Water ensures a better balance of the infant's body and contributes to his development. A stable level of hydration is essential to maintain health. Breastfed babies usually have a large skin surface area. This should be proportional to their weight. An infant can lose more water through perspiration and sweat when the heat level rises. Therefore, the recommended water intake for babies should exceed that of older children to ensure that optimal hydration is maintained. However, there are some criteria to take into account when choosing the right water for your baby.
CRITERIA TO CONSIDER WHEN SELECTING THE RIGHT WATER FOR A BABY
Infant water must meet a number of criteria, whether it is drunk plain or used to dilute infant milk. Prepared food should be diluted according to the manufacturer's instructions, as concentrated drinks can cause watery stools and overload baby's kidneys. It is therefore important to ensure that the water used to prepare his bottle is not highly mineralized. In order to avoid straining the kidneys, parents need to use water with low mineralization. They should not have too much fluoride, sodium chloride and vitriol oil salts. In addition, suitable waters should have a lower nitrate content. This must be less than fifteen milligrams per liter. As for bottled water, parents need only check the label. It has a recommendation index: "suitable for the preparation of baby food". For tap water, it is essential to check with your local water authority to verify the mineral composition and quality of the water.
TIPS FOR CHOOSING THE RIGHT WATER FOR INFANT FEEDING
To select and use the right water for their baby, parents should consider a few basic rules. They should always check the label before using bottled water. A "suitable for baby food preparation" recommendation should be looked at when purchasing crystal clear baby water. A bottle that has already been opened for more than 24 hours should not be used or stored, as mineral water cannot withstand either radiation or heat. Moreover, to avoid the transmission of viruses and microbes, the neck of the bottle should not be used for older children. Parents can use the water only if their baby is older than six months. They should only use water with low mineral content. Mineral water should be stored away from light and heat. Thereafter, highly mineralized water is not appropriate for infants. If your baby is occasionally constipated, it is not advisable to use water with high mineral content. In addition, parents need to consult a specialized practitioner or certified pharmacist for advice and medical recommendations.
HOW TO CHOOSE BETWEEN TAP WATER, MINERAL WATER AND SPRING WATER?
Mineral water for constipated children has a better composition for the health of the newborn. Its advantage consists in the fact that it has an almost constant proportion for the quantity of its mineral salts. Secondly, it seems that the quality of tap water can be variable depending on the geographical location, although it is drinkable and there are standards that constantly seek to guarantee its proportion. For a newborn under six months, the absorption of nitrates or lead in large quantities is likely to cause health problems. Therefore, it is recommended to limit the use of this water for the preparation of the baby's bottle. Even if this water complies with the standards in force, it is still important to consider its quality, its hardness, its sodium chloride and nitric acid salts content. Generally, mineral waters have a lower content of nitric acid salts. However, these are not necessarily synonymous with high mineralization. They have a constant rate of mineralization and a high degree of purity, as they come from well-protected groundwater. However, in order to avoid excessive strain on the kidneys of a newborn, it is necessary to alternate between bottled water and mineral water. Bottled waters have a variable proportion of mineral content. Some spring waters contain a very low concentration of nitric acid salts, while most are highly mineralized. Thus, bottled water has a more stable mineralization compared to tap water. To use this spring water, it is essential to take into consideration their mineral content.
HOW TO BUY BABY WATER?
It turns out that not all types of water are suitable for nursing infants. In general, parents are forced to use water in a way that ensures the optimization of the dilution of the infant formula. They must ensure that the proportion of minerals in this water is not very high. An infant is vulnerable to nitrous acid salts. When parents buy natural mineral water, they always need to examine the label on the water bottle to find out its dry residue content, which should not be more than 500 mg/l. The appropriate water should not contain nitrates. Nitrous acid salts can be harmful to the baby's physiological condition, as his body is still fragile. Since tap water contains these substances, it is not advisable to buy it and use it for infant formula. On the other hand, only if its nitrate content is not very high, it can be adapted for the feeding of a child over six months old.
WHICH WATER TO AVOID FOR YOUR BABY?
Water is an essential part of infant formula as long as a baby continues to be fed on formula. In any case, tap water with a filter is not adequate and is not recommended for a child under six months. This device cannot reduce problems related to pesticides, nitrous acid salts or microbes, although it seems to be effective for tartars. However, it is able to cause a considerable increase in the amount of sodium chloride. Also, it can partially remove magnesium and calcium. While these substances are important for the organism of the infant. Secondly, the kidneys of a newborn baby are immature, so they can't take care of eliminating a large amount of salts. Therefore, for mineral water, it is not recommended to use a filter or a softener. Excessively softened water is not suitable for small children. It is corrosive. It can be loaded with metal components that can be very dangerous to a newborn's health. From now on, parents can use natural mineral water. However, they must be low in mineral content. If the child is less than six months old, tap water and bottled water should be avoided; natural mineral water is perfect for infant formula.