Water is the very foundation of life. That’s why it’s necessary that your baby only has access to the best drinking water to ensure that they’re safe from potentially harmful pathogens. But how do you tell which water supply to choose? What are the purified water benefits that your baby can take advantage of? Most importantly, is distilled water safe for your baby?
Babies naturally love water. After all, they spent nine months swimming inside their mother’s womb from birth. So, it’s only natural for them to enjoy a daily warm bath to soothe and relax them. But as parents, you can’t help but worry if the unfiltered water can harm your baby’s skin.
This article will discuss the basics of purified water, its benefits, and a few other pieces of information that you might want to know about other water sources that you might find valuable for your baby’s health.
How Purified Water Works
Water purification is a process wherein any potentially harmful chemical pollutants and other contaminants get eliminated from the water. The water uses various methods to remove organic and inorganic materials, including distillation and deionization.
Water purification is a must when it comes to providing clean drinking water. It’s used in different medical, chemical, and pharmacological enterprises. It also occurs on various scales, including large and small settings, such as individual households.
Most areas that use natural bodies of water as water sources need water purification for their daily use. Typically, these include groundwater or surface waters such as streams, lakes, and rivers.
Importance of Safe Water Sources for Babies
Babies are the most vulnerable members of our society. Their immune systems are still developing, making them susceptible to various health complications. One area that parents often overlook in ensuring their baby’s health is the water source they use, especially when preparing infant formula.
Ultimately, the water source you choose when you mix infant formula will depend on your location, the quality of your local water supply, and personal preference. The most important aspect is that the water is safe and clean. Regularly testing your water source is essential to ensure it remains a safe choice for your precious little one.
Benefits of Purified Water
Provides Nourishment
Although drinking water may seem plain, it contains essential minerals the body needs. Even more, it also helps with regulating body temperature while hosting one’s metabolism at the same time. Parents need to encourage their children to drink purified water during breaks. Once they’re over six months, you can start introducing purified drinking water now and then.
Averts Constipation
Constipation is a common problem, especially for babies. One of the primary reasons it happens is the lack of drinking water. It usually occurs when waste travels through the digestive tract too slowly, causing the stool to lose its liquid and turn dry and hard. Providing your baby access to drinking purified water can help reduce the chances of developing constipation at a young age.
Boosts Brain Function
Your baby undergoes a lot of changes as they grow. Besides breast milk and infant formula, purified water can help boost your child’s attention span and retention capacity. These factors are essential to support their growth spurt further as they age.
Supplies Proper Hydration
Your baby needs to have a constant supply of purified water as they grow. With all their activities, keeping them hydrated gives them the energy they need to replenish the lost fluid. Water hydrates tired muscles, repairing them overnight as the human body rests. Keeping bottled water handy is crucial so that your babies won’t run out of purified water to drink, especially when you’re outside.
Shields Them From Water-Borne Diseases
Lastly, drinking purified water helps protect your baby from biological pathogens and other harmful contaminants. Remember that kids are more prone to microbes that may cause adverse health effects than adults. Providing them access to purified water can help reduce their chances of exposure to diseases such as lead poisoning and cholera.
Primary Water Sources When Making Baby Formula
When making infant formula, it’s crucial to consider the water source you’re using. Here are the different options:
Tap Water
- It’s convenient and usually safe in many developed areas.
- However, it may contain chlorine, lead, and other contaminants that could be harmful to your baby.
- Consider getting your tap water tested and treated if necessary.
- Some parents choose to boil tap water before mixing it with infant formula to kill any bacteria present.
Bottled Water
- This option is convenient and typically safe.
- Be aware that not all bottled water is created equal. Some types may contain high levels of sodium or sulfate, unsuitable for babies.
- Additionally, most bottled water is not fluoridated.
Fluoridated Water
- Fluoride is a mineral that helps prevent tooth decay.
- It’s important for your baby’s dental health, but too much can lead to a condition called fluorosis.
- Some tap water is fluoridated. If yours isn’t, or if you rely on bottled water, discuss fluoride supplements with your pediatrician.
Distilled Water
- Often considered the safest water for baby formula as the distillation process removes impurities and contaminants.
- However, like bottled water, distilled water lacks fluoride.
Purified or Distilled Water
- Many parents prefer purified or distilled water to mix with infant formula.
- This option ensures that the water used is free of harmful contaminants.
Baby Water
- This is a specialized type of bottled water available in stores.
- It’s typically purified and may be fortified with minerals, such as fluoride.
- However, it’s usually more expensive than other options.
Different Water Purification Processes
Boiling
One of the easiest ways to purify tap water is by boiling it. Although there’s barely any need to boil purified water, heating it until it reaches its boiling point guarantees it’ll effectively remove contaminants, such as bacteria and viruses. However, the remnants of the dead micro-organisms would only settle at the bottom. So, you can’t entirely guarantee that nothing will be left with all the impurities. That’s why it’s a must to strain them using a microporous sieve to eliminate any remaining impurities.
Water Purification
Installing an electric water purifier in your home is one of the most commonly used ways to purify tap water. It uses a multiple-stage process involving UF, UV filtration, and carbon block. It also uses modern water filtration systems that allow you to eliminate almost every impurities and chemical in the tap water, ensuring that what your baby drinks are purified water.
Water Chlorination
Water chlorination is one of the earliest forms of water purification, especially during an emergency. It uses mild bleach with at least 5% chlorine mixed into the water. This combination is an antioxidant that eliminates harmful substances to produce clean and purified water.
Reverse Osmosis
Reverse osmosis uses a high-pressure pump to boost the pressure of the filtration system and uses water weight to force the pressure through a semipermeable membrane. It’s an effective way to produce drinking water while retaining its health benefits.
Iodine Addition
Liquid iodine is also an effective way to disinfect water. It works best when mixed with water over 68 degrees Fahrenheit in cloudy water. However, you need to be aware that there are people who are allergic to iodine. So, any form of exposure to it may cause adverse reactions [1].
Distillation
Another process to help you turn tap water into purified drinking water is distillation. It’s a process that involves the collection of water from evaporation. Thus, ensuring that you’re only consuming purified water after the treatment.
UV Radiation
When water gets exposed to UV light, it eliminates harmful bacteria from the water, preventing them from breeding further. However, UV radiation is best paired with a reverse osmosis filter to ensure that it removes all the impurities and other harmful toxins from the water.
Solar Water Purification
Solar water purification is a practical alternative to UV purification. However, instead of using a system to do its job, it primarily involves filling an empty plastic bottle with water, shaking it until it produces oxygen, and then leaving it horizontally in the sun. Doing so somehow effectively kills bacteria in the water.
Desalination
Desalination is a type of water filtration technique that treats saltwater by removing the minerals from it. It’s an effective process of making saline water into potable water for irrigation and consumption. This type of water filtration system is often used in beachfront hotels, residences, and other establishments near the sea.
Clay Vessel Filtration
Clay Vessel Filtration is another way to produce potable drinking water. It’s an age-old technique used by many people to purify tap water. Clay vessels block out the mud and other impurities to allow pure water to pass through.
Crucial Aspects to Determine Water Quality
Appearance: Always remember that clean drinking water should be clear and transparent. So if you notice any signs of cloudiness, then it’s best not to drink the water until you’re sure. In most cases, clouder water is a sign of contamination with potentially harmful chemicals.
Texture: Another way to tell if you have potable drinking water is its quality. Although you wouldn’t have any problems with texture when drinking bottled water, there are times when water can feel slimy, especially when it has certain chemicals present such as manganese and lead.
Color: If your color contains any color, it’s also a clear indication that there might be something in the water that may cause adverse effects on your health. So, unless you mix it with something, such as milk formula, it’s best to stay away from it as much as possible.
Smell: Besides the smell and the color, you should also look for foul or unusual odors. For instance, water contaminated with bleach produces a funky smell that resembles chemicals.
Should You Have Your Water Tested?
If you notice anything unusual with the water, then it’s best to have your water tested. Most water systems regularly test for lead as part of their water monitoring routine. It’s highly advisable to test your drinking water, especially if it isn’t coming from a public water system. For this reason, performing routine testing is crucial to determine if it contains any potentially harmful contaminants.
You may test the tap water yearly to check for coliform bacteria or nitrates. You may also check the pH levels or dissolved solids, especially if you’re using underground water. Meanwhile, pregnant women should also test the water for traces of nitrate, especially during the early months of their pregnancy.
EPA has a Drinking Water Watch Program that enables you to access the system using its database to determine if there are any water quality violations in the area. You can also access any reported cases of health hazards and the actions the state took to improve water quality.
Lastly, you can also test your water supply for chemical contaminants if there are any chemical or fuel spills near your water supply. Doing so will help you learn if there are any potential impurities in your supply.
Your local health department will perform a series of tests to check for potential bacterial or chemical contamination. If not, you can request a state-certified laboratory to test your water supply.
Almost every testing laboratory uses state-of-the-art equipment to collect, preserve, and handle water samples. Since a few specific procedures need the water to run for several minutes before taking a few samples, a trained technician will be with you to analyze them directly in your home.
Instances When It’s An Absolute Must to Boil Water
Boiling water is one of the most effective methods of killing bacteria, viruses, and other harmful organisms that may be present in it. This is particularly important when preparing water for baby formula.
Understanding the Importance of Boiling Water
Before we delve into the specific instances when it’s crucial to boil water, it’s important to understand why this step is necessary. Water can carry a variety of pathogens that are harmful, especially to babies with their developing immune systems. When the water reaches its boiling point of 100 degrees Celsius (212 degrees Fahrenheit), it effectively kills most of these organisms, making the water safer for baby formula preparation.
When Using Tap Water for Baby Formula
Tap water can contain bacteria and other pathogens, particularly if it’s not treated adequately. Even in developed areas, tap water can occasionally have contaminants. If you’re planning to use tap water for your baby’s formula, it’s recommended to boil it first to ensure it’s safe for your baby.
When Using Spring Water or Well Water
Spring water and well water are more likely to contain harmful organisms because they’re often sourced directly from the environment. In this case, boiling is an absolute must to safeguard your baby’s health.
When Using Bottled Water
Not all bottled water is created equal. Some bottled water, including spring water and low-fluoride bottled water, might not be adequately treated, and boiling can provide an extra layer of safety. However, baby water or nursery water, which is specifically processed for infant consumption, may not require boiling.
When Using Distilled Water
Distilled water is usually safe for babies as it undergoes a process that removes impurities. However, if you have doubts about the source or quality of the distilled water, boiling it can help ensure its safety.
Special Considerations
While boiling is an effective method of killing bacteria and other pathogens, it’s important to remember that it does not remove chemicals or heavy metals if they are present in the water. Therefore, if you have concerns about such contaminants, it’s important to consider other purification methods or opt for a trusted brand of bottled water specifically designed for infants.
Your Baby Deserves Clean and Purified Water
Ensuring your child is safe from potentially harmful contaminants is crucial to their development. That’s why it’s best to provide them with potable drinking water as they grow—supervising drinking water quality guarantees that your family will have access to chemical-free water at all times.
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