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Nursery Water vs. Bottled Spring Water

These two items are NOT interchangeable, and it is important to know the difference between the two. Bottled spring water is just that, pure, fresh water from the ground, generally bottled at the source. Usually very healthy, and what you yourself probably buy and drink when you're out and about and thirsty.

Nursery water is basically distilled water with fluoride added in. This is used as a selling point, but it should be the exact opposite. Doctors and pediatricians warn against using fluoridated water to mix your baby's formula (that's part of why you're not supposed to use tap water to mix the formula). Too much fluoride causes fluoridosis, a condition of discoloration and malformation of the teeth. Depending on the amount of fluoride ingested, the impact can be mild (cosmetic only) to severe (needing major dental work).

If your child's teeth haven't erupted yet, you don't need to worry about fluoride, since the only, and I repeat ONLY, provable prevention of decay by use of fluoride is a topical application (i.e. brushing your teeth, or applying fluoride paste), NOT by ingestion. It is ingestion that causes fluoridosis, and, if ingestion rates are high enough (very easy to do if you are feeding your baby formula mixed with fluoridated water), brain damage.

Therefore, when deciding on your child's beverages, remember this order of preference...

#1 Breast is Best, everyone agrees. However, not everyone can do this, whether by choice, or physical limitation. Do not feel guilty if you can't breastfeed, just be aware that you will need to make very careful decisions to replace this best option.

#2 Formula mixed with bottled spring water OR reverse osmosis water. The latter is the most cost effective option, since most grocery stores carry it at reasonable prices if you bring your own bottle (think about 50 cents a gallon). DO NOT get distilled water, as it tends to draw the vitamins and minerals out of your bloodstream and flush them out of your system. Definitely not what you want to do for your child. (I will not go into the best or worst formulas here, as it is outside the scope of this article.)

When your baby is starting to drink things other than breast-milk or formula, then consider adding the following beverages to their diet:

#3 Bottled spring water OR reverse osmosis water. See #2 above for a discussion of the different types of water. The reason water is the best first beverage is because it is tasteless

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