\/p>\n So is tap water safe for babies and baby milk?<\/strong><\/p>\n For the time being experts point to tap water being safe for infants. NHS in the UK as well as most other health institutions in Europe recommend tap water rather than bottled water for infants.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cBottled water is not recommended to make up infant formula feeds for your baby. This is because it’s not usually sterile (free from bacteria) and may contain too much salt (sodium) or sulphate.<\/em>\u201d \u2013 Source: NHS Website<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n In Spain the Scientific Committee of the Spanish Agency for Consumer Affairs and Food Safety recently proposed that “Suitable for the prepartion of infant food and baby formula”:<\/p>\n To see if your tap water is baby safe check your local water in our Water Quality Database<\/a> and compare with the values above.<\/p>\n The simple answer is no. A longer answer is available here<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0. Bottled water may contain too much sodium or sulphates and it could also contain lead, nitrates or other harmful contaminants as quality testing is not as frequent as for tap water. There may also be bacteria as it\u2019s not sterile.<\/span><\/p>\n In addition to this 92% of bottled water was found to contain microplastics<\/a> in a recent test by OrbsMedia. As per above we don\u2019t yet know what human impact is but you might not want to test your luck with a newborn baby.<\/span><\/p>\n Therefore avoid using bottled water for your infant if you can and if you must use it then make sure that the content is safe and that it\u2019s boiled first.<\/span><\/p>\n As mentioned above there are risks with tap water although currently perceived as very low. An affordable high quality water filter will reduce the risk for your infant. But make sure to use the right kind of filter.<\/span><\/p>\n Here are a few simple guidelines:<\/span><\/p>\n And make sure to boil the water the first 6 months even if you use a water filter.<\/span><\/p>\n1. Why do we boil the water?<\/h2>\n
2. Is your tap water safe to drink?<\/h2>\n
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of Royal Decree 1798\/2010 and Regulation (EU) No 115\/2010)\u00a0<\/li>\n3. Is bottled water safer than tap water for babies?<\/h2>\n
4. What kind of water filter do I need for babies?<\/h2>\n
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Conclusion – Is filtered tap water safe for babies?<\/h2>\n