Many parents wonder if it is best to use bottled water to make formula for their toddler. Unfortunately, bottled water is not the advised choice when you make formula, because there could be several problems with bottled water. To find out what these problems are, and what you should be looking out for, please read the information below.
One of the biggest problems with bottled water in relation to making your goat’s milk toddler formula are the levels of sodium and sulphates in some brands of bottled water. However, we understand that in some cases, you may have to use bottled water because of a trip abroad or contaminated drinking water. If this is the case, you can check the values of sodium and sulphate in bottled water as follows.
When you are forced to use bottled water to make your goat’s milk toddler formula, make sure the bottled water does not contain more than 200 milligrams of sodium. In some cases, sodium may be displayed on the label of the bottled water as Na, so be sure to search for both when you are looking for bottled water for goat’s milk toddler formula.
Sulphate is another substance you should be looking out for when you want to use bottled water for your goat’s milk toddler formula. In order to provide safe goat’s milk toddler formula for your child, make sure that the bottled water you use does not contain more than 250 milligrams of sulphate, also displayed under the abbreviation SO4.
Contrary to popular belief, bottled water is usually not sterile. Similar to tap water, bottled water still needs to be boiled before it can be used to make goat’s milk toddler formula. Before you can use the water for formula, the water must at least have a temperature of 70 degrees Celsius, and be allowed to cool down before you give the formula to your toddler.
During the early stages of your child’s life, your child will be more susceptible to illness. For that reason, hygiene is extremely important when you make formula. If you are unsure how to make formula suitable for your toddler, please read the recommendations below.
It is quite easy for bacteria to end up in the formula of your child, especially when the formula comes in contact with your hands. To avoid your hands transferring any harmful bacteria to the formula, you must clean your hands before handling the formula, bottle and teats.
The best way to ensure your hands are as clean as possible is using an anti-bacterial hand wash. These anti-bacterial hand washes are widely available in supermarkets and other stores, so parents will have no problems acquiring an anti-bacterial hand wash for their toddler’s formula time.
Once you have boiled the water to a temperature of 70 degrees Celsius, it is extremely important to avoid leaving the water out for too long.
While heating up to water to 70 degrees Celsius will successfully kill any leftover bacteria in the water, leaving the water to cool down after the boiling for too long can cause bacteria to end up in the water again. Therefore, try to limit the cooldown time of water to 30 minutes.
Some parents do not want to boil bottle feeding equipment, because they find it a very time consuming action. If this is the case for you, there are other ways you could use to sterilise the feeding equipment for the toddler formula. Even though each sterilisation method requires preparation and a certain amount of time, the time it needs to sterilise feeding equipment varies from method to method.
Bottle feeding goes easier for some parents than for others, because at the end of the day, bottle feeding is a learning process for both parents and the child. Fortunately, there are many places where parents can go if they have questions about bottle feeding, which includes the use of certain brands of bottled water when going on a trip or dealing with contaminated water.
The first person to turn to when you have questions about bottle feeding is a licensed health professional. Paediatricians can also provide advice for toddlers suffering from certain food allergies, while still ensuring they get the proper nutrition for good growth and development.
When it comes down to bottle feeding, it is important to ensure that the formula does not contain any harmful substances for your child, whether they are sodium, sulphate or bacteria formed because of poor hygiene practices. For that reason, always inform yourself properly about bottle feeding and ask a health professional for additional advice if you are left with certain questions or concerned, because being fully informed about formula, bottle feeding and the use of sterilised water can ensure the formula is safe for your child!